These are extraordinary times. After weeks of stonewalled talks, there has been a breakthrough deal at the climate change negotiations in Bali.

Still claiming it was a world leader, the the US - the only major industrialized nation to reject Kyoto - had been adamant it would not go with the European Union's insistence that the statement refer to the need for greenhouse gas cuts of 25-40 per cent by 2020, even if the targets were non-binding and merely a guideline for further talks. And when a breakthrough finally happened, with the US dragged kicking and screaming to the table, the White House announced it had "serious concerns" about the deal, thus ensuring the complete isolation of the US. Significantly however, the new deal sets late 2009 as the target for a climate treaty, months after the worst President in US history is gone.

Just as significantly, climate change had been a major factor in the Australian election on November 21 when John Howard was tossed out of office, to the cheers around the nation. And Australia ended up playing a key role in the new deal, according to reports.

So what then to make of Shell, the oil company that claims it is committed to a low carbon future, selling off its solar business? And BP's decision to invest in dirty oil production in Canada. Just another sign that Big Oil is giving up renewables and heading back to its roots, reports Terry Macalister at The Guardian.

Still, the forces for change are afoot with the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passing a Republican-sponsored bill that aims to curb climate change, and sending it to the full Senate for debate next year, and the US Senate passing an energy bill that cuts US oil use, curbs emissions of climate-warming carbon dioxide. All of which made this US Chamber of Commerce commercial in response to the Lieberman-Warner bill so disgusting.



So much for business showing ethical leadership! This ad shows there's a lot of debate to be had and a long way to go before the US and US business join the international community.