Genius!

I know I’ve been awful, truly awful at keeping you up to date with what’s happening here and I do sincerely apologise.

I am still working on those days from last week and including days from this week…but my excuse has been awful internet connection. No excuse really I know, but there it is. As soon as I get back to the UK, rest assured this blog will be teeming with more interviews like the WWF one posted and more opinions on the first and second week of the talks.

I’m leaving Copenhagen tired, ill and disappointed. However if it were not for the team that I have just shared the past 18 days with, I would be leaving here horribly depressed and wanting to bury my head, a la ostrich, in the sand.

Although I’m all of the above and very much in need of a break, I still have the resolute belief that this is not over.

As usual, I ask that you bear with me and I promise the updates, which will now no longer be updates, but more opinions!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34079991@N03/

Also please take a look at these amazing films that Adam has been working so hard on.

They really tell the story of why we’re here…why I’m here, why I’ve suddenly gone what some people may consider as a bit radically green:

Prologue to UKYCC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZOuekH12zU&feature=related

Anna and Lewis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UEgjbWsd14&feature=related

Darran’s journey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6LPhcAokk0&feature=related

Dave’s story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NERj7ArtAmw&feature=related (my fave)

Or check out the delegation page:

http://delegation.ukycc.org/film/

These people have seriously inspired me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h94e5SjhEBM

Poor thing didn’t even realise what he was saying…..

The developing countries forced the suspension of this morning’s negotiations after claiming that their concerns were not being given sufficient priority.

The reason for the walk-out was because developing countries want to maintain the Kyoto Protocol which is currently on the verge of being scrapped out of the negotiations. The reason why these nations want to keep it in is because it is the only policy which legally requires rich countries to make emissions cuts. If the Kyoto Protocol is erased, they (quite understandably) fear that it will be replaced by much flimsier agreements (possibly like the one proposed in the “leaked Danish text”) which would mean that rich countries pledge emission cuts, but aren’t held to the wall to ensure that they fulfil them.

Talks are set to resume this afternoon.

It also adds fuel to the fire of international tension, where last week, China’s Vice Foreign Minister said the following:

“I don’t want to say the gentleman is ignorant,” Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei told reporters Friday, referring to top U.S. negotiator Todd Stern. “But I think he lacked common sense or he’s extremely irresponsible.” This was prompted by comments Stern made at his first press conference here on Wednesday, when he blasted the Chinese for not doing enough to curb their carbon emissions. Stern vowed that the United States would help some developing countries pay for cutting greenhouse gases  — but not China.”

At a time when the policies are meant to be being drafted, people are walking out……doesn’t give the impression that we’re going to get what’s needed.

The march yesterday was wonderful. I’ve always wanted to take part in something like that, but never really had the balls to do it until now. Can I just say that all the stuff you may have seen about the arrests was totally blown out of proportion. The trouble makers were a small group of people who were out looking for a fight and really had nothing to do with the rest of us marching. The feeling in the groups was just wonderful. People were smiling, hugging, dancing, chatting to each other, singing….the sun was shining, it’s how a Saturday should be, even if I was walking with around 90,000 strangers.Yeh, you could say, well what do you expect with a load of hippies, of course it’s all going to be some kind of utopian dream on legs!? But really, there were people of all ages, all walks of life, all religions and hundreds of different nationalities there, all marching for one uniting reason, to stop the world from dying.

This week has been a real emotional rollercoaster. There have been times when I’ve been so ridiculously happy to be here and others when I think, what on earth am I doing here…what is the point? The UN is a highly complicated and confusing organisation with bureaucrats at every single position and post. Politicians are slippery little suckers regardless of what nationality they are, so put the two actors together and you get the biggest, pergatory nightmare the world has seen. Sprinkle a little bit of money, power and greed on top and that nightmare turns into one messed up soup of back room deals and spin tactics, that nobody can figure out or in the right mind, would want to tackle.

The simplicity of it all is that mother nature doesn’t care. Mother nature doesn’t give a flying toss what we do! She will just react to what’s in the atmosphere, and if that means not letting rain fall in large parts of Africa, blasting the coasts of Asia (and even the north of England) with tsunamis and freak weather events, battering central and northern America and increasing sea level rises, so be it- we only have ourselves to blame. It’s not like the science isn’t there and we don’t know what the consequences might be.

So walking with the thousands yesterday, I’m so proud to be here and I’m so proud to be representing those who care. I am even representing those of you who don’t care, because you will see soon that it’s not a huge scam, it’s not a big lie and your life will change whether you like it not.

Change needs to happen on every single level- and I firmly believe that we can, that we must and that we will.

Wednesday morning was kicked off with a lot of hubbub about the “leaked Danish text” which had been exposed on day 2, which in a nutshell:

1) revealed that countries including the UK, US and Denmark wanted to get rid of the Kyoto Protocol

2) it allowed developed countries to emit more carbon emissions and only gave developing countries 1.44 tonnes of carbon per person to emit by 2050

3) commented on labelling less developed countries with terms such as “the most vulnerable”…condescending much?

This understandably provoked a lot of angry reactions from developing countries and even some of our fellow Kenyan delegates who we helped bring over went and protested inside the centre; something which is very risky to do as you risk getting chucked out and having your pass taken off you.

Three days on and the governments involved have very much played this leak down. Their version is that this text was drafted a before COP15 started and thus it was something there as a last resort. Despite this assurance, it’s quite depressing to see how negatively developed countries were planning and how sinister their intentions were….and perhaps still are.

Money, money, money

Yvo de Boer’s quick-start, $10billion adaptation fund for developing countries was backed by the US, but received wide criticism from several bodies namely because if you think about it, if you divided the fund by the world’s population, it only leaves $2 per person to combat climate change…..

…..riiight……

Despite this wonderful declaration the US also reiterated that is would under no conditions sign the Kyoto Protocol, but would be open to an agreement with elements of it….but that the Obama administration still wanted a legally binding treaty….

Errrrrr…..confused???? I know I am!

Tuvalu

The small Polynesian island of Tuvalu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuvalu) also deserves a mention for standing up in opening plenary to object against the way that talks were going and for calling for a legally binding agreement.

Apart from that there was a lot of policy talk and more general vagueness and confusion!

I’d better update you all really well on what’s happened over the past week, because apparently it looks quite possible that we, the hoi polloi of the delegates here (aka. NGOs) will not be allowed into the conference centre next week, because there will be too many people!!! We’ve already asked DECC for more passes….yeh likelihood of that is prettttttty slim.

In addition, one of our team, the lovely Lizzy got stopped by the police and SEARCHED!!!! IN THE SHOPPING CENTRE!!

There are also talks of massive protests tomorrow at the march and our press buddies have been issued with tear gas masks, padding and protective clothing!!!!!!

OMG

Mum, don’t worry, I’ve already been offered a gas mask…I’ll be fine……