Hope-enhagen or Nope-enhagen?

... and how much does it matter?

In short, it matters a lot. The stakes couldn't be higher for the world's political leaders to construct a workable framework for transition to a low carbon economy. The work will not be completed at the December summit, but we need significant progress to build and maintain momentum.

It is great to see leadership and constructive policy engagement from a growing number of companies. This week's ClimateBiz stories and announcements cover a vast range of public and private sector initiatives that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

At the same time, progress on the political front in the U.S. is slow, and it threatens to limit -- or even undermine -- the value of the investments that many businesses are making to prepare for an inevitably carbon-constrained future.

So if your company is not yet making its voice heard in support of good U.S. legislation, which is in turn a critical enabler of a new global deal, now would be a very good time to get clear and get moving. Among the many companies I work with, it is notable that even those that don't like various specifics of current legislative proposals are unanimous in their view that we must not fail to pass some kind of legislation that puts a stake in the ground and enables further progress.

What do you think?

We at ClimateBiz, Greenbiz and BSR are preparing for the Copenhagen climate change summit, where we will be participating and reporting on how companies are engaging with and thinking about the summit and its aftermath. In addition to articles from our own correspondents and columnists, we'd love to hear from you. If you plan to be in Copenhagen (or even if you're planning on staying home) and are willing to offer your experiences and insights, we'd welcome your contributions -- before, during, and after the event. If interested, please send a note.

Eric Olson is senior vice president of advisory services at BSR.

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