Subscribe to Receive the Daily Report

Monday, November 28th, 2011

Durban Climate Change Conference

Author:     RICHARD BLACK
Source:     BBC News (UK)
Publication Date:     27 November 2011 | 11:38 GMT
 Link: Durban Climate Change Conference
Stephan:   Old energy, and entrenched special interests which enrich themselves through their alignment with Old Energy control -- or heavily influence -- not just the U.S. government but those of China, Brazil, and India. As a result, as this report makes clear, nothing is going to happen about climate change. I keep saying this, and am convinced of its accuracy, but even I am dumbstruck at just how great the blockage is. In five years it will be too late to do anything much anyway and, by then, the extreme weather effects arising from climate change will be the story everyone is talking about. If you live in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson, Albuquerque, large parts of Texas, Miami-Dade or anywhere along a low-lying coast line I would start thinking about moving before your property values drop to Detroit levels. Notice also that the only place I can find responsible information on these trends seems to be non-U.S. sources

Some of the developing world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters are bidding to delay talks on a new climate agreement.

To the anger of small islands and other vulnerable countries, India and Brazil are joining rich nations such as the US and Japan in wanting to start talks on a legal deal no earlier than 2015.

The EU and climate-vulnerable blocs want to start as soon as possible, and have the deal finalised by 2015.

The UN climate summit opens on Monday in Durban, South Africa.

Some observers say small island states, which traditionally aim their criticism at the industrialised world’s big emitters, may begin ‘naming and shaming’ developing countries that are also delaying progress.

‘They’re on the edge of a mess,’ one experienced delegate told BBC News, ‘and they may not be able to resolve this mess’.

Developing countries will certainly target rich governments such as Japan, Canada and Russia over their refusal to commit to new emission cuts under the Kyoto Protocol, whose current targets expire at the end of next year.

They see this as a breach of previous commitments and of trust.

But some of the most vulnerable nations say the impasse should not delay talks on a new deal, arguing that to do so […]

Read the Full Article