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Houston attorney Richard O. Faulk, chair of the litigation department, environmental practice group and climate change task force of Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP, is attending the United Nation Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen as credentialed member of the press.

In his first report for Andrews Environmental Litigation Reporter, Mr. Faulk took the opportunity to look ahead at what needs to be accomplished during two-week conference, which began Dec. 7.

Despite the grand hopes of many members of the international community, including many respected politicians and scientists, even the most optimistic advocates concede that it will be impossible to secure a comprehensive and binding climate change agreement. Instead, the delegates will seek a consensus that will guide the drafting and presentation of a formal treaty sometime in 2010, either in Bonn, Germany, or in Mexico City, he says.

That is not to say that Copenhagen won't be important. Undoubtedly, many of the participants remain hopeful that the conference will set the stage for the final act of the climate change drama. Reasons for optimism abound, including significant commitments from South Korea and an emerging dialogue between the United States and China. However, the situation remains precarious, and the United Nations is poised to become its own worst enemy by unnecessarily inserting distracting announcements and sweeping social issues into this important discussion. Adding layers of controversy regarding gender and sociological concerns on top of this already volatile situation only dilutes the U.N.'s credibility.

Opportunity still remains for realistic, forthright and productive negotiations in Copenhagen. But those prospects will dim substantially if the already complex process is plagued by self-serving extremists determined to sidetrack the agenda with other issues.

In an arena where scientific debates are already sadly plagued by shouting matches and personal derision, where the positions of entire nations and peoples are vilified without any pretense of civility, and where honest debate is characterized as obfuscation and obstructionism, the entire process is at risk. The United Nations, and its members, must realize that the political air must be cleared before the environment can be comprehensively addressed. Otherwise, the flicker of hope that persists at Copenhagen may be extinguished.

Read and find Mr. Faulk's full report on the Climate Change Conference at the firm's website www.gardere.com.