Climate talks

The conference in Durban has once again made it clear that the world lacks the political will to do anything about climate change. Too many nations want to do too little: the United States, Canada, Russia, India and China to name just five.

When future generations look back on this conference, it is my opinion that the verdict will be a scathing one. The fact is, we know what we are doing.

First, the science: Climate scientists have warned for years that if we do not reduce greenhouse gas emissions soon and dramatically, a dangerous rise in the world's temperature will be unavoidable.

Second, the technology: We have everything we need to produce environmentally friendly energy. Wind power is already as cheap as electricity produced from oil; solar energy is rapidly becoming less expensive. On this planet, there is an abundance of wind and sun, and it is enough to replace a large portion of the fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas that we use.

Third, the economy: In a report he wrote years ago, British economist Nicholas Stern said the economic costs of climate change will be far greater in the future than taking action now.

Too distant, too ill-defined

But policymakers do nothing. Their inaction is partially due to the powerful lobbying efforts of traditional energy sectors such as the oil and coal industries, which would be the losers in any dramatic restructuring of our economy. But it is also due to a lack of pressure from the public. Obviously, climate change is seen as being too far away and too obscure for people really to be concerned about it.

For many people in the poorest developing countries - precisely those people who produce virtually no greenhouse gases - global warming means declining harvests, droughts, hunger and the flooding of entire countries as oceans rise. In these countries, climate change is not a matter of a few degrees Celsius, instead it's a matter of life or death.

Durban is good, but not good enough

The decision made at the Durban conference is positive. Extending the Kyoto Protocol was a good development. It is also good to initiate negotiations for a new comprehensive climate agreement that will include emerging nations and could take effect in 2018.

But good, unfortunately, is not good enough. The agreements made in Durban will not play a decisive role in stopping climate change. They won't even prevent temperatures from rising even a single degree. More action is urgently needed to do that.

And no one can say, that we weren't warned.

Johannes Beck heads Deutsche Welle's Portuguese for Africa department and reported from Durban on the climate negotiations.

Author: Johannes Beck / av
Editor: Sean Sinico