The Earth Day Summit turned out to be simply about the announcement of climate targets which for the most part we already knew about, so was purely to bolster the image of the participants, both at home and abroad. This was perhaps because the Summit was conducted online, and since everything is pre-recorded and public, this more or less prevents any substantive diplomacy occurring between heads of state. Notably, China and Russia decided to turn up the day beforehand, indicating that China decided it was useful or necessary for its image, while a relatively disinterested Putin probably decided to attend because of the presence of his ally. Most new climate targets were either announced ahead of the Summit or came…