Ok, kids, Durban is over, and it's time for the world to return to its regularly scheduled programming of carbon-induced DOOM. What exactly did the world's long-suffering climate negotiators accomplish? They agreed on a "platform" outlining how they’ll keep trying to create a new climate treaty. Well, it’s … progress towards progress?
Here are the most important things to remember about what came out of the conference:
- Everyone's going to start working next year on a new treaty on climate emissions.
- The idea is to finish that agreement by 2015 (at the latest) and for it to take effect by 2020.
- The Kyoto Protocol will keep on truckin' until 2017.
- The world will start a Green Climate Fund to help out developing countries.
- It's still not clear where the money will come from for that.
- There's also going to be an Adaptation Committee that will be charged with coordinating global response to the craziness that climate change is going to create.
Here's what didn't happen:
- No one agreed to legally binding cuts in their country's emissions.
Tune in next year for even more baby steps in Qatar.
