In today’s NY Times Elisabeth Rosenthal has an overview of the changes in the U.S. position on international climate policy. In it is an important explanation for why climate policy is so messed up (emphasis added):

Kyoto was shaped largely by climate scientists and environment ministers, not the higher-level officials now laying the groundwork. And even many who participated in the earlier accord now say they see it as weak and naïve about political and economic realities. Of the countries that signed, more than half are not on track to meet their targets according to 2008 United Nations data, including Germany, Ireland and Canada.

Climate policies that are “weak and naive about political and economic realities” will inevitably be doomed to fail, no matter what the skeptics say or how loudly scientists call for action.