Kyoto: dead or alive?

In late November, environmentalists and world leaders will gather at the annual UN Climate Conference, being held this year in Durban, South Africa. 2012 will mark the end of the Kyoto Protocol, the 1997 agreement signed to reduce carbon emissions in developing countries. But has Kyoto left its mark on the world - and are its signatories likely to keep it going with a fresh agreement?

ENVIRONMENT

By Joanna SITRUK / Kate WILLIAMS / Mairead DUNDAS / Marina BERTSCH

It's fifteen years since the world pledged for the first time to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Kyoto Protocol, which called on countries to cut pollution levels by 5% by 2012, has seen some success in Europe. But with its expiry date fast approaching, the pressure is on world leaders to thrash out a new agreement to succeed Kyoto - but it won't be easy, since some of the world's biggest players, such as the United States, are opposed to the plan.

We also take a look at how climate change is having an effect on the planet. Scientists in France believe that global warming could wipe out 10% of the world's species. That's following research being done in the south of the country, where a laboratory is simulating climate change and measuring the effects on the animals and insects inside.

Finally, we visit what used to be the island of Lohachara in India's Ganges delta. It's now underwater, although a sandy strip often appears above the surface. There's some dispute over whether it was flooded because of global warming, but that's little consolation to the former residents, forced to flee their homes because of the rising waters.

Mairead Dundas

Presenter

07/05/2012 - ENVIRONMENT

SOS: Plants in danger

Across the world, plants and flowers are increasingly reaching the brink of extinction. We get the chance the hold one of the rarest plants in the world, find out how invasive species are killing precious forests in New Caledonia, and check out a controversial scheme to keep back the encroaching sands of the Sahara desert.