Will a Delay on the Climate Treaty be Time Well-Spent?

World leaders flatly admitted this weekend what everyone pretty much knew: there won't be a major deal on climate change at the big conference in Copenhagen next month. Instead, leaders will try to keep the process going, in hopes of coming up with a deal next year.

It's no surprise. For one thing, the U.S. Senate, still consumed with health care, has pushed off dealing with a climate bill until next year, and other countries won't move on this issue until the United States does. But it's also true that China and India, huge players on this issue, haven't stepped up either. The overall question of whether rich industrial countries are willing to help developing countries "grow green" is another basic sticking point. It's not all about us.

So now the Obama administration has bought time. How are they going to spend it?

If they're smart, they're not going to just work on the details of the climate bill and a potential treaty. They'll use it to build public support.

The fundamental problem is this: Americans, and the rest of the world, get our energy from fossil fuels that are likely to get increasingly scarce and expensive, predominantly come from unstable parts of the world, and cause global warming. And world energy demand is projected to explode over the next 20 years, as people in the developing world start living as well as we do.

So we need both more energy and different energy to stay ahead. That means making fundamental decisions about how Americans get fuel and electricity. But is the public ready to make those choices?

Not entirely.

It's true that Public Agenda's Energy Learning Curve survey found there's a lot of common ground on energy, with no less than ten different proposals getting widespread public support. But it's also true that four in 10 Americans can't name a fossil fuel, and half can't name a renewable energy source.

That means Americans are open to change, but may not understand the implications of the choices they're being asked to make. That problem can be solved. If we lay out the options fairly, with an honest assessment of the pros and cons, then the country can move forward and make decisions with solid public support.

That's how leaders should be spending the time they've bought. Because if they don't spend that time wisely, it's not at all certain the public will buy what they're selling.