But failure to act now will only raise the price of delayed action at some moment in the future. While the most hopeful outcome of the Copenhagen summit – a global pact limiting carbon emissions – has now been all but ruled out, the second-best outcome – negotiations on specific measures continue within a framework of general goodwill – would not be a disaster.
就应对气候变化之短期成本所进行的争吵，并不会令各国继续讨价还价变得更为简单。但现在若无所作为，只会在未来的某一时刻、使我们为受到延误的行动付出更高的代价。尽管哥本哈根峰会原本最有希望实现的成果（一份限制碳排放的全球协定），目前已几乎无望成为现实；但其次优结果（关于具体措施的谈判将在普遍善意之框架内继续进行）也并不很糟。若连后一种情况也无法实现的话，那么情况就非常糟糕了。