The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
November 28, 2012

Climate Summit: Talks Stall on Kyoto Extension; Report Finds Thawing Permafrost May Amplify Warming 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 
The United Nations climate change summit in Qatar has entered a third
day after talks stalled Tuesday on a possible extension of the Kyoto
Protocol, an agreement designed to curb greenhouse gas emissions that
expires at the end of this year. New Zealand, Japan and other countries
have now announced they will not agree to a second round of the
protocol. Speaking to Al Jazeera, the head of Japan’s delegation said
Kyoto covers less than a quarter of global carbon emissions and noted
major polluters such as the United States have not ratified the
agreement. Meanwhile a new U.N. report has found thawing permafrost
could significantly accelerate global warming in the coming years as it
releases carbon and methane from frozen organic matter. The United
Nations says that by 2100, warming permafrost could release up to 135
billion metric-tons of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to 39 percent
of annual emissions from human sources. Tune into Democracy Now! next
week as we travel to Doha to bring you live coverage of the United
Nations climate summit.

 

.