Day 2 of COP15 saw a developing country uproar as a draft text was leaked which changes the name of the emission reduction game even more heavily in favour of the developed world. Day 3 saw the going getting tougher as a proposal by Tuvalu looks like creating a split in the powerful G77+ China block of 130 countries
Resident of NSW country town Queanbeyan, and Tuvaluan chief negotiator Tom Fry announced a proposal would force deeper emissions cuts but also could lead to some developing nations carrying the weighty emissions reductions bag. They are supported by island states and heavily climate affected African states that are also encouraging a temperature rise target of 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial l levels (we are already committed to 0.8 to 1.3 degrees).
The Chinese, Indians, and Arab states have lined up on the other side in support of the current process of continuing Kyoto, a position which looks like dividing the talks into three blocs – the have-nots, the getting-somes, and the we’ve-got-it-dare-ya-to-take-it-off-us bloc.
Denmark also tried to make amends for its disastrous performance on Day 2 by putting a few sweet things in their draft text showbag. Judging by G77 head Lumumba Di Aping’s statements, however, I’ll doubt he’ll believe that’s its now chocolate, comparing the current climate policy of EU nations with their disastrous appeasement policy adopted against Nazi Germany.
The UN also sent in Big Ban Ki Moon to sort out the Danish text situation, with Ban and Gordon Brown doing their best to get everyone at Christmas Dinner to at least pretend they can tolerate each other.
The Danish police have also been busy, raiding an accommodation centre set up by the Danish government and temporarily detaining 200 activists.
On the Home Front, Tony Abbott and the Business Council of Australia have been sniffing around the K-Rudd delegation table at COP15 and trying to make the scraps sound scary, with the old line that Australia is placing its fate in the hand of an international treaty (Nick Minchin hasn’t popped up with the ‘left world conspiracy’ line on climate change again yet, however I’m hoping his PR minders might go out to take a leak and he’ll throw it out there. As the pressure in Copenhagen builds on Australia to adopt stronger target, the scaremongering over costs is sure to increase.
Su Wei, the deputy Chinese delegation head, was top newsmaker from our COPVocies sources after rubbishing U.S. emission targets with the withering line “I’m not very good at English, but I doubt whether just a one percent reduction can be described as remarkable or notable.” Al Jazeera pulled through to become the first outlet that favoured actors from the developing world. The graph at http://copvoices.blogspot.com/ shows the figures.
Back tomorrow with another roundup and more media analysis.
