ClusterHaven
Lines outside the Bella Center reach an all-time high as the UN gears up to start cutting off NGO access to the conference. Negotiations ground to a standstill in the COP 15 climate talks as the G77, a block representing 130 developing countries, suspended their cooperation today.
Developing countries, including those from the African delegation and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) group, have accused rich countries of subverting negotiation efforts, by trying to end the Kyoto Protocol. Thus, ridding the world of the only legally binding treaty we have which regulates global greenhouse gas emissions.
They argue that rich countries have failed to fulfill the promise of the Bali Action Plan, agreed to at the COP 13 in 2007, by refusing to negotiate on Kyoto’s second commitment period and set clear emission reduction commitments.
The afternoon plenary for all countries has been delayed due to these developments.
Enter Civil Society
As the negotiations continue to unravel, civil society is taking full advantage to show the world that those claiming to be “world leaders” here at the UNFCCC are anything but.
Earlier today, the Indigenous Environmental Network took their struggle to the door of the Canadian Embassy demanding a halt to tar sands projects. A No Borders action spent hours in the streets being kettled and re-kettled by the Danish police.
Inside the Bella Center, actions by a variety of non-governmental organizations continued.
Twice the main hall erupted into synchronized clapping and chanting in support of the African delegation walk out as Friends of the Earth organized flash mobs.
On the web, also it seems The Yes Men have struck again by creating/emulating a faux page on the Canadian Government’s environment website which announces a new proposal dubbed ‘Agenda 2020’ that puts forward more aggressive emission reductions and a new “Climate Debt Mechanism”. The story managed to dupe the UNFCCC and the European Wall Street Journal.
