A lot of great articles reflecting on the Durban talks have come out in the past few weeks, particularly in the mainstream media. Some of my favourites are Globe and Mail articles by Thomas Homer-Dixon and Jeffrey Simpson, The Economist writing that climate change, in the long run, will be more important than the economy, and George Monbiot on how much money we spend bailing out banks while complaining that cutting carbon emissions is too expensive.
Share your thoughts, and other articles you like, in the comments.
ClimateSight 
Gwynne Dyer is a highly respected military historian and writer. He is the author of “War” and “Climate Wars” He makes a strong, thoughtful statement that the Durban climate talks were little more than a perfunctory negotiation having no positive effect on climate.
–snip:-
Suicide pact at Durban
BY GWYNNE DYER
Published Dec 14, 2011
http://embassymag.ca/dailyupdate/printpage/171
A plan to save the planet for the future of our children and grandchildren? Don’t be fooled. It was an almost total failure.
The Durban climate summit that ended on Sunday has been proclaimed a great success. The chair, South Africa’s international relations minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, told the delegates: “We have concluded this meeting with [a plan] to save one planet for the future of our children and our grandchildren to come. We have made history.” Don’t be fooled. It was an almost total failure….
…
…The outcome at Durban could have been even worse—a complete abandonment of the concept of legal obligations to restrict emissions—but it was very, very bad.
“And the lies are starting to corrupt our civilization from inside out.”
Thomas Homer-Dixon
Not just the lies about climate change. We are in an age where the narrative is more important than the facts. Our society is like that coyote, running on air. Sooner or later the people will look down.
So as much as see a need for us to face up to and prepare for what is ahead, I also fear what will happen when we realize what is ahead. Our fall could be as quick as that coyote’s.
See I did read your links
Sooner or later the people will look down.
And thus begins the journey towards the shoe event horizon…
Also from Thomas Homer-Dixon’s article: “Dealing with climate change is a prerequisite for prosperity this century – for all people on this planet.”
This is a great quote that distills the essence of the entire false dichotomy of “economy v. climate.”
For my fellow Americans, though, I’d leave out the “for all people on this planet” part.
hey Kate, this looked like something you or some fellow student might take on — it’s always valuable to criticize bad info on the exaggeration as well as the denial side. See Gavin’s inline response in this:
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2012/01/much-ado-about-methane/comment-page-2/#comment-224141