Reports from Copenhagen (1 & 2)

From local Sierra Club leader Gary we've got these reports:

Day 1

Here's my introductory report from the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen.

The conference is being held in the Bella Center, a huge complex of meeting halls, that accommodates the thousands of attendees and dozens of simultaneous meetings in fine style. I arrived outside the Bella Center to the sound of singing and drumming. I discovered that the drumming was not intended to accompany the singing. The singing and drumming were provided by different groups with different messages for attendees. Outside the Bella Center entrance were several groups working to get the attention of attendees entering the center. There was a video on a large screen. There were people holding signs.

Some were dressed in attention getting costumes. Some groups were in uniform, wearing identical clothing. The drummers were part of a group of a couple of dozen wearing blue outfits and hats. Many of the signs and messages were intended to encourage delegates to come to agreement on a binding international treaty. About a dozen people dressed in bright red suits and ties carried signs saying rich countries pay your climate debt. Greenpeace had a coffee cart and passed out free cups of coffee. An indigenous peoples group was delivering their message to protect indigenous peoples' rights by performing a skit on a makeshift stage they brought. It was quite a festive atmosphere. I saw no flat earthers claiming that climate change was not happening or was not caused by humans.

The Danish organizers and the UN logistics people have done an outstanding job. Everything is running amazingly smoothly. There are tens of thousands of attendees, and many simultaneous meetings. There are tables with laptop computers and internet access located all over, and there is a large computer center with about 500 laptops lined up on long tables.

Small restaurants are located all over the complex to feed the attendees. They serve excellent food at low prices, even though restaurants in Copenhagen are quite expensive by US standards.

Most of the members of country delegations are not negotiators for their countries. National delegations include support staff, other officials, and sometimes various other people in addition to the negotiating team. But most of the attendees are not part of a national delegation. There are thousands of observers in delegations from nongovernmental organizations that represent business groups, labor, environmental groups, religious groups, social justice groups, and more. These groups are recognized by the UN as official observers at UN conferences, and are allowed to attend. I am part of a delegation from the national Sierra Club, which is among about 150 member groups of Climate Action Network International.

There are so many meetings because in addition to the main conference meetings there are sub groups and working groups holding official meetings. Almost every country seems to be part of at least one group of countries that collaborate and negotiate as a team, and these country groups have closed meetings. There are groups representing developing countries, least developed countries, small island states, African countries, and more. And there are numerous side events and meetings and presentations held by various participants.

I'm out of time for now. Next time I'll report on some actual meeting results.

Gary

Day 2

Report 2
UN Climate Conference 2009 Copenhagen

I'm now sitting in a room with about 150 people working at laptop computers, and there are dozens of other folks at computers in other locations throughout the Bella Center.

To elaborate on the descriptions in my prior report of the multitude of meetings going on here, in addition to 10 to 20 side events, presentations, and talks at any time during the day, and a few until 9 or 10 PM, there are the following negotiating bodies meeting here:

The 15th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (COP15), which the US and almost every other country are part of Geo H W Bush (Bush I) attended the first meeting and signed us up.

The 5th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP5), which virtually every country is a party to except the US.

The 31st session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA).

The 31st session of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI)

The 8th session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long term Cooperative Action
under the Convention (AWG-LCA)

The 10th session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP)

So a person can attend only a fraction of the activities and meetings going on here. Plus I attend a daily meeting of the Sierra Club delegation, and sometimes a meeting of the Climate Action Network (CAN), of which Sierra Club is a member.

One daily event which always draws a large crowd including press is the Fossil of the Day award presented with great drama and fanfare by CAN. The award is presented to a country that has recently done the most to impede what CAN members think is a desirable climate agreement, or whose spokesperson made statements that could impede such an agreement.

Sometimes the main negotiating meetings don't seem very interesting, but other times they produce some interesting results.

All the developing countries are saying they need more financial and technological help from developed countries for greenhouse gas reductions, and for adaptation to climate change.

Small island states are saying a strong agreement is a matter of survival for them, and they won't accept anything short of their survival.

Some use the term "climate debt" in reference to the greenhouse gases
developed countries have emitted over the years.

Have to end for now. More to come.

Gary

Rafael @www.climateatbay.net