“South Africa, in partnership with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), will play a key role in managing the 17th session of the Conference of Parties (COP 17) intergovernmental negotiations from 28 November to 5 December 2011. Besides co-hosting a successful mega-event, its primary aim is to establish legal
guidelines to regulate the reduction of carbon emissions in the coming years. Realistically, this will only be a step towards a new global regime on climate change, rather than the conclusion of a comprehensive agreement. The geopolitical landscape in which South Africa will be
operating is highly complicated, exacerbated by entrenched and varying national interests.”
