Wednesday 16 December 2009

remote anxiety

I am in London now watching the beginning of the high level segments on the Web. The PMs of Ethiopia and Grenada are speaking for Africa and AOSIS and I am finding myself feeling quite emotional about the whole thing. The plenary this morning had drama with one of the conference chairs (Connie Hedgard) resigning and replaced by her (Danish) prime minister and continuing complaints from G77 that processes are not transparent. A bunch of countries have asked to extend the negotiations by a day. Outside the conference center various live sites are showing encounters between police and protestors.

Yesterday, sitting at the airport I felt really depressed - all those planes flying in and out with their emissions (I will only feel better about my own flying if they agree an aviation levy for adaptation and if I can get more serious about not flying as much myself) and also because it seemed as thoughwe were still a long way from a serious deal in Copenhagen. While many people here are diplomats and others who come as part of their jobs and may be able to ride out the ups and downs of international politics I saw so many young people, native peoples, and others with so much hope and I fear they will be desperately disappointed. I've spent so much time thiis year working to get the science out in advance of Copenhagen (the March IARU conference, 4 degrees, the NRC committee, offset articles etc.) that I haven't thought about what I will do afterwards. Its clear by now that there will be a lot to do....thinking about how to react to the resurgence of climate skepticism for example...but because the next COP is in Mexico I suppose I might focus on working with Mexican colleagues.

But lets not give up hope yet. There are still 3 more days to go (maybe 4) and perhaps miracles will happen.

Diana

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