Keeping our hopes high: The last 24 hours of the UN climate talks

Citing the EU Aarhus convention, civil society insisted on our right to stay in Bella center despite the UN restrictions on access. A vigil at the center drew the wrath of security forces. With only handful representatives…..about 90 inside the center, the corridor and plenary back-up to negotiators particularly from the developing countries has been significantly reduced. However, we remain hopeful that those inside the center will work for the good of humanity. With 24 hours to go, we pray for understanding and we hope for global efforts to save the world from dangerous impacts of climate change.

Throughout the summit period, the civil society did its job to support the rights of the poor and the most vulnerable. Under the principles of natural justice, we would expect the negotiators and political leaders to deliver a legally binding agreement.

The Danish presidency seems to have withdrawn its text and we are not guaranteed that something else will not be presented to the heads of state and government. We hope democracy has resumed. The texts by AWG-LCA & KP are full of brackets, but we hope these will be removed in the coming hours for the sake of progress. But someone needs to organize this process for things to work. Today they really confused my (Kenya) environment minister who protested against doing what ought to be the work of negotiators. Below are excerpts from the KP contact group talks chaired by Connie, special envoy of the Danish PM;

Kenya: I seek clarification because when this meeting was convened my understanding was that ministers were going to receive a report from the experts. You are now telling us as the chair that you have converted us into drafting committees. I am confused because I came here to engage in the principles of the document, not in drafting. I don’t know what role I am going to play.

Connie: some of the issues are pretty technical still, but the expectation is that some experts could make some progress before we can get the reports back. Then they will come here and then we will have the political discussion here. Maybe it is more advisable to come back when we have the feedback from the group. I understand from the secretariat that they are working on the logistics, so we will hear soon how things will be done for what issue.

Lastly we can only hope, our poor communities are waiting in hope, if we go home empty handed we will place millions in the line of climate change impacts.

“Here on the slopes of hills, facing the dusk and the cannon of time
Close to the gardens of broken shadows,
We do what prisoners do,
And what the jobless do:
We cultivate hope.”

I fly out tomorrow morning with hope; they dashed my hopes of meeting president Obama here, but let no one kill my hope of a new fair climate regime!