COP18 Officially Past Schedule

It's now past midnight in Doha and the conference is officially behind on schedule. The text from the ADP Working Group; the negotiations on the workplan for the 2015 agreement about the post 2020 protocol to succeed Kyoto, has been agreed on and these negotiations closed.

However, this was the very least controversial negotiations track, and the texts proposed has more or less only been about how much different principles should be discussed in the coming year, not on which they are. Some last minute drama ensued as China was not allowed to speak, and when China was heard, the country rejected the text when everyone thought the text had passed.

However, now it seems that the text is properly passed. This means we are still waiting for the LCA Working Group, that has been working during the last five years on long-term cooperation, to agree on its final outcome text. Burning issues have been finance and adaptation. It still remains to be seen where compromise will be reached, but in Durban it was decided this working group must close here in Doha, so it likely will.

The same is true for the Kyoto Protocol Working Group, which has worked the last five years on the second commitment period. Both texts from the working groups will be decided on in the full plenary as soon as nations have reached agreement in the working groups.

Whenever that may be.

Last Day

Today, the conference enters its last day. Considering that as of yesterday virtually all issues that were identified before the conference remains unresolved, no one expects it to end in time however. It will definitely drag on until the small hours of Friday night and perhaps even until Sunday. Delegates at the conference are told to prepare to wait until at least Saturday.

Due to exams, the YMCA delegation has had to leave already, although George is still on the ground bringing us updates. Yesterday for example, two Arabic youth were debadged and ejected from the conference for calling upon leadership from Qatar. There was hope that the host nation would lead the oil rich Arab region into greater ambition, but such leadership has sorely been lacking.

Even though we are no longer in Doha, we will of course update you on the outcome of the conference and how things are developing! We also have another couple of videos that we will be sharing with you as soon as possible, so stay tuned!

Standing with the Philippines

Heartrending statement by the Philippines during the Kyoto Protocol negotiations plenary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpI-PD6weG8&list=UUJ67KETz-XQQdQBBtm9pxcw&index=2

Earlier, that same day the YMCA was involved in a solidarity action by the youth in support of the Philippines and all the other countries devastated by the increasingly dire consequences of climate change:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2SlAyfuDX8&list=UUJ67KETz-XQQdQBBtm9pxcw&index=1

Andreas comments on a recent side-event

Research claims that 100% renewables is fully realisable with the right incentives. 

What is needed is political will.

Youth at the COP18

A video from my friend Sam, official youth delegate from Belgium, interview me and some other youth at the COP:

George on the COP so far!

George from YMCA Kenya provides us with impressions and updates from the COP so far!

One way to raise money for the Green CLimate Fund would be to impose a tax on financial transactions globally and let the proceeds go to the fund!!

Finance Working Group in Youngo Advocating for a Financial Transaction Tax in Doha

Just attended a discussion on the Russian proposal to amend the Annex system to the Convention. Essentially, the idea is to review which countires are included in the Annex 1 under the Framework Convention. The Russian proposal could arguably make the Convention better reflect current economic realities where countries like China, Brazil and India are emerging economies and no longer pure developing economies. The EU expresses support of the idea in general but argues that the Doha negotiations need to focus on the Kyoto Protocol commitment period two rather that this proposal. Further, the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Plattform can dicuss this and similar questions. The US wants to keep this track of negotiations open, Turkey support hte proposal along with Australia, Khasakstan and Belarus. Opponents include Saudia Arabia and China for a start. The Chair of these negotiations Mr. Javier Díaz Carmona from Costa Rica will summarize the discussion today for tomorrow.