The Scots offer whisky incentive as The Governator and Ramesh compete for ‘toughest in conference’

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon yesterday labeled the last days of negotiations in Copenhagen as “the most complex and ambitious ever to be undertaken by the world community”.

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond forewent grand rhetorical flourishes in favour of a more prosaic approach – free booze. Salmond has promised a bottle of specially distilled 2020 whisky that is 42% proof (equal to Scotland’s ambitious target) to any state leader who adopts strong targets.

“Every world leader who commits to ambitious targets will get to 42% proof,” Salmond said, “Those who water down their target will get watered-down whisky,” adding that Obama will miss out based on current pledges. I’m left wondering what might have been if we still had Hawkie as PM.

Indian Environment Minister and conference star Jairam Ramesh has revealed that the BASIC bloc (Brazil, Africa, South Africa, China and India) has drawn up a ‘break conference in case of emergency ‘ draft treaty text that will only be brought out if rich nations attempt to impose a new self interested treaty.

Ramesh also had a dig at Australia, saying “Australia is sort of the ayatollah of the single track,” after cancelling a meeting with Penny Wong. G77 head Lumumba Di –Aping also attacked K-Rudd, saying, “The message Kevin Rudd is giving to his people, his citizens, is a fabrication, it’s fiction. It does not relate to the facts because his actions are climate change scepticism in action.”

Bush era neocon and former US ambassador to the UN also laid the boot into Rudd from the right flank with some big government tax hike scaremongering. And, shock, horror, the Australian carried another story running Abbot’s line about how the CPRS is a pinko Labor plot to redistribute the nation’s wealth.

Meanwhile, in the real world, China, India, South Africa and Brazil held a press conference in Copenhagen yesterday expressing their anger at the lack of credible emissions reduction offers from developed nations. US climate envoy Todd Stern made it clear, however that the U.S. would not be increasing their offer of 17 percent cuts on 2005 levels by 2020.

Ed Miliband, U.K. climate secretary and all round reasonable bloke spoke positively of yesterday ‘s progress after the previous day’s African led walk out. “It’s been a better day than yesterday. The process the Danes got under way yesterday has led to positive atmospherics. We’ve narrowed down the differences before leaders arrive. But this remains a tough ask, it’s very complex, and there’s a small amount of time left,” he said.

Miliband’s boss Gordon Brown became the second world leader to arrive in Copenhagen (Al Jazeera reported that Robert Mugabe snuck in first), with 115 others expected to follow. He arrived talking up the need for proper financing, after meeting with Ethiopian PM Meles Zenawi in London yesterday. The Guardian reported that a number of African countries had sketched out a financing agreement with the EU, with Meles quoted as saying that there was “near total understanding” within the EU on what is required.

The world’s most visible climate change activists also joined forces with a series of speeches uniting the all-star cast of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Prince Charles, AL Gore, Nicholas Stern, Darryl Hannah and Wangaari Maathai.

The Governator chose to accentuate the positives, both about Copenhagen and himself, saying, “Some will say da world will melt and we will all die; but I say this conference is already a success. Copenhagen makes us think differently. We are beginning one of history’s great transitions,” he said. “I am governor of California and I have the right to brag … I will be back.”

Prince Charles’ address, however, gives hope to the believers in environmental determinism – in contrast to Schwarzenegger’s muscular positivism and self-belief, the Prince was all greasy fish-and-chip dinners and dour realism (albeit with a stiff upper lip that appears to be melting as quickly as the Himalayan ice cap).

“The grim reality is that our planet has reached a point of crisis… we appear intent upon consuming the planet … fisheries will collapse by 2050 … fresh water is scarce,” Charles said. “Just as mankind had the power to push the world to the brink so, too, do we have the power to bring it back into balance.”

The Prince re-iterated his call for rainforest protection, while at the same time a leaked draft text on REDD showed the removal of all important deforestation targets. Rumours also surfaced that other important clauses, such as the recognition of difference between plantations and natural forests, the rights of indigenous peoples, and biodiversity safeguards, may also be cut.

“Without targets, REDD becomes toothless,” said the Wilderness Society’s Peg Putt.”The so-called safeguards will be nothing but fancy window-dressing unless they are given legal force.”

REDD provides an example of the vigourous backroom dealing happening as negotiators attempt to open, close, twist, and mangle various clauses in their favour. Australia has been front and centre in these efforts, being accused of attempting to hide emissions behind some fancy land use accounting. This includes gaining emissions credits for creating fewer emissions from logging and agriculture than we think we might make in the future (imagine asking your boss for a raise on the basis that you might lose the company less money than everyone thinks you might five years from now and you are getting the picture).

The official COP15 site reported that the U.S. and U.K. appear to have lost their attempt to get clean coal certified under the Clean Development Mechanism (or CDM – where rich countries get offsets under Kyoto for investing in emissions reduction in the developing world). This failed to get up as nobody has shown carbon capture and storage is possible or safe in the long term.

China, who has received the lion’s share of CDM funding to date, has also encouraged more investment in less developed nations.For a quick run down on CDMs and other backroom issues, Osman Faruqi’s half time report at New Matilda is worth a look: HERE

The police have also been gearing up for Wednesday’s mass action where activists are planning to occupy the conference centre. High profile activist Tadzio Mueller, who is associated with Climate Justice Action, the organisers of the Wednesday protest, was arrested after leaving the conference centre yesterday. Police also arrested 190 people and fired tear gas in the alternative enclave of Christiana in central Copenhagen.