Equity demands that OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries act first and decisively. The aspirations of the poor, for economic development and for access to affordable and available energy, have to be met.

Ethics demand that these aspirations be met sustainably and that they do not compromise the future of generations to come. Non-OECD countries must, therefore, weaken further the linkage between economic growth, energy demand and global warming. The essence of the challenge ahead is to forge a durable and robust solution to the crisis confronting us.

Any agreement by the global community should not only express the lowest common denominator of consensus, but also tangibly move the dial towards a low carbon regime. Hence, we should adopt a twin track approach - to push for the ideal of an international agreement, but also move step-by-step towards a global deal acceptable to the developed and the developing countries alike.

The contours of the latter approach can be drawn, with the steps set on foundations with the following mix.

• Measures to increase efficiency of energy usage and to reduce the CO2 emissions per unit of energy. In other words, more energy but less carbon dioxide.

• Measures to provide affordable and accessible clean commercial fuel substitutes for the poor who are currently consuming non-commercial sources, like fuel wood and cow dung.

• Measures to create transparent and unambiguous price and regulatory signals that incentivize conservation of demand, energy efficiency and optimal inter-fuel substitution.

• Acknowledgement that no single entity has the silver bullet. A robust solution will depend on collaborative efforts between civic society, governments, academicians and private enterprise, harnessing the innovative capabilities of all sections of society.

• Acknowledgement that there is no single energy source or instrument that can provide an all-encompassing solution. Solutions will have to be tailored to address specific industries or sectors.

• Acceptance of the reality that whilst technology is a necessary prerequisite for any solution, a detailed roadmap will be needed for each technology of interest (clean coal, wind power or second generation bio) in order to meet the sufficiency criteria. That criteria will be met only if the necessary distribution and logistic investments are also planned and implemented to bring the new cleaner fuels from the production point to the consumer.

Built on these foundations, a pragmatic step forward could be

• To secure agreements between key groups of countries to reduce emissions in high CO2-emitting sectors of the economy, for instance power generation. Power accounts for 35% of global CO2 emissions. China, European Union, India, Japan and the USA together account for 80% of the global coal fired capacity. A deal amongst these countries to contain CO2 emissions from power could be the first step towards building a broader deal.

• To establish a structure of supporting mechanisms, such as to transfer clean coal technology from the developed countries to the developing ones, a cap and trade system that defines the price of CO2 and provides a source of funds through the auctioning of emission allowances, a clean technology fund - all these mechanisms to support the sectoral sub-global satellite agreements.

• To update the CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) and, in particular, to recognize CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage schemes) within this mechanism. CCS is among the few technologies that have the potential to be commercialized within the next decade or so. Companies will not invest in this technology unless there are incentives to do so.

The road to Copenhagen is pitted with many obstacles. One such obstacle that questioned the urgency to cut emissions has been removed. The ideal outcome of a global consensus may be difficult to secure. A step-by-step approach should, therefore, also be contemplated.