Will the Copenhagen climate summit change anything?

Right now the United Nations Climate Change Conference is taking place in Copenhagen, Denmark between December 7 and December 18, 2009.



They've booked hundreds of limousines and hundreds of private jets - for the world's richest, most powerful leaders/politicians to tell us: Do as I say, not as I do.



Will this change anything? It's impossible to know but the following points are interesting things to consider, and may shape your answer.



* The richest countries got rich because they polluted and burned coal as they became industrialized. Now these same countries are telling the rest of the world not to do that.



* The plan of the conference is to give a UN body the power to directly intervene in the financial, economic, tax and environmental affairs of all the nations that sign the Copenhagen treaty. Okay, how many countries will let that happen?



* The plan calls for the world's wealthy countries to give $150 billion each year by 2020 to help poorer countries transition to a low-carbon development path. Except the money will probably come out of existing aids budgets. If the money comes from money already earmarked to go to developing nations, what's the point? It's like giving my son $10 to improve himself, but then taking the money out of his $10 allowance.