Climate change: lessons from Copenhagen and Cancun, and implications for Australia, its regional ecosystems and wildlife

In 2009, one of us (CM) had the fortunate opportunity of attending Copenhagen COP15 as an observer, representing The University of Queensland (Figure 1). Despite high hopes, there was little concrete action arising out of COP15 (COP is Conference of the Parties). In light of this outcome, and the recent Cancun Agreement at COP 16, this paper will discuss the inherent difficulties of negotiating solutions to the problem of global warming, and outline the implications of these for current climate change projections for Australia, particularly focusing on implications for ecosystems and fauna in the western regions of Queensland