Thus The Guardian today. “Revelation may mean China has emitted close to a billion additional tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year,” elaborates the newspaper. And China is the world’s largest carbon emitter, too. Less than a month ahead of the Paris climate talks, this is a serious accusation. But it reveals the carbon game ahead for all to see. First, countries will underreport their emissions. Second, they will agree to hollow emission targets. And third, they will overreport emission reductions. In the end, the deal reached in Paris will be for the birds. Why? Because humans are born cheats. This has nothing to do with the United Nations behind the talks, or the city in which the talks are to be held. It has to do with the human species itself. Humans will play the carbon game just as they have played every other game in history. The only difference is that this time around there will be no winners. Only losers. Genes are genes, though. And there is no way around them even when the going gets tough.