The Bella Centre is buzzing with activity.
There are competing official sessions throughout the day and that does not even include the many side-events, press briefings and demonstrations. With over 10,000 people present, whispers are making their way through the halls. The most prominent rumour since Sunday is that there is a secret ‘Danish Text’.
Secret Text
Before the talks began in Copenhagen, many thought that the negotiations would produce a political ’grand deal’ with the annexes to be worked out later. But since the weekend, insiders have been saying that a political statement had already been written.
The text has just been leaked to The Guardian newspaper (the link is below). It seeks to hold temperature rises to 2°C, and mentions the sum of US$10bn a year to help poor countries; however, it only includes a few numbers because these would be worked out later by world leaders. The ‘Danish Text’, which is understood to have included the US, UK and Denmark, has only been shown to a few other countries. The developing counties that have seen the text are said to be rather upset by the document and have openly criticised it. This will only widen the rift between developed and developing countries as the leaked report is a departure from the Kyoto Protocol principle under which rich nations take binding commitments to reduce greenhouse gases. It suggests that some countries are so desperate for world leaders to have a text to work from when they arrive next week that they are willing to sideline the UN negotiating process.
While the leaked document is being sent around the centre, the talks still continue, and I was sitting in on a discussion by the SBSTA (Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice) on CCS when I received the leaked document.
CCS Update
It is only early in the talks but already CCS has already been mentioned numerous times.
Although there hasn’t been much movement on CCS in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), there has been an ‘informal group’ created that will report back to the SBSTA on the issue by the end of the week. The difference of opinion between the delegations has stayed the same; with Brazil being the most opposed to CCS in the CDM, while Saudi Arabia, Norway and Australia reiterated their positions, advocating for CCS to be included in the CDM. The issue of CCS as part of CDM activities is also scheduled to be addressed in the CMP tomorrow morning.
Hit of the day: There are now 110 heads of State expected to attend next week.
Miss of the day: Leaked text: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/08/copenhagen-climate-change
