Whilst this seems like a controversial view, CO2 emissions have been accelerating ever since the first annual climate conference, or COP, in 1995, perhaps what he is really saying is that the COPs have had no positive impact at all but might at least stop things getting worse from now on.
The professor was on the radio today because the latest in the long running series of conferences, COP28, was opening in Dubai, presided over by an oil sheikh called Ahmed Al Jaber.
Jaber, it was, who briefly hit the headlines a few days ago denying that he was using his position to promote oil deals..
If Professor Stark is right and COP really has been just blah, blah then he is agreeing with Greta Thunberg who said these UN climate summits are just blah, blah, blah; meaning all talk and no action.
Thunberg, though, is probably too young (or young looking) to be aware that as well as the blah, blah there's also a lot of junketing at COPs.
One interesting development is that the latest COP seems to be taking a much greater interest in methane, a potent greenhouse gas but not what COP was set up to take an interest in. Could it be that having failed to make any dent whatsoever in CO2 emissions, the COP has decided to move on?
Below see results from a search engine. Suddenly methane sems to be everywhere. It can't be cows, in Dubai?
Source CO2 Earth.
Latest temperature reading seems to be an awful long way from the 1.5 degrees C increase we have been promised.
Jonathan Brind