The Durban Climate Change Conference held last December 2011 had all the elements of a highly charged political drama: global leaders in a high-stakes game to save the world, the palatable tension over clashing interests, claims of sabotage and backdoor deals juxtaposed with impassioned demonstrations and panicky news blitzes, the climax into near-chaos, the last-ditch effort for compromise now known as the “huddle”, and, of course, the miraculous “save”. Then ominously, though probably anticipated, big questions emerge as the screen fades to black. This paper is divided into two parts.

This document briefly revisits the progress made from Cancun to the last intersessional held in Panama in October 2011, and then tackles the emerging political issues that the authors believe will shape discussions in Durban and beyond, among them the fate of the Kyoto Protocol and the role of the EU, and the increasing centrality of climate finance and the emerging role of business in influencing future negotiations.