"The most ambitious and comprehensive piece of climate change legislation anywhere in the world."

Scotland's climate-change minister, Stewart Stevenson, as his country passed legislation on 24 June to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 42% by 2020, and by 80% by 2050.

"A bold and necessary step."

US President Barack Obama hails the passage of the Waxman-Markey energy and climate-change bill through the House of Representatives on 26 June — by the narrow margin of 219 to 212 votes (see Nature 459, 493; 2009).

"We must move the debate from a stand-off over hypothetical figures to active negotiation on real mitigation actions and real contributions."

UK prime minister Gordon Brown suggests on 26 June that an international fund of US$100 billion a year will be needed by 2020 to help developing countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change (see Nature doi:10.1038/news.2009.604; 2009).