The jury is out on whether the Copenhagen summit was a step forwards or backwards. The so-called Copenhagen Agreement recognises the scientific case for keeping temperature rises to no more than 2C, but does not contain commitments to emissions reductions to achieve that goal. As the post-summit discussion gears up on whether it was an important first step or a profound disappointment here is the BBC's Climate Change: Copenhagen in Graphics published on the eve of the summit. Along with the exhibition EARTH Art of a Changing World, the BBC graphs provide a timely reminder of the need for a new model of global politics - one that delivers a legally binding treaty on emissions cuts required to beat global warming.
Images: Mona Hatoum's Hotspot (2006) in the exhibition EARTH Art of a Changing World at the Royal Academy of Arts (image from the exhibition website); two graphs from the BBC NEWS website
