Delegates attend the closing session of the UN Climate Conference in Durban, South Africa, Dec. 11, 2011. After an extra day's hard negotiations, the 17th Conference of Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCCC) agreed Sunday on the second commitment period under Kyoto Protocol. Photo: Xinhua
A deal has finally been struck in Durban at the end of grueling talks. The EU has signed up to a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol along with several other developed countries, while the world has agreed to set up a Green Climate Fund to help poor countries struggling with climate change.
However, developed countries were a disappointment over the course of the conference. Their behavior proved that the world is still dominated by selfish interests.
Instead of shouldering their responsibilities, developed countries have poured more efforts into shifting the blame.
In the past, they either accused China of ruining previous climate talks, or used the country as an excuse for not cutting their emissions. Their argument is that China is no longer a developing state. As one of the biggest emitters, it must have a compulsory emission target similar to its developed counterparts. But without the right technologies in place, answering this demand will bring considerable damage to China's development.
In fact, developed countries are well aware that China still belongs to the developing world. A decent life is still a dream for a larger number of ordinary people. Some even find life difficult. Shabby cities and dirty streets are familiar descriptions of China in foreign media.
Ironically, when it comes to the obligation to cut carbon emissions, China suddenly is crowned as a developed country. The status of "developed country" here however only means various obligations that rich countries impose on China. Similar selfishness and hypocrisy are also showed in the West's concern of China's human rights situation.
To many Chinese, "human rights" means a better life, which includes a comfortable home, a car, and clothing. The Chinese want democracy too, but its purpose is to live a life of quality and dignity.
It is common for people in the West to change clothes each day, but that is not universal in China. Abundant clothing, water or electricity allowing that do not make this possible.
People from rich countries live a far more luxurious life than the Chinese. The energy consumed by some middle-class American households a year could actually power a whole village in rural China.
Why do the rich countries insist that China is a developed country and try to flatter China to take disproportional obligation? China has the world's second largest GDP, but it also has a population of 1.3 billion. They deserve to live a life as good as those of rich countries. They are not born to suffer.
But even facing great challenges domestically, China has conditionally agreed to set a compulsory emission target from 2020. This has won broad applause.
The Durban conference has revealed to us the selfishness of the rich countries. Their care for China's human rights issue is not genuine. Our happiness and future only lies in our hands.