A couple of hours ago, we heard that the plenary session had been suspended. Tuvalu, the Pacific island nation so vulnerable to climate change, demanded a legally-binding agreement - not in six or 12 months, but at the end of the conference next week. It's a demand that should not, and can not, be ignored.

This goes to the heart of one of the most important questions hanging over Copenhagen and yet a group of industrialised countries - the US, Japan, Canada and the EU - stayed completely silent. Nothing. Not a whisper.

Sometimes, there is such a beautiful synchronisation of multiple ideas in a single word, I'm tempted to believe that it couldn't possibly have happened by chance. For instance, what pops into your head when you hear the word 'fossil'?

A. The preserved remains of long-dead organisms
B. A polluting fuel hewn from the ground
C. Someone who refuses to adapt and evolve even though everyone else has
D. All of the above

If you answered D, you're clearly on the same wavelength as the team handing out Fossil Of The Day awards here in Copenhagen. Handed out each evening, they go to the country which has done most to stall, frustrate or otherwise get in the way of a fair, ambitious and legally-binding agreement during the last 24 hours.

John Bowler is the Project Manager for our Countdown to Copenhagen work and will be updating on what is going on in and around the Bella Center in Copenhagen over the next two weeks. In this repost from the climate rescue weblog John shares his thoughts on the opening day's events at the conference.

"There ain't no power like the power of the people 'cause the power of the people don't stop" will undoubtedly be my memory of the opening of the Climate Summit in Copenhagen this morning. This chant, or more precisely rap, was pounded out by the Solar Generation drummers and rappers. Their performance captivated all who entered the negotiations via the 'metro' gate. Almost as captivating was the free hot coffee given out by Greenpeace activists beside a 16m2 video screen which beamed the "save the climate" message with stories of climate voices from around the world to the 1,000s who joined the queue to gain access to the meeting.

The Committee on Climate Change's (CCC) report on aviation, published today, explicitly undermines government plans to allow a tripling of passenger numbers on commercial aircraft by 2050.

While its Chairman Lord Turner has been careful not to totally rule out the possibility of creating extra capacity in the form of new runways, the committee is recommending that "the policy focus for aviation must be on limiting demand for flights and investing in alternatives such as better rail links and video conferencing." In an interview on the BBC's Today programme this morning, Lord Turner confirmed that a 200% growth in consumer demand for air travel by 2050, assumed in the 2003 Aviation White Paper, would make reaching proposed emission reduction targets impossible.

Another day has dawned cold and gray here in Copenhagen, but there are plenty of reasons for excitement and optimism. Now that President Obama' has agreed to attend the conference, all the elements are now in place for world leaders to move forward and agree a legally binding treaty to stop climate chaos.

Greenpeace has a sizeable delegation on the ground here, representing the millions of activists worldwide who are calling for a deal that will do what the science says we must do to avert an utter climate catastrophe. I’m lucky enough to be part of the web team that will be updating you on what's happening both inside and outside the UN climate summit.

More than 50,000 people turned out on Saturday in London and Glasgow to tell our leaders we want tough action on climate change. Well done and a huge thanks to everyone who came out, painted themselves (and each other) blue and joined in the wave.

With world leaders and his/her partner of unspecified gender arriving in Copenhagen over the next few days, it's the perfect time to grab their attention and focus their minds on the task ahead. Particularly as most are funnelled through one small area, namely Copenhagen airport. Read more »

Only a few days remain before the Copenhagen climate jamboree begins. Delegates, lobbyists, activists and observers are already congregating in the Danish capital to well and truly chew the fat and I'm heading off myself tomorrow afternoon. Keep an eye on this blog for ongoing updates - it's going to be interesting to say the least.

But that does mean I'll miss the sight of thousands of people sweeping through the streets of London this Saturday 5 December when they take part in the Wave. Part of an ongoing series of actions and protests around the world, it will demonstrate how many people want to see our government play its part in delivering a safe climate future for us all.

Today's the day that some of our colleagues head off to the ferryport, bound for Copenhagen. And when you're confronting challenges on this scale, it's good to remind yourself what's come before. So here's a little morning inspiration for you all on 'Copenhagen eve'. Read more »

If you live in a developed country, you're pretty well insulated from climate change. Shifts in weather patterns, heavier rainfall, gradually rising sea levels and temperature increases - at the moment western society absorbs these changes without us really noticing much difference. But for the indigenous peoples of the arctic who live on one of the front lines of climate change, such shifts in the planet's behaviour are much more obvious. Read more »