Trust, but verify

The White House has emphasized that President Obama and the leaders of China and India agree that climate agreements must be transparent, so there's no mystery about whether nations are keeping up their end of the bargain.

That might be easier said than done.

Reuters, reporting from Beijing, has an interesting analysis of China's big pledge Thursday to cut its emissions intensity -- that is, emissions relative to economic output -- by 40-45 percent in 2020.

China, in announcing the plan, called it a "binding" target. But Chinese officials also say it's a "domestic policy, not to be picked over by foreigners as part of a new international pact," as Reuters puts it. Worth a read.