Warsaw climate talks: what's at stake?

For millions of people affected by extreme weather, decisions made at the next round of climate talks are a matter of life and death. Here, a woman in central Philippines carries a child past the wreckage of a port hit by Typhoon Haiyan on Friday. The typhoon has forced delegates now gathering in Warsaw, Poland to immediately discuss loss and damage caused by extreme weather events.

Greenpeace has called Haiyan "a five-alarm wake up call for negotiators in Warsaw" and called for an injection of cash into the Green Fund, which is intended to disburse billions of euros a year by 2020 to protect poor nations against climate impacts and assist them with low-carbon development.

The polar ice caps have melted faster in last 20 years than in the last 10,000. A comprehensive satellite study confirmed that the melting ice caps are raising sea levels. Governments have agreed to the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in order to limit the global temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius. But the UN said time for meeting the 2 degree limit is running out.

Deforestation and forest degradation account for about 15 percent of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from human activity. Climate negotiators will again debate the value of incentive programs that pay people in developing nations not to fell large areas of tropical forests. But lack of leadership and fears over potential trade disputes stalled such talks at previous meetings.

Earlier sessions of the climate talks have been marred by in-fighting as each country defends its national interests. This year's conference sees a new approach: each country will bring forward a "national offer," outlining its plans for reducing emissions. The question is, can delegates overcome national agendas and focus on reaching a collective global agreement?

In some places, people are already suffering loss and damage due to global climate change. In northern Burkina Faso, droughts mean locals lose their crops and eventually their livestock as well. Delegates in Warsaw are expected to discuss compensation for loss and damage.

Small island states are especially vulnerable to unpredictable weather and rising sea-levels because their populations, agricultural land and infrastructure tend to be concentrated in coastal zones. The Alliance of Small Island States is heading to Warsaw to demand compensation from industrialized nations that have caused the vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions.

China is the world's biggest carbon dioxide emitter. Economic growth is the country's foremost goal. It isn't alone - India and Brazil also think of pollution as a necessary cost of becoming an advanced economy. As delegates inch towards a global pact on curbing greenhouse gas emissions, they will have convince emerging economies that environmental protection is a viable model for growth.

Coal, oil and gas companies usually keep a low profile at the climate talks, but coal-dependent Poland has decided "old energy" should be included in talks about future environmental policy. Alongside the UN climate conference, the country intends to hold a Coal and Climate Summit aimed at discussing the role of coal in the global economy in a time of climate change.