When it comes to international climate negotiations, anything that is not a clear-cut failure can be called a success. That is the best justification for the "Cancun Agreements," the deal reached after two weeks of multilateral talks held earlier this month. While key disputes were not resolved, the agreements sustain hopes that a real pact can be reached next year in the next round of negotiations. Ultimately, however, success depends on all countries recognizing that they are in this together and must each accept the burden of responding to global warning. Thus far, that political will remains beyond reach.

The Cancun talks followed the collapse at Copenhagen a year ago, a disastrous negotiation that foundered over disagreements over the responsibility of developing nations to do more to arrest climate change. Poorer countries demanded strict adherence to the Kyoto formula, agreed over a decade ago, which exempted those states from having to respond to a problem that was not of their making. That was a nonstarter for developed nations which consider that formula an unfair burden on their economies, difficult to tolerate in the best of times and completely unacceptable in today's troubled economy.

A new approach was needed and Cancun had to produce it. The failure of two consecutive negotiations would have effectively killed multilateral climate talks. Acknowledging that a real deal was still beyond their grasp, participants effectively lowered expectations to ensure that the meeting was a success.