Archive by category | Durban climate summit

Climate negotiators huddle for a dramatic deal in Durban

Climate negotiators huddle for a dramatic deal in Durban

On 11 December 1997 nations of the world gathered in Japan to sign a legally binding instrument intended to begin the long task of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. Today, as the Kyoto Protocol celebrates its fourteenth birthday, questions about its future pushed the United Nations climate talks to the brink of complete collapse in Durban, South Africa.  Read more

Durban climate talks go down to the wire

Durban climate talks go down to the wire

Although complete collapse cannot be ruled out, the general shape of a deal is coming together here as the climate talks head into their final day in Durban, South Africa. It’s not the deal that environmentalists want. It’s certainly not the deal that scientists say would be advisable if the goal really is to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, as stated. But it’s an agreement that could allow ministers to kick the can down the road and claim some form of success.  Read more

Agricultural time travel: adapting through ‘climate analogues’

Agricultural time travel: adapting through 'climate analogues'

We often talk about the impacts global warming could have on agricultural production, and researchers have spent plenty of time exploring models in order to pin down threats to particular crops in specific countries or regions. Now agricultural scientists at the United Nations climate talks in Durban, South Africa, have unveiled a new tool that could allow farmers to move beyond models and peer into their physical future.  Read more

Updated: Durban deforestation agreement promotes transparency, scientific verification

Updated: Durban deforestation agreement promotes transparency, scientific verification

Climate negotiators in South Africa struck a preliminary deal on forestry over the weekend, advancing a technical document that lays out what could be the first real ‘rules of the road’ for initiatives that seek to reduce greenhouse gases by curbing deforestation in tropical countries.  Read more

Bridging the gap: political science in Durban

Bridging the gap: political science in Durban

With the first week of the United Nations’ climate negotiations coming to a close, the discussion here in Durban has taken shape. As expected, much will depend on the outcome of a fierce debate over the future of the Kyoto Protocol, but that question has blossomed into an existential free-for-all covering ambitions, intentions and firm schedules that will tie everything together. In other words, negotiators and environmental groups are once again talking about the need for a binding international treaty.  Read more