December 7, 2012

experts comment on the winding up of COP-18 in Doha

The 2012 climate change conference, COP-18, held in Doha closed after a week of debate about how the world should tackle climate change.

Prof Piers Forster, Professor of Climate Change at the University of Leeds, said:

“Let’s get the positives from Doha.  I didn’t hear anyone in Doha questioning the science or the need for urgent action.  While many were lamenting the pace of the negotiations, the science tells us that there is still time both to mitigate and adapt: even low-lying island states can be saved if we collectively act significantly and immediately.

“Policy makers can witness lives saved within their own careers by instigating common sense adaptation measures such as flood defences and rainwater capture.  Signing the second stage of the Kyoto Protocol shows real leadership from the UK and continued pressure from all of us should force other countries to follow.”

Prof Sir Brian Hoskins, Director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College London, said:

“It is vitally important to remember that the dangerous experiment we are performing on the climate system through our emissions of greenhouse gases continues unabated, with global emissions still growing at an alarming pace. 

“The climate system will not wait decades for the governments of the world to inch towards an agreement.  This trend needs to be reversed quickly.  The outcome of the Doha talks is therefore extremely disappointing, if not unexpected.”