The UN climate talks in Nairobi have just ended with somewhat ambiguous conclusions. No deal has been made on another round of mandatory cuts in emissions to follow the Kyoto Protocol, and there's not even a clear timetable for negotiating these cuts. As some critical observers noted, the speed in which countries are willing to adapt to new realities is that of a snail. How do you consider the need of speeding up the process of emission cuts? Do you believe it is a helpful tool in combatting global warming?

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"Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive,
but to be young was very heaven!"
William Wordsworth, 1789

Dear Bart

Is it true that some countries that are less industrialised and therefore produce lower levels of industrial pollution, that these smaller countries may "trade" their "carbon credits" (ie. the margin between how much they pollute and how much they are "allowed" to pollute) with countries who pollute in excess of their allowance?

ie. can a country like mexico, china, india, brazil or any of the other sweatshops, can they "buy carbon credits" from countries like Malawi which are predominantly agrarian in economy?

and if so, how do they pay for these carbon credits? for instance, is it in cash or in trade concessions?

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Avishkar Govender

eThekwini-Durban
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
SADC - AU

technology to run motorcars on ethanol or biodiesel exists. so too does technology to produce petrol from coal instead of oil...

should countries that produce these fuels, be given extra benefits (trade or otherwise) to reward them for doing so?

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Avishkar Govender

eThekwini-Durban
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
SADC - AU