On Tuesday, as North America slept, delegates from around the world concluded the global climate conference in Dubai, when the chair — local oilman Sultan al-Jaber — quick-gaveled through an agreement that included a sentence calling for “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems in a just, orderly, and equitable manner.”

That may not seem like much — it is, after all, the single most obvious thing one could possibly say about climate change, akin to: “In an effort to reduce my headache, I am transitioning away from hitting myself in the forehead with a hammer.”

And by itself it will accomplish nothing. As Samoa, speaking on behalf of the Small Island Nations, said a few minutes later, “We have come to the conclusion that the course correction that is needed has not been secured.”