But the time has come put things straight. To tell all.
To raise my voice with the chorus of others expressing their discontent.

I met with the Australian negotiators last week on the meeting international climate negotiations and Australia’s role. We talked for 2 hours about what they want to achieve, their hopes, their frustrations. We talked about the climate meeting in Bonn this week and the Pacific Islands Forum.
However, throughout this relatively friendly meeting I couldn’t help but feel that there was a great big shadow in the room.

The elephant(s) in the room
They loomed over the conversation. They were not spoken of but they were present.

Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard.
There, I said it. That wasn’t so hard. Or more concisely:
The Labor Party and the Coalition.

But then, they are bureaucrats. They cannot comment on the Government. Their role is to implement government legislation. And personally…. I think they’re scared.
I think they’re scared of the prospect of having to implement either of the major parties policies.
Just imagine, if Tony Abbott’s famous line “climate change is absolute crap” became government policy then they would have to defend it (this is of course if the Coalition didn’t dissolve the Department of Climate Change).

Let’s be honest though, neither of these leaders, or parties have demonstrated a serious commitment to address climate change in this election race.
Both have played the politics of the lowest common denominator.
Both lack credible policies on climate change. Neither party has committed themselves to real action (as opposed to Tony Abbots sham line of ‘direct action’) that will see Australia’s greenhouse gas pollution reduce! Neither party is committed to action that will see justice for the world’s poor, who are already suffering the impacts of climate change.

Lies, lies and more lies.
Now, you may have heard it said that both parties have a bi-partisan commitment to reducing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions to 5% below 2000 levels by 2020. We all know this is a woefully inadequate target. One, that if adopted by all wealthy nations, would lead us down the path of catastrophic climate change.

However, the real scandal is that neither of the major parties have policies that will get us anywhere near this 5% reduction. Under both their plans Australia’s pollution will continue to increase.
Check out the Pollute O Meter to see a comparison of the different efforts.

Also of great concern is Tony Abbott’s recent announcement committing the Coalition to cutting funding from the aid program aimed at assisting poor countries to cope with the impacts of climate change.

The date is set!
We go to the polls on August 21. There is still time to pressure both parties to adopt credible policies on climate change. Policies that help reduce pollution, protect the planet and defend the rights of all humanity who depend upon it.

Take Action! Phone, Email or Fax your federal member about wanting strong climate action for a carbon price announced before the election. You can find their details here.

Post a comment reporting your action and recording your member’s response.

Blogging for you (in an unequivocally warming planet),

Phil

I’m still holding my breath – the positive mood here in Bonn seems to have continued over the past week.  What started as tiptoeing around issues, discussions limited to process, Parties sounding each other out after the mistrust injected into the negotiations in Copenhagen, has progressed to something quite different.  There’s a dance going on in the plenary rooms.  It isn’t an easy dance, not a flowing waltz, not a foxtrot of perfectly timed steps between two long-time partners.  But nevertheless, there is movement.

The negotiators are sharing ideas, exploring areas of mutual agreement, and still sometimes deciding to disagree.  As yet however, there is no real negotiating happening.  Instead, is an awkward show, with some trust returning, but a dance which is flirtatious and non-committal.  A kind of first date dance.

We’ve been enthused to see synchronised steps on financing to support developing countries tackle the impacts of climate change.  There is wide acceptance that financial support is urgently needed and that transparent reporting on any funding pledges made is vital.  The European Union set the tone at the end of last week with a well attended side event to freely discuss their pledges and intentions for immediate funds for developing countries.  We are now hoping that other donor countries will follow their lead, and quickly – and maybe even outdo the move. 

Yvo de Boer, the outgoing Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC said this week that little progress can be made toward an international treaty until wealthy industrialized nations commit to deliver the $30 billion pledged in Copenhagen to assist developing nations. We fully support Yvo that “Cancun will only deliver, if promises of help are kept.”  Christiana Figueres, due to take over Yvo’s role after this meeting, echoed this by declaring that “fast-start finance is the key to unlocking Cancun”.

The new text from the Chair of the Long-Term Cooperative Action track is due to appear tomorrow, which will include elements of climate financial support.  Unfortunately this will only be a ‘non-paper’.  A ‘non-paper’ is one in which Parties will talk about the issues, dance a few more steps, but will not be able to start real negotiations until at least the next meeting in at the beginning of August.  Despite the positive atmosphere, we must admit we are getting impatient again – are we moving fast enough?

First dates are fun but they can only last so long.  Time to ramp up and do away with the left feet.  Come on Figueres – bring on some Costa Rican Swing!

Please do let Rachel know what you think!

- Cara & Phil (tracking from afar)

So here we find ourselves again in Bonn for the second round of climate change negotiations since Copenhagen. The end of day two. The first day of European Summer. The clouds have lifted, the rain of the past few days has ceased, the streets are filled with bicycles and people taking evening strolls. And as a colleague of mine reflected, there is a calm and gentle breeze a-blowing in Bonn this evening. Things seem, well, quietly positive.

Wise words from Albert Einstein, "Life is like riding a bicycle - in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving."

It was, however, a slow and dull start to the week on Monday. For most participants, this was the first time back to the UNFCCC scene since departing Copenhagen with heavy hearts and exhaustion. There should have been a buzz in the air to pick up where things left off and continue to strive for the global deal so urgently needed. But instead, the Hotel Maritim seemed filled with slow moving conversation, slow moving people, and significantly tempered expectations about what can be achieved in Bonn and for the remainder of the year. One Australian delegate commented ‘the mood here seems really flat, everybody just seems really tired’.

There was also a sense of an impending doom, with rumours flying a plenty that countries were not happy with the new negotiating text – that some didn’t like it because it used Copenhagen Accord language too much; others didn’t like it because used Copenhagen Accord language too little; that some were going to block working on the text and demand a new one. A sense of groundhog day lurked in the cobwebs of the Maritim.

However, on day two, it seemed that all this was pure speculation. Six hours of statements from most countries stretching late into the afternoon, and the feared explosion over the negotiating text did not eventuate. Most statements held a positive view of being able to work with the text and there was a certain sense of willingness to cooperate and move things along.

Yet, as negotiators sit in plenary in Bonn, things are happening across the rest of the world, starkly reminding us of the urgency with which countries need to reach a deal. The northern parts of India are suffering through a record heat wave pushing thermometers to nearly 50 degrees and setting new temperature records. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Agatha has ravaged South America, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands and taking over a hundred lives in flooding driven by heavy rains.

After this meeting in Bonn, there will be only two weeks of negotiations left before countries arrive in Cancun, Mexico in December. A gentle breeze today is nice, but will it be good enough to get us on track to curb emissions and respond to the challenges of climate change? For now we will savour the mood, but things must get moving. And here’s hoping the wind doesn’t change direction.

Stay connected with all the latest Australian news and actions on our sister site A Climate for Change.

Yours, Cara & Phil

A lot has been written about last December’s Copenhagen climate summit, frustration has been expressed at the lack of progress. Against the disappointment and the frustration of these negotiations you and I know that climate impacts continue to have devastating affects on people’s lives around the world.

While Copenhagen clearly didn’t deliver the global deal our world needs, 2010 does offer us some opportunities to ensure that the limited progress and commitments that were made do reach fruition.

One key area for progress, which will help re-build trust in the international process to fight climate change, is climate finance.  At the Copenhagen Climate Summit, world governments pledged to create a ‘Climate Fund’ worth $100Bn per year by 2020 to help developing countries act. This money could help the most vulnerable communities avoid the worst impacts of global warming.

But at the moment this Fund is little more than a name and number.  UN negotiators must now agree where the cash is going to come from, how those who need it most will access it, and that the money delivered is above and beyond existing aid commitments.

Just this morning, aid agency Oxfam International released a report “The $100billion questions” which details how this large sum of money can be generated without squeezing extra cash from taxpayers. It also addresses how this money should be spent in order to ensure that it reaches those communities most vulnerable to climate impacts. The solutions are there, what we need now is government action. Read Oxfam Australia’s media release.

This time around neither Phil nor I are on the ground at the meetings. Instead, we will be tracking the negotiations remotely, getting information from our key contacts as well as talking with the Australian government. We’ll be updating you as news comes to hand. And we’ve secured some on ground reporting from guest bloggers who are in Bonn; Georgina Woods (Climate Action Network of Australia) and Rachel Coghlan (World Vision Australia). And of course you can stay up to date here on Adopt A Negotiator.

While it may seem to some that the climate movement has lost some momentum, we know that climate change wont wait while the world negotiates. It’s our role to get back on the horse and let our the government and our negotiators know that Australians still want to see action. Write you ask for action below and we’ll make sure it gets to the Australian negotiating team.

Tracking for you,

Cara (and Phil)

PS. Check out our sister project UN Climate Trackers on A Climate for Change.

What was it then? 

From the 9th till the 11th of April all nations came together to meet in Bonn to continue the talks that happened (for lack of a better word) in Copenhagen. This was the first chance since Copenhagen people could come together under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to take stock of where the international negotiations on climate change were up to.

Where is it up to I hear you ask…

Well, in true UNFCCC style the meeting closed with two marathon closing meetings that ran into the early hours of the morning. To top this all off, the closing statement read by granada was read in the form of a poem, yes thats right the climate negotiations closed in rhythm and rhyme!  

In terms of content the meeting was largely technical, deciding on when the next meetings would be, for how long, what texts would be negotiated etc. etc.

However, this meeting did signal some of the broader issues that will need to be resolved before Mexico (the next Copenhagen …. so to speak).

The elephant in the room is The Copenhagen Accord. This is the agreement that was controversially stitched together at the last minute in Copenhagen. The Copenhagen Accord is NOT legally binding, it is NOT ambitious, and by virtue of these two facts it is certainly not fair to the most vulnerable on earth who stand to lose the most.

What I don’t think has been well communicated is that this ‘Accord’ has only been ‘noted’ by the UNFCCC meetings. It has not been formally accepted in the UNFCCC process and it appears as if it will not be. The main disagreement which surfaced at this Bonn meeting is that the US wants this document to be the main agreement where as others, namely developing countries, want only parts of this text to be taken forward.

So here we are… back to the texts. Text negotiations are not all bad, however, I confess that I am anxious to see some real fruit come of all this meeting and talking. Its not like the atmosphere has decided to stop accepting greenhouse gases until we come to a decision. Nor can we rely on Icelandic volcanos to keep erupting and filling the atmosphere with ash that reflects sunlight.

In my assessment, this meeting wasn’t so much a step forward as it was a stand still and a look around while we contemplate whether we will actually try to DO SOMETHING!

No more, no less?

Amidst this frustratingly slow process, the Australian Government in all its splendor has announced it will do no more and no less than other countries (see our last blog: http://adoptanegotiator.org/category/australia/). Now that is the ambition we have all come to know and love.

Sparing you my ruminations about the domestic political context in Australia, I think we all agree that Australia needs to STEP UP AND TAKE A LEADING ROLE on climate change (or at the very least take some serious action).

Even if our government aint acting, you can TAKE ACTION and call you local MPs office and let them know that you are watching them and think Australia needs to step up and take a leading role this year… this federal election year. Follow this link for a full list of Australian MP offices with phone numbers: www.aph.gov.au/house/members/memlist.pdf

It’s not too late. There are still four more meetings before Mexico.

Tracking for you,

Phil & Cara

PS. Make sure to check out our sister Australian site www.aclimateforchange.org

Here’s why.

Much has been written about the disappointment of the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen, commentators across the globe criticised it for being a talk fest with no real action. Opposition leader Tony Abbott gleefully embraced the fact that the meeting was unable to produce a global climate agreement to argue against an emissions trading scheme being established in Australia.

What has seldom been mentioned is the fact that within just a few months, the outcomes from the Copenhagen meeting has driven governments across the world to do more to tackle climate change, not less. Read on…

Last week the Deutcshe Bank released their latest Global Climate Change Policy Tracker. It states that over 80 countries around the world have submitted emission reduction targets or carbon “action plans” covering more than 80 per cent of global emissions and 90 per cent of the global economy. While we still have a long way to go to secure a safe climate future, these commitments should not be sneezed at. (Check out the US Climate Action Network’s useful table “Who’s On Board with the Copenhagen Accord?”)

While Rudd and Abbott have recently come out with the mantra that Australia will do “no more no less” than the rest of the world when it comes to tackling climate change, it is abundantly clear that we are doing less.

We’re investing less.

According to a report released by the Pew Centre, China overtook the US and the rest of the rich world for the first time in clean energy investments last year. China invested $AUD 37.3 billion, a far cry from the $AUD 20billion by the US and in another league entirely from Australia’s $AUD 1.1billion. Australia even ranked behind developing countries such as Mexico, Turkey and India, to name a few.

We’re not playing our fair part in reducing emissions.

Australia is one of the worlds biggest per person emitters of climate change causing gases. But, we submitted to the UN post-Copenhagen one of the most disappointing pledges to reduce our domestic emissions. Erwin Jackson from The Climate Institute wrote in his blog that Australia “continues to free ride on global efforts to reduce emissions by keeping a 5 percent emissions reduction target on the table… It would have been helpful to global momentum, if Australia had lifted this 5 per cent “floor” in its target range to at least 15%.”

Why is Australia lagging behind?

Whoever we want to direct blame at it is clear that right now Australia is in danger of being a global laggard on climate action. While some in Australia continue to raise misconceptions that action on climate change has stalled, this risks our future prosperity. The world is not waiting for us to act. Why should we wait and let our competitors for jobs and investments get further ahead?

This weekend government representatives from all over the world will again meet at the home of the UN Climate Secretariat in Bonn, Germany, to amongst other things decide on how they will work together this year. What will their objectives for 2010 be? The outcomes from this meeting will give us important indicators as to how the world will work on climate policy this year.

There will be six international negotiator trackers on ground at the meeting hailing from Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, the UK, and the USA. You can get their latest blogs, tweets and video updates. As your Australian Climate Trackers we’ll also be in close contact with the international co-ordinator of the Climate Action Network of Australia who will be in Bonn to bring you news of the Australian delegation.

We’re not going to pretend that this meeting will be exciting. But we do know that it’s significant. That’s why we’re back and questioning why is Australia being a global laggard on climate action? If we’re currently doing so poorly, we can only improve…. right?

Comment on this blog and let us know what you think the Australian Government needs to do this year.

Tracking for you.

Cara & Phil

PS. You can also find this blog on our sister site A Climate for Change

As I am writing this, I am in Copenhagen watching the talks in overtime. They have been running continuously for the past 48 hours as leaders scramble to produce something of substance.
Before reflecting on this outcome, lets go back to the beginning of the COP-15. During the opening of the conference, Christina Ora, a youth delegate from the Pacific, spoke prophetically to the powers of this world outlining her hopes and fears. She stated:

“I am 17 years old. For my entire life, countries have been negotiating a climate agreement. My future is in front of me. In the year that I was born, amid an atmosphere of hope, the world formed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to solve the climate crisis….
In the Solomon Islands, my homeland, communities on low-lying atolls are already being displaced by rising sea levels. Communities have lived on these atolls for generations. Moving from one province to another in the Solomon Islands is not just like moving house. Your land is your identity. It is part of your culture. It is who you are.
I am scared, and so too are the people from these atolls about what this means for our culture, our communities and our identity.
Because of climate change, I am uncertain about what is to come. How can I feel that my future is safe? How can I be sure that my home village won’t disappear in 10 years’ time? How can I be sure that my community won’t have to find a new home? How can I be sure that I will be able to raise my children in the same place that my mother and father raised me? I am not sure. I am scared and worried.
For my entire life, world leaders have been negotiating a climate agreement. They cannot tell me they need more time. There is no more time. I hope world leaders realise this week that my generation’s future is in the palm of their hands.”

These inspiring and unsettling words set a tone of urgency for the Copenhagen negotiations. They reflected the fears of millions of people living on the front line of the impacts of climate change. Climate change is proceeding at an alarming rate and required urgent action.
Copenhagen did not deliver what was necessary.

Let me take you through some of the key moments which led to this outcome.

In the final two days of the conference heads of state, including our own Kevin Rudd, were set to arrive and the negotiators were supposed to hand down some final suggestions for high level negotiation and agreement. In short, the suggested text in both the treaties seemed almost as contested as it was 2 years ago. There were major disagreements and public arguments.

At the end of what was a very rushed and confusing day President Obama emerged and announced the Copenhagen Accord, a non-legally binding political agreement. Within minutes of this press conference finishing the President was being whisked back to Air Force One to return back to America.

As the dust settled from this announcement and people could look at the substance of it, anger emerged as the accord failed to include any concrete or binding measures for emissions reductions. Some scientists at the talks said it would set the world on a path to 3.5 degrees of warming by 2100, which is dangerous and unpredictable. There was some provision for adaptation and mitigation in the developing world worth 10 billion US$ per annum to 2012 scaling up to 100 billion US$ per annum by 2020. However, where this money will be sourced from is not clear, and may come out of previously committed aid budget increases.

Developing nations that had not taken part in the US-led talks responded to the text with fury, saying 25-nation accord was an affront to the consensus principle that governs these UN talks.

In response to this situation, Michiel Schaeffer of Climate Analytics said: “It’s as though the last two years have not happened.”

UN climate chief Yvo de Boer told journalists, “We should have done better,”

A senior European environmentalist, John Lanchbery called the accord “a carefully managed collapse”

US President, Obama admitted in a rushed press briefing “instead of taking one step forward, we may have taken two steps back”.

This is a political failure.
World leaders were able to rally last year and spend trillions to save banks, but here in Copenhagen they failed to do what was necessary.

Leaders have failed to deliver the agreement they promised, the agreement we need to avoid catastrophic climate change that affects everyone, the agreement we need to help those already facing the risks of climate change.

At best, we are now confronted with a deadly delay that means unnecessary tragedy for millions of families. The impacts will be felt in every country, and will fall particularly hard on poor people in developing countries.

The time is now past urgent. The costs of inaction are mounting day by day, costs measured in lives, not just dollars. The science is clear, and we have the means. All we are missing is the will.

My journey campaigning for strong action on climate change here over the past few weeks, and in Australia over the past few years has had its highs, and perhaps more lows. This certainly qualifies as the lowest of lows. However, in reflection there are many positives we can take away from this.

The event set new precedents.
Copenhagen was the largest international negotiation ever.
Never before has civil society engaged so significantly on an international issue. Never before have members from the Global South and Global North come together so strongly to rally for the same cause.

This movement has mobilised millions of people around the globe to demand justice of our national and international leaders for the sake of the poor. It has highlighted the great inequality of our world, and cultivated passion for change.

After a few weeks of rest, we must regroup, reenergise and reemerge as a stronger movement. A movement, that despite momentary weariness, will persevere for as long as it takes to see justice come.
I for one, will be there.

Tracking for you for my last time…probably,

Phil

I feel hopeful.

I feel inspired.

Today Australians, yet again, did whatever they could in their power to remind our Prime Minister, to remind leaders of the world, exactly what is at stake in the climate negotiations. To remind leaders that we, the people of the world, demand to see action on climate change that will ensure the survival of all peoples and all lands.

Today, hundreds of people flocked to Federation Square in Melbourne at lunchtime to ring bells of hope. As this was happening, a group of people up in Brisbane held a candle vigil outside of Rudd’s electoral office.

It was there that Wanita Limpus from the Kiribati Australia Association handed over a powerful message on behalf of her brothers and sisters of the Pacific. She presented a bunch of tropical flowers to an electorate office staffer with the message: “Dear Kevin, Life or Death for the Pacific?”

In Melbourne, comedian Frank Woodley took a different tack. He quoted the A-team’s Mr T saying that he’d had “enough jibba-jabba” from world leaders and called on them to act. Now. In Copenhagen.

Friday night (Australian time) history will be made. Leaders of the world have the opportunity to set us on an exciting new path. We know that the time for talking is over. People around the world want action on climate change. As tracker Phil said in his last blog post: “what will happen is still anyone’s guess. Heads of states have the power to make these large decisions very quickly.”

Keep sending your messages of hope. Now is the time to keep the movement strong, to keep the movement hopeful.

Via twitter to @KevinRuddPM

Sign our letters to Rudd and Wong asking them to lead in Copenhagen

Join more than 11 million others and let the world know you are ready for climate action.

People gather outside Kevin Rudd’s electoral office in Brisbane with their messages.

Candles at the 'Vigil for Survival' held at the new NGO space

I have now been officially shut out of the negotiations.

To cut a long story short, the UNFCCC allowed too many registrations for this event (around 3 times the venue capacity). Over the past few days they have been reducing the number of people allowed in the centre… as you may have guessed, it is the NGOs (this includes, universities, environmental groups, development agencies, youth constituencies, unions etc.) that have been shut out. Of the over 15000 who were registered, only 7000 were allowed in on Tuesday and Wednesday. I was lucky to be amongst this group.

But then, the UNFCCC took things a few steps too far and has only allowed 300 NGO people in the building for the final 2 days. Yes, that’s right, 300 people. At last count, I think Australia had 3 NGO representatives on the inside (which is more than our quota).

My perspective on this is that some cuts were practically necessary, however, 300 is quite frankly a scandal. There are around 5000 media here who have received very little restriction and around 10,000 government representatives (some countries have over 500 registered attendees).

Whilst, I do not consider my role in the process essential, I know many people from other organisations who provide critical support to developing countries. Most of these people have been blocked out.

The UNFCCC and the Danish Government have made a grave error

Civil society has been sidelined.

The integrity of this process has been degraded.

Today….

The events of today have been mixed. I am growing tired of the speeches by heads of state which take 5-15 minutes each and have been going for the past 24 hours. There are over 100 heads of state here…. You do the maths. There are glimpses of inspiration and courage, however, for the large part this is an exercise in repeating known positions.

We have, however, been hearing in the past few hours though that there has been some positive movement. Some of the key progressions are:

-New drafting groups have formed with Ministers

-The United States has signalled its support for a 100bn US$ per annum fund for mitigation and adaptation in the developing world by 2020

-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd publically supported the possibility of the Kyoto Protocol continuing

In other news, Australia has been awarded its first ‘Fossil of the day’ award from Climate Action Network, an award for countries who are perceived to be impeding the negotiations. This was awarded as a result of revelations that Australia has been pressuring Pacific Islands States to lower their demands.

Stay tuned to the adopt a negotiator website for all the updates over the next 24 hours. And, don’t believe everything you read in the Australian media. I have been following it on line and have found that often it is not reflecting what is actually going on here (I am sure this comes as no surprise!).

What will happen is still anyone’s guess. Heads of states have the power to make these large decisions very quickly.

And… I would like to thank all of you who have sent messages of support over the past day. You will be happy to know that I did get a solid 7 hours sleep and am as ready as I will ever be for tomorrow (if your reading this in Australia that’s your today)

Tracking for you, for one final day,

Phil.

Ps. Take action on our sister site A Climate for Change!

Let me just have a moment of honesty with you all. I am tired, really tired. 12 long hard days have taken their toll on me and many others in this process. People are frustrated, confused and despairing at the direction these talks are taking.

To paraphrase George Woods, the Climate Action Network Australia coordinator here (who may I add is doing an amazing job):

“There have been all sorts of wildness here today, in the negotiations and in the NGO community. People with passes were refused entry because of the growing number of spontaneous and unpredictable protests springing up. There is a lot of frustration — protestors and other NGOs have been treated badly by police, security and the UN, everyone has been confused about who is allowed to do what, and the UNFCCC process has hit a dark moment, with a great deal of uncertainty about whether an effective and binding agreement can be secured.”

Oh dear.

So far in my blogs I have avoided going into detail around the different negotiating streams and texts… for the simple reason that it is confusing!

But, if you will spare me just a small moment of your time I will some of explain some of it here so you can grasp what is happening.

There are 2 different treaties being negotiated here. Yes, that’s right two.

The first is the Kyoto Protocol (KP). At the moment this treaty is set to finish in 2012 and they are trying to extend it further. But…because this treaty does not involve the US (and also doesn’t place binding emission reductions on the major growing economies such as India and China) they are also negotiating a second treaty. This second treaty, which would involve the US, is called LCA or Long-term Cooperative Action.

Now, you will have heard in the media a lot about countries trying to kill the KP. If KP did end and the LCA agreement did pass this would be called a ‘one-track’ treaty. However, developing countries generally do not want the KP to end because it is arguably stronger than a potential LCA treaty and provides more protection for developing countries. So, this then leaves us with what is call a ‘two-track’ treaty with both LCA and KP.

For the past two years countries have been negotiating the texts that would comprise these treaties. This has been broken into several smaller groups to work on specific sections of each of the treaties, such as adaptation, mitigation, finance, forests etc. These texts have been notoriously long and complicated with numerous different options within the text.

During the past ten days the different groups tried to bring all this text together. They have tried to find consensus. They have tried to find common ground. They failed.

Yesterday the chairs of the two working groups were supposed to pass on the proposed treaty text to the Ministers and Heads of State to finalise over the next 2 days.

Amidst much confusion these meetings were scheduled for 5pm then postponed till 6pm then 7pm then 8pm and so on and so on as negotiators grappled (behind closed doors of course) with what their final proposals would be.

The final KP plenary started at 11pm and finished after midnight.

The final LCA plenary started at 5am and finished at 730am.

The Australian negotiating team looked really tired this morning.

Meager offerings

In short, the text in both the treaties seems almost as contested as it was 2 years ago. It seems just as complicated…and there are still far too many different options within it. Today, I have not met a member of any country delegation that was happy with either of the texts. There has been dissent and there has been public argument.

It is these texts that have now been passed onto Ministers and Heads of States. It is still possible that they will be able to bring it all together…. But to be honest it is unlikely. There are MAJOR disagreements both between countries and within negotiating country groups.

This I hope, provides some idea of what has been happening here. I encourage you all to check out the other blogs on AAN to hear different stories and perspectives on all the days action (and inaction!). Also, you should take action on A Climate for Change to tell Australia’s leaders to increase the ambition of their targets.

I have many thoughts and reflections on this process, however, I will reserve these for a later date as this blog is already too long and I need sleep…. Which is of course, contingent upon me leaving here.

Tracking for you in Copenhagen, T-minus 48 hours.

Phil.