UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon opened the “high-level” talks in Bali with a call to action.

“We gather because the time for equivocation is over,” said Mr Ban. “Climate change is the defining challenge of our age. The science is clear; climate change is happening, the impact is real. The time to act is now. We have an ethical obligation to right this injustice. We have a duty to protect the most vulnerable.”

He added:” If we leave Bali without such a breakthrough, we will not only have failed our leaders, but also those who look to us to find solutions, namely, the peoples of this world.”

“This is the moral challenge of our generation. Not only are the eyes of the world upon us. More important, succeeding generations depend on us. We cannot rob our children of their future.”

Do you understand the seriousness yet, George W?