Geert de Cock's blog

Few of the NGO delegates - and definitely not the Canadian NGO delegates - were surprised to find out that Canada won - again - the Colossal Fossil of the Year award.

This is the official press release:

“Fossil of the Year goes to CANADA, for bringing a totally unacceptable position into Copenhagen and refusing to strengthen it one bit. Canada’s 2020 target is among the worst in the industrialized world, and leaked cabinet documents revealed that the governments is contemplating a cap-and-trade plan so weak that it would put even that target out of reach.

“Canada has made zero progress here on financing, offering nothing for the short term or the long term beyond vague platitudes. And in last night’s high-level segment, Canada’s environment minister gave a speech so lame that it didn’t include a single target, number or reference to the science.... Read more »

It is Friday December 18, just after 3PM. I am sitting here in the Øksnehallen in downtown Copenhagen, huddled together with other NGO activists that were banned from the conference centre. I have never been executed, but this is what it must feel like. You have filed a final appeal for the death sentence to be converted into a life sentence, you have made a passionate plea with the best (science-based) arguments available and now you are waiting for somebody else to decide your fate.... Read more »

For the few of you who might still have some doubts: Canada just does not have the credibility to be a leader on climate change. In Copenhagen, environmental NGOs daily show that Canada is trailing many industrialized and developing countries in the fight to avoid dangerous levels of climate change.   Germanwatch and Climate Action Network Europe released a report, which puts Canada in second-last position in its Climate Change Policy Index, ahead of Saudi-Arabia but behind Kazakhstan!   More info on http://www.germanwatch.org/klima/ccpi.htm  

Just got back from spending an afternoon strategizing about next week with other members of the Climate Action Network International. Venue was a large classroom at Copenhagen University. We broke up into smaller groups to focus on 4 major issue areas: Mitigation targets for industrialised countries, adaptation, finance and legal matters.

One conclusion. We are nowhere near where we should be in terms of a moderately successful outcome for avoiding dangerous levels of climate change. The mitigation pledges of industrialised countries like Canada are nowhere near what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change demands. Financial promises for financial aid remain below expectations and the promises that have been made so far are not really additional, i.e. 'normal' development aid will be redirected towards climate goals. Still a lot of work in the week ahead.... Read more »

Yesterday, one of the world’s smallest countries, Tuvalu, made a big impression. Wikipedia tells me that there are about 12.000 Tuvaluvians (?) on a territory of 26 square km. Yet, this small country shifted the discussions at Copenhagen on Wednesday by proposing to start up an informal group for discussions on a new Protocol under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. What does this actually mean?