Durban climate change conference: Big three of US, China and India agree to cut carbon emissions

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/8949317/Durban-climate-change-conference-Big-three-of-US-China-and-India-agree-to-cut-carbon-emissions.html

Durban climate change conference: Big three of US, China and India agree to cut carbon emissions

A new deal to "save the planet" will force the world's three biggest emitters the US, China and India to cut carbon emissions for the first time, although scientists fear it will come too late to stop global warming.

By Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent, in Durban
5:14PM GMT 11 Dec 2011

More than 190 countries http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/8948920/Durban-climate-change-last-minute-talks-produce-historic-deal-to-save-the-planet.html">managed to finally agree a new climate change deal amid chaotic scenes in the early hours of Sunday morning in Durban, South Africa.

As the United Nations conference overran into its second day it looked like the talks were on the brink of collapse as the EU and India argued over just two words in the text.

In the end the wording was decided in an extraordinary 10 minute 'huddle' between the exhausted ministers to decide the fate of future generations.

The 'Durban Platform' will commit all countries to a global deal on cutting carbon emissions by 2015 although it will not come into force until 2020.

…

[NYC_SKP]

1. I SOOOO love your posts, I do hope you'll be just as active at DU3.

Won't you???

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1127

:hi:

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. Thanks NYC_SKP

When does the move become official?

[Bob Wallace]

3. Now.

Let's shift, shall we?

[NYC_SKP]

4. I dare say 99% of members are there now, not here, and the end of this one could be any minute.

We haven't been told a particular time for the end.

:hi:

[NickB79]

5. So, they agreed to meet again in 2015

And only then will they work out the legally binding framework behind the treaty.

And the treaty itself won't come into effect until 2020, at which point the Arctic will already be ice-free in the summer and positive feedback loops will be kicking into overdrive.

Pardon me if I'm cynical, but I've heard this "we wrote a treaty that will save the world" line before.