This document contains the presentation by Ashokankur Datta and E. Somanathan on "Climate Polity in the absence of commitment", presented at National Climate Research Conference, IIT Delhi, March 5-6, 2010. It is well-recognized that new technology is a crucial part of any solution to the problem of climate change. But since investments in research and development take time to mature, price and quantity instruments, i.e., carbon taxes and cap-and-trade, run into a commitment problem. The study show that, if the government cannot commit to the level of a policy instrument in advance, a tax is completely ineffective in promoting R & D while a quota (i.e., cap and trade) can be effective. Nevertheless, even with a cap-and- trade policy in effect, direct subsidies for R & D can play a useful role under some conditions.