Will the thousands of delegates, politicians, experts and activists converging on Durban for the COP17 conference be up to the task, despite the failures of Copenhagen and Cancun?

They represent a myriad competing interests, constituencies and countries with acutely different socioeconomic needs.

Unless the US and China - the world's biggest emitters of greenhouse gases - come on board, it seems unlikely that a consensus will be reached in Durban over the next fortnight to save the historic 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which commits most developed countries to binding targets on greenhouse gas emissions.

And yet, research by a plethora of international agencies suggests that if achievable and binding emission targets to limit warming to an increase of 2C or less are not agreed to quickly, extreme changes to the world's weather will have devastating consequences.

And Africa, the world's poorest continent, is the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change - millions of people are already starving in the Horn of Africa because of a prolonged drought.

Even if Kyoto is allowed to die a quiet death, a new accord with binding targets simply has to be agreed.

If a deal cannot be reached in Durban, then the conference would make a good start by devising some sort of road map to a new accord that commits all UN member states to subscribing to stringent emission targets within the next few years.

The future of the planet depends on the political will of the world's leaders to take steps towards achieving a meaningful climate change consensus now.