And that is precisely what we see at the global level when it comes to climate change. Fossil fuels are massively subsidised given the failure in many sectors and in most countries to reflect the “real price” of greenhouse gas emissions – or their externalities, as economists would put it. The majority of humanity cannot afford more than a scooter – but if they could they would emulate the rich and buy the SUV. Industrialised countries still provide the development model, and no such country (“Annex I country” in UNFCCC parlance) has per capita greenhouse gas emissions at sustainable levels.

That is why industrialised countries need to show the lead. Demonstrate that a Prius hybrid is better than a Ford Expedition. An equivalent to electrical cars in the international climate debate is carbon capture and storage. That is what Bellona will stress here in Bali. While we make silent prayers squeezed in taxis between scooters and SUVs.