(Pic from Sendai City)

The UN Climate Summit in Nairobi wrapped up a few days ago with a pact on moving forward with a five-year program and a fund to aid developing countries in combating climate change, while a renewed timetable to review the Kyoto Protocol was also made. Yawn. Sorry to be so dour here, but the UN isn't going to be able to do much in this area unless the U.S., EU, China, Russia, and probably India come together to sort something out, and the only one so far that seems active in this regards is the EU, even though much of its progress could be seen as paper progress or political posturing. Of course that doesn't mean things like this shouldn't go forward, but sometimes it seems just like a lot of hot air that makes everyone feel good, like their doing something, with no major results.

This from Euractive:

The 180-nation conference concluded on 17 November with the adoption of the "Nairobi Work programme on Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation" which will be supported by a fund to support concrete adaptation activities in developing countries.

"The conference has delivered on its promise to support the needs of developing countries," said Conference President, Kenyan Minister for Natural Resources and the Environment Kivutha Kibwana. "The positive spirit of the conference has prevailed."

A proposal by Brazil to provide incentives to reduce deforestation emissions in developing countries will be further explored in March 2007. Another proposal to allow funds under the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism to be used for carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects was held up until the technology gains in maturity.

Progress was slower on what to do after 2012 when the targets agreed under the Kyoto Protocol expire. A timetable was agreed to revise the protocol, with a review due in 2008.

There are some interesting videos on people's answers of how to stop global warming at Dropping Knowledge, including Simon Retallack, head of the Climate Change Team at the Institute for Public Policy Research; Dr. Elisabet Sahtouris, evolution biologist, futurist, author, member of the World Wisdom Council, and fellow of the World Business Academy; and Anuradha Mittal , founder and director of The Oakland Institute, a policy think tank dedicated to creating a space for public participation and democratic debate on key social, economic, environmental and foreign policy issues.