Almost 5,000 miles separate Bonn, in Germany, from Alaska’s most populous city, Anchorage. Officials gather in both places today to bemoan climate change. All will face awkward questions. In Alaska, Barack Obama will be asked why he approved Shell’s drilling off the coast, even as he tries to draw attention, over a three-day visit, to an Arctic region warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. Meanwhile, delegates at a conference in Bonn will scrutinise proposals to cut greenhouse gases from more than 50 countries, covering almost 70% of global emissions. These measures offer too little to limit global warming to 2°C, but must somehow be turned into an effective global climate-change deal to be signed in Paris in December. Mr Obama’s jaunt, including the first presidential journey above the Arctic circle, is meant to signal that America, which produces 15% of global carbon-dioxide emissions, will take the deal seriously.