After all, with three countries, there are three bilateral relationships; with ten, there are 45; and with 100 players, there are nearly 5,000. That is why, on issues like climate change, the UN will continue to play a role, but more intensive negotiations are likely to occur in smaller groups such as the Major Economies Forum, where fewer than a dozen countries account for 80% of greenhouse gas emissions.
毫无疑问，他是对的。如果是和3个国家商谈的话，就会有3个不同的双边关系；10个国家则有45个双边关系，100个国家则有将近5000个。这也是为何在气候变化这类事务上，虽然联合国继续扮演主要角色，但更深入的探讨都是发生在类似主要经济体论坛（Major Economies Forum）这类规模更小的会议当中，因为屈指可数的几个国家已经占据了全球温室气体排放量的80%。