Thomas Loster answers three questions on Durban: The outcome of the Durban climate summit COP 17 – success or failure?

The 17th COP at Durban, South Africa, ended on 10 December. The parties again failed to reach the urgently needed binding agreements on reducing global emissions. Environmental groups have called the COP a failure. We talked with Thomas Loster, the Chairman of the Munich Re Foundation, in Durban and after the conference.

The climate negotiations are over, and the results are poor. How would you evaluate the outcome? Was COP 17 a complete failure?
Thomas Loster:
Yes and no. It is of course regrettable that the international community again failed to adopt a powerful successor treaty to the Kyoto Protocol, which is scheduled to expire next year. On the other hand, there have been quite a few positive developments at working level in the area of adaptation, which are also relevant to our work.
 
What are these positive developments?
Thomas Loster: 
Climate negotiations essentially revolve around two issues. One is reduction of emissions (mitigation), the other is adaptation to climate change. Concerning mitigation the result of COP 17 is utterly devastating. Waiting until 2020 is a waste of time. However, the Munich Re Foundation has always worked to support exemplary and replicable adaptation projects. In Durban, a decision was adopted to effectively pursue a research programme on loss and damage. It is aimed at closely investigating loss potential, risk transfer and rehabilitation options. The role of microinsurance is also considered in this. Moreover, several initiatives and networks that could be highly relevant to our work and the people at risk have been strengthened.
 
So there have been substantial benefits despite the poor results?
Thomas Loster:
Our work focuses mainly on disaster prevention, risk awareness and microinsurance. At the Durban conference, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), presented our Mozambique flood-warning project as a best-practice approach. For Bangladesh, one of our future partner countries, a Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), with which we can collaborate, was presented to the public. We should be careful not to judge a climate summit only in terms of whether it yields a major protocol. The COPs have repeatedly resulted in important work programmes that have a lot of potential and benefit the people in the countries affected by climate change.

12 December 2011