Clive James: in Paris, the CEO of the Australian Conservation Foundation hit the champagne

The writer reflects on the recent climate change conference

There's an old French saying, "Send a donkey to Paris and it won't come back any smarter." It sounds good, but I'm betting it's wrong, and that the big Paris conference has saved the world from heat death. Too late to save it for me, perhaps, but I'd like to believe that my granddaughter now faces no greater threat to her future than passing out from excitement when opening Christmas presents.

As Christmas loomed, I was worn out from giving and taking hints about presents. The book I most wanted was The Silent Deep, concerning the Royal Navy submarine service. It was hard to hint about. You can't say, "Speaking of submarines, yesterday I saw one in the river. I wish I knew more about submarines." So I hinted more subtly, dragging the talk around to submarines even when the subject was climate change. When the ocean rose, I suggested, there would be more room for submarines. The hint worked.