Public rows and private chats

Greenpeace scientist Dr Doug Parr speaking at the aviation fringe event

Wow! This conference is busy. For the last two days I have been running between fringe events, private meetings with ministers and - well - some parties.

So, a quick catch up on the Greenpeace conference campaign. Firstly our fringe events. On Monday we ran a large event on decentralised energy, which included a screening of our film "A Convenient Solution". The London Mayor - Ken Livingstone - spoke, as did the Energy Minister Malcolm Wickes and our very own John Sauven. It was a packed meeting which still managed to get into some of the detail on decentralised energy. If we are going to solve the climate challenge we are going to need real ambition.

On Tuesday lunchtime we held our aviation fringe event. This time there was a real divergence of views between the environmentalists on the panel and the representatives of the aviation industry. In political parlance it was a "full and frank exchange of views!" But don't let me tell you about it, read the write up in the Guardian. They called it: "one of the most fractious fringe event so far." I think I am happy with that. Greenpeace has a reputation for confronting issues head on, and there is no better way to do this than a real political event where temperatures run high and passionate arguments are made.

We have had our campaigners out and about across the conference, including asking awkward questions of the nuclear industry at every opportunity, and a team of volunteers are out ensuring every delegate gets the opportunity to read our leaflet on nuclear subsidies.

I have had so many conversations which I would love to share with you on this blog but which would be too indiscreet to do so. Needless to say that the conversation I had with the Energy Minister Malcolm Wickes at a party was substantially different to the debate we have on the floor at fringe events!