The Durban Deal - 12.18.2011

This week energyNOW! looks at what this month's United Nations climate change summit in South Africa achieved, examines the track record of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol for limiting greenhouse gases, and interviews President Obama's lead climate negotiator.

The Durban Platform
The latest round of UN climate talks concluded last week in Durban, South Africa. The annual negotiations aim to get the world to agree on binding carbon emission limits to reduce the risk of catastrophic climate change. What did this year's talks achieve?

Chief correspondent Tyler Suiters was in Durban for the summit, and reports on what has become known as the "Durban Platform."

The World's First Carbon-Cutting Treaty
Almost 15 years ago, the world gathered in Japan and negotiated the Kyoto Protocol, a landmark international treaty to limit greenhouse gases. The pact was initially considered a success because 37 developed nations agreed to emissions reduction targets. But it did not require developing countries like China and India to adopt similar targets, and as a result, the U.S. refused to ratify the treaty.

As the expiration of the treaty's first round of greenhouse-gas targets draws closer, energyNOW! examines Kyoto's legacy - was it a success or a failure?

Electrifying Africa Without Coal?
One of the major sticking points in climate negotiations has been limiting emissions from developing nations. These countries need to provide reliable, cheap electricity for their rapidly expanding populations and economies. But the cheapest option is often coal, which adds millions of tons of new greenhouse gases to the atmosphere .

Chief correspondent Tyler Suiters reports from South Africa on the country's efforts to meet the growing demand for electricity while diversifying its generation sources to include clean energy.

One-on-One Interview: Todd Stern

Chief correspondent Tyler Suiters sits down for an interview with Todd Stern, America's lead climate negotiator at the UN climate summit, to discuss what went on behind ...

Тэги:

#Climate_Change #Tyler_Suiters

Скачать видео