The
18th Conference of the Parties (COP-18) to the
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) started today in Doha, Qatar. There is
much to hope for, but expectations range widely regarding the actual outcomes from these next two weeks of politics-heavy (and, alas, science-light) negotiations.
I've been critical of the UNFCCC process and its results, and I've also offered suggestions (
part 1;
part 2) on topics that deserve coverage at these meetings. While the politics remain wrapped up in carbon accounting and stuck to the idea of
mitigation, the science has shown that
some warming is already "locked in" and will happen no matter how quickly those elusive emissions targets are met. The rest of the world that works away from the conference table has already moved on to efforts at
adaptation. These next couple of weeks may well show the utility of the annual COP negotiations.
About a week ago, the global news network
Al Jazeera published
an infographic on the present status for a number of issues to be discussed in Doha, foremost of which for many government negotiators is the
Kyoto Protocol that may expire at the end of this year:
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