Blogposts tagged 'Unfccc'

While we're waiting to hear the announcements from Copenhagen - here's a blow by blow account of what's happened at the Summit so far - written by Martin Lloyd, our climate communications manager:

With thousands of negotiators and hundreds of points to agree it may be impossible to come up with a comprehensive account of what happened. But I'll try and list some of the highlights.

At the start of the year the game-plan for success when it came to getting a fair, ambitious and binding agreement looked like this.

1. Rich countries needed to show they were serious by offering significant and guaranteed funds to support action by the developing world.

2. The developing world would then have the confidence to commit to action

3. Which would let Rich nations commit to stronger action

4. The handful of holdout nations would then face a world united for climate action

As the talks started, despite two years of negotiations there was almost no progress to report. Only a series of commitments from the developing world, all conditional on the rich countries coming up with the money.

So, what happened?

Greenpeace volunteers worked constantly over several days to build the domed Rescue Station.

As governments prepare for the next round of crucial climate talks this December in Poznan, Poland, we're making a few preparations of our own. Obviously, we'll be at the talks, pressuring governments to quit coal and work towards a meaningful deal to save the climate - but we also have plenty planned for the run up to the talks.

On the edge of a vast open pit coal mine in Konin, Poland, we've set up a Climate Rescue Station - a four storey high earth dome powered by renewable energy - to highlight the true cost of coal in the lead up to the negotiations. People from 15 countries will be staying at the station, telling the story of how coal (the single greatest threat to our climate) is affecting our planet.