Editorial: Weird weather and climate change

The United Nations' always controversial and always unproductive international climate talks begin Monday in Durban, South Africa. For two weeks, negotiators from 200 nations, from the poorest to the richest, will discuss how to lower greenhouse gas emissions. But the expectations are high that little progress will be made toward a binding treaty.

Still, the meetings will have some benefits if the group can move away from the politics of inequality and disputes of scientific studies and toward an understanding that action is needed. This past year of extreme weather from the United States to Thailand -- droughts, floods, hurricanes, heat waves and heavy rain -- has killed thousands and cost billions. By focusing on the short-term threats, there's a better chance for a long-term consensus.