Imagine asking a Martian for the road to nowhere. It would probably go something like this: Rio de Janeiro, Kyoto, Bonn, Bali, Copenhagen, Cancún, Durban, Qatar… Your leader and article on climate-change talks point at the same road (“The Sad Road from Kyoto to Durban” and “Wilted Greenery,” December 3, 2011). As you put it, correctly, the latest United Nations summit in Durban says a great deal about why the world is failing to tackle global warming. Next year’s summit in Qatar is liable to be yet another case study in failure. And what is the reason for the collective inability of the human species to address the obvious problem facing the entire world? Well, the species is simply unable to tackle anything collectively, let alone long-term problems such as climate change. What is to be expected in the long run? More of the same, it goes without saying. Although it is patently obvious to all and sundry that something is badly amiss with the weather, the world cannot even imagine a global government capable of addressing the impending calamity. By the time the problem becomes intractable, laments will rise to high heaven. And that will be that. Until the next chance in at least a hundred-thousand years following not only the end of global warming, but the upcoming glaciation, as well.