153: Climate Talks in Durban

Climate change was in the news again recently, with reports from Durban, South Africa where another U.N. Summit took place. In this episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill will discuss how, over the years, our expectations have lessened and how we no longer think that these meetings will result in much. Some, however, deemed Durban a success: it prolonged the Kyoto Protocol; it agreed to halve the global warming goal of limited temperature rise from 4°c to 2°c; and it agreed to the establishment of a Global Green Climate Fund. And in the midst of all of this, the Global Forum on Oceans organized another World Oceans Day, addressing the impacts of treaty drafts and negotiations specific to ocean issues. While the presentations were responsible and justified for the inclusion of the ocean as an essential element of any process of adaptation or mitigation, the fact remains that, as in the past, the ocean was hardly mentioned in the final reports and recommendations.