The Asia-Pacific region is home to over 900 million poor. Most are in rural areas and there is considerable overlap with forest areas. As such, the forestry sector developments are intimately engaged with poverty issues.

As part of the Copenhagen Accord, individual countries have submitted greenhouse gas reduction proposals for the year 2020. This paper analyses the implications for emission reductions, the carbon price, and abatement costs of these submissions. The submissions of the Annex I (industrialised) countries are estimated to lead to a total reduction target of 12–18% below 1990 levels. The submissions of the seven major emerging economies are estimated to lead to an 11–14% reduction below baseline emissions, depending on international (financial) support.

The Kyoto Protocol, with its crucial distinction between developed and developing countries, was critically wounded in Copenhagen and has virtually been buried at Cancun. It may be predicted with some confidence that the Kyoto Protocol will be replaced at the next climate change conference in Durban by a single framework for all categories of nations.

There were tears, standing ovations and sheer relief after 12 days of frenetic negotiations. As the sun rose over Canc

The "triumph" of Cancún's climate negotiations may be largely diplomatic, but the foundations for a new, low-carbon world are already being laid regardless.