Fulfilling their promise, U.N. negotiators meeting in Bangkok finalized the agenda for subsequent climate talks yesterday. Roll your eyes if you will, but getting 163 nations to agree on anything is a feat, even if the agreement is just a schedule for further negotiations.

Charmingly named U.N. climate chief Yvo de Boer whet our appetite for future negotiations by the issues of future talks broken down into "bite-sized chunks."

Japan joined the US in the "Does not play well with others" category, when they insisted that developing nations stabilize their emissions in the next 10-15 years, and eventually reduce them by half by 2050. The nerve of some delegations! In order to placate the easily riled developing nations, Japan's proposal for industry specific emission caps will not be discussed until August, while plans on how to give developing nations money to adapt to a changing climate and technology transfers from rich to poor nations will be discussed first.

Discussion of what the US's reduction target ought to be was also dropped from the docket until next year, since we'll be getting a new president and all and that might affect things. We just want to thank the negotiators for realizing the obvious. Anyway, it's not like the US is just sitting on its hands anymore when it comes to getting on reducing its GHG emissions.

Negotiators were not above name calling, as a diplomat from the Indian delegation called Japan's proposal, which they insist would protect businesses from all nations by having to adhere to the same goals, a "huge protectionist scam." Served!

The next set of talks will take place in Germany in June, then Gabon in August. It should be an interesting, and aside from the whole fate of the world resting in the balance thing, entertaining summer.