In the weeks leading up to the seventeenth round of negotiations of the UNFCC in Durban, South Africa (COP17), environmentalists gathered from around the world to challenge the impasse these talks have reached in the past. Activists organized "Occupy COP17" and the Dirty Energy Week and Everyone is Downstream conferences that tackled the root of the causes of climate change - fossil fuels. As the industry is moving away from crude oil and towards dirtier forms of extracting oil sands and oil shale, much like Canada's Tar Sands in countries such as Madagascar, Uganda, Morocco, and Israel, delegates gather to share stories of the impacts similar projects have had in their countries, and what these new projects will do. The Real News' Lia Tarachansky spoke with South African government representatives, environmentalists, and delegates about COP17 and the failure to reach a globally-binding, effective agreement on lowering world emissions.