From the eve of the 12-day marathon right until its finale, the overwhelming message in Copenhagen was that it was time to put aside national self-interest for the greater good of saving the planet for future generations.

But a survey of the wreckage from the negotiations indicated that none of the world's economic powerhouses was willing to make the leap of faith.

Instead, they opted for a lowest common denominator accord -- devoid of targets for greenhouse-gas emissions cuts and not legally binding.

Nnimmo Bassey, chair of Friends of the Earth International, said a delay in wide-ranging action to limit emissions had "condemned millions of the world's poorest people to hunger, suffering and loss of life."

An editorial published in 56 newspapers around the world as the gathering kicked off nearly a fortnight earlier, invoked Abraham Lincoln by imploring the leaders to embrace "the better angels of our nature".

"The politicians in Copenhagen have the power to shape history's judgment on this generation: one that saw a challenge and rose to it, or one so stupid that we saw calamity coming but did nothing to avert it."

In their speeches from the floor, many of the leaders spoke of their encounters with school pupils or name-checked grandchildren.

"When I arrive home at the end of this week, will I be able to sit down, look my children in the eyes and tell them in clear conscience that I did absolutely everything I could to achieve an outcome to tackle climate change?" Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd asked rhetorically.

US President Barack Obama likewise urged his peers to be "part of a historic endeavor -- one that makes life better for our children and our grandchildren."

But despite the expectations of the European Union that he would pull a rabbit out of the hat, Obama turned up in Copenhagen with no fresh pledges that might have spurred others.

The senior US Senator John Kerry, who was in Copenhagen, said that Obama's hands were tied with his plans to curb emissions -- albeit by a fraction of pledges from Europe and Japan -- encountering fierce opposition in Congress.

Kerry said many US lawmakers feared "if we take those steps (larger emission cuts) they're simply going to be eclipsed by rising emissions of the less developed countries."

"Make no mistake: I don't offer these insights to defend inaction. I simply want to describe for you the reality of what it will take to get this done," he added.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also used his speech to appeal for a new chapter of consideration for others, saying he was prepared to put funding on the table to help other impoverished countries.

But in the end, Lula was one of the leaders of four emerging regional powerhouses who struck a deal directly with Obama rather than seek multilateral agreement.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India, another member of the emerging giants club, had said on Friday that "to settle for something that could be seen as diminished expectations and diminished implementations would be in our view a very wrong message".

But as the UN's climate pointman Yvo de Boer pointed out, trying to curb emissions among citizens in the world's largest yet poorest democracy is never going to be popular.

"In India there are 400 million people without electricity. How do you switch off the light bulb that you don't have?," said de Boer.

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