Let's Do it in Durban!

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Let's do it in Durban!

Standing in front of a large coal-fired power station in Johannesburg, Greenpeace looks ahead to next year's climate talks, urging South Africans and the world, to 'do it in Durban'.

The international climate negotiations in Cancun have put the world on a difficult but now possible-to-navigate path to a global deal to stop dangerous climate change.

“Cancun may have saved the process but it did not yet save the climate,” said Greenpeace International Climate Policy Director Wendel Trio. “Some called the process dead but governments have shown that they can cooperate and can move forward to achieve a global deal.”

So as attention shifts to South Africa, the host of next year's climate talks, Greenpeace is calling for Durban to be the place for an agreement that helps countries build a green economy and holds polluters accountable.

This year the world has experienced more consequences of a changing climate -- record heat, catastrophic natural disasters, and near-record melting sea ice in the Arctic. This is why next year’s talks in Durban, South Africa, must be the destination for a strong deal, not just another stop along the way.

The talks will be an opportunity for the South African government to be a true climate leader: not only pushing for a deal in international negotiations, but also choosing a sustainable pathway to a clean energy future domestically.

Speaking from South Africa, Greenpeace Africa’s Nkopane Maphiri said, “The government must ensure the country reduces our massive dependency on coal and creates a sustainable energy future for South Africans, based on the efficient use of energy and large-scale development of renewable energy. This will stimulate the creation of green jobs and help end energy poverty."

"Evolution started in Africa, now the world will look to South Africa as the starting point of a strong climate deal required to protect our future. Let’s do it in Durban!”