12 December 2011

The Durban Platform is a step towards a global agreement, but the risk of exceeding 3°C warming remains and the clock is still ticking.

After two weeks of exhausting and often frustrating talks, there was finally some cause for optimism. The establishment of the Durban Platform to negotiate a new global legally binding agreement by 2015, with big emitters like the United States and China in support, is a far more positive outcome than what many were expecting. The door to keep global warming below at least 2 degrees is still open- just. But, there are several blockades that must be cleared if we are to avoid 3 or 4 degrees C temperature rises and scientists remain skeptical of the commitments made.

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11 December 2011

The most important thing that happened in Durban is that we saved the Kyoto Protocol and secured a roadmap to negotiate a new treaty by 2015. But the agreement lacks specific measures to further reduce greenhouse gases. The Durban deal will also not make a contribution to closing the gap between the reductions needed to stay below a 2°C temperature rise and what countries have pledged.

We were happy to see the EU playing a constructive role in Durban by creating alliances with the small island states (AOSIS) and the least developed countries (LDCs), making genuine efforts to move the negotiations forward. Given the relative success of this summit, the EU now needs to urgently deal with its own low emission reduction ambition and start increasing its target well beyond 30%.