This report documents the proceedings of the AfricaAdapt 2011 Climate Change Symposium that include research, experiences and knowledge about how to coordinate efforts to address climate change in Africa in anticipation of negotiations at COP-17 to be held in Durban, South Africa.

It includes summaries of and links to presentations, experience notes and comments offered by participants, as well as photos, videos and reports from the symposium's interactive plenary sessions. The topics covered include community-led responses to climate change and the role of media in translating and sharing information about climate change.

The report highlights ten overarching conclusions and lessons learned from the research presented. These include the need for improved research into indigenous knowledge and deeper links between adaptation, mitigation and low-carbon development; creating more African forums for knowledge sharing; and strengthening the availability of non-Anglophone researchers and practitioners.

AfricaAdapt is a network dedicated to promoting and facilitating the sharing of knowledge on climate change adaptation in Africa.

Geological carbon sequestration remains an attractive climate change mitigation option. But there are uncertainties and complexities surrounding the legality of projects aiming to sequester carbon this way. This working paper reviews the legal issues concerning geological carbon sequestration in the offshore waters surrounding the United Kingdom.

Geological carbon sequestration aims to prevent emissions from entering the atmosphere by capturing CO2 at source. Unlike carbon sequestration by forests, where CO2 already in the atmosphere is taken up, geological sequestration is classed as an emission reduction at the source. From a legal perspective, different locations of the sea are subject to different prescriptions under international law, but it is individual nations who have the greatest amount of jurisdiction and control over waters closest to the shore. There two key legal questions in this regard. Is CO2 a waste, and hence, can we consider it as dumped? And what is the pathway of CO2 at the storage site? This paper finds that long term storage should be considered dumping, and that existing legal tools do not properly address the pathways involved in CO2 transport.

This working paper explores an area of research that has not been considered in detail to date. While the results are specific to the EU, the content is relevant globally. It is important reading for anyone interested in the frontiers of current carbon sinks research.

Concerns over climate change may soon force drastic reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. In response to this challenge, it may prove necessary to render fossil fuels environmentally acceptable by capturing and sequestering carbon dioxide until other inexpensive, clean and plentiful technologies are available. In this Science review article, Klaus S. Lackner gives a detailed overview of the various options available for carbon sequestration, highlighting the pros and cons of each.