Last year provided a wealth of meetings and conferences with minimal outcomes, while catastrophes continued to show how the climate is changing.
The UN climate talks in Doha have yet to produce a deal the day after their scheduled close, with negotiators locked in a stand-off about funding.
Adaptation is woefully lacking among South African businesses as the scale of climate change impact grows, writes Dr Alec Joubert.
COP 18 started with minimal expectations, but after 11 days of negotiations, the big issues are still to be resolved
The World Bank has offered a sobering look at a world where temperatures are allowed to increase past the 4 degrees Celsius mark.
But several major signatories are refusing to expand emissions cuts when the agreement expires, writes Fiona Macleod.
Climate talks got down to the nitty-gritty in Doha as developing countries and the EU staked out rival positions on the fate of the Kyoto Protocol.
COP 18 comes with low expectations, but it is critical to put the nuts and bolts together for a global climate change agreement.
According to the presidency of COP17, an ad hoc group will now work towards charting a new universal legal agreement on climate change.