An academic said a worldwide deal on climate change will be several years away. Since last December 130 countries have associated with the Copenhagen accord and over 80 have put in their emissions reductions commitments. Michael Jacobs blamed "geopolitics" for the lack of progress at the summit, but said: "I see tremendous hope in what is going on now in individual countries." Emily Thornberry, a junior minister in the Department of Energy and Climate Change who attended the Copenhagen summit, said the negotiations were "like multi-dimensional chess".