D4 - YuFeGe (Youth & Future Generations) Day

I have tried to copy from the ECO newsletter the "reality" graph - hope you can read it! (If not let me know and I'll provide a description of its contents.)


Lots of younger folks are getting around in brilliant orange T shirts today. They are emblazoned with "How old will you be in 2050?" - which is a little sobering to me - and maybe to you, dear follower... However, I'm not planning on going anywhere soon, so we need to keep up the pace while we can.

Now about the yesterday's "trainsmash".
Tuvalu was not in fact proposing to dump Kyoto (KP) but to propose an additional Copenhagen Protocol, for a fair, ambitious and binding outcome, closely following the Bali Action Plan (BAP), reached through an open and transparent process, such as a Contact Group. These are smaller meetings, run in parallel. I went to one this morning to experience it, but it was about the non-contentious Joint Implementation, and after a couple of brief, positive reports, was adjourned early (that's unusual!) There's a further one later, about CDM, which may be more contentious, and therefore interesting (the old CCS problem). There is much "Civil Society" support for Tuvalu's proposition (which features a 1.5'c and 350 ppm limit, which is certainly "ambitious", but maybe that's no bad thing).
It's interesting that China, India and the oil states are so vocally against it, as they believe it would divert from the agreed KP direction and actions, through the Longterm Cooperative Action programme. The Umbrella Group, EU and the like are mostly silent at the moment. We shall see...

BTW I found out why they can't just discuss it and then the Chair "Put the motion". The COP has never formally agreed on meeting procedures, and so there is no means of voting - actions are - EVENTUALLY! - achieved (or not) through "consensus". This partly explains why every Party feels a need to voice its opinion, and why one "hold out" Party can delay any progress, almost indefinitely. (This seems to me, personally, to explain much of the general public's frustration that "nothing ever seems to happen", despite much talk, plenty of hot air, promises, greenwash and closed door discussions.

I'm now back in the COP meeting (CMP), where there is much noise going on about whether there is an effort to kill KP (which I don't believe has been vaguely suggested) - or to amend it, as per the rules, as proposed by separate proposals submitted by Tuvalu, Australia, Costa Rica, Japan and the US.

I trust this is somewhat interesting to you, and I'll report some more later.