Barcelona – first day frustrations

November 3rd, 2009 by Rachel Berger

Well, it feels strange here today: with negotiators now in closed sessions, we NGO people feel a bit spare: we came to Barcelona well prepared with our demands on adaptation ready to give to delegates, and now, we just have to wait at the doors to hear any news on whether we have managed to influence things at all.

The conference venue is really drab – like an industrial shed. However, on the rooftop there are areas of artificial grass where we can enjoy spells of sunshine while we have our group meetings and plan our strategy.

I went to a meeting with the chair of the ‘LCA’ – basically, the person who coordinates progress on negotiating the details of the Bali Action Plan, where he put forward the state of play and answered questions on what is likely to come out of Copenhagen. There is so much confusion about what is possible in the timescale, and with the US’ position on not being able to enter into legal agreements without Senate approval – ‘impossible’ they say, by December.

The UK, at least, in a meeting with us today, did say that they are pressing for a full legal agreement – but they are not pushing this loudly enough! And the Danish Prime Minister in Russia yesterday seemed to say the opposite, which is very worrying.

It is like a game of poker: the negotiators here can only do so much – in the end, it is up to the politicians in Copenhagen, and they, MUST be influenced by people out there – people on the streets of capitals, writing to MPs, protesting – to give them a key message that an agreement MUST be concluded, even if the details have to wait

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