BREAKING – DURBAN'S ‘WE’LL KEEP TRYING’ CLIMATE DEAL

Why Durban is different to climate change agreements of the past; …World governments have committed themselves to reaching a legally binding deal. What are the chances of the process succeeding?
Fiona Harvey and John Vidal, 11December 2011 (UK Guardian)

"…For the first time, world governments committed themselves to write a comprehensive global agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, covering developed and developing countries, to come into force in 2020…

"…A last-minute compromise at Durban meant the new phase of negotiations about to start should be ‘a protocol, a legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force’. The latter is the weakest option, but according to the EU it will effectively mean countries are legally bound…"



…[The deal will not] stop climate change… What was discussed at Durban were the principles on which future negotiations will be based. There was no discussion of how far and how fast countries should be cutting their carbon dioxide…

"… Governments will begin negotiations on what the new climate agreement should look like. According to the ‘Durban platform’, these must wrap up in 2015 with a legal document ready to be signed. Governments will then have five years to ratify it."