Climate change

The UN climate change negotiations in Durban began under a cloud of low expectations, which have been partly dispelled by the last-minute agreement to extend the legally-binding Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions. And while Canada, a major emitter, has pulled out of the Protocol, a new environmental divide has emerged that contrasts with the traditional paradigm of developed versus developing countries: the new faultline pits the United States, Canada, China and India, who oppose legal limits for a variety of economic reasons, against the European Union, African, Latin American and island states who favour binding measures - often for reasons of national survival.

In an article by Camilla Toulmin, the Director of the International Institute for Environment and Development, the contrast is made between the dynamics that have driven both the climate talks in Durban and the debate on European financial regulation that ended with a British veto.

Article Source: International Institute for Environment and Development
Image Source: European Parliament

As reported by Agence France Presse, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has produced a draft summary of a report that warns of a predicted increase in the number and intensity of extreme weather events.  The 800-page report goes some way to addressing a subject largely untouched by their landmark 2007 report on climate change, and adds to the growing body of evidence outlining the potential security implications of a warmer planet.

Article Source: AFP

Image Source: Nasa