“You have never seen a coalition like this before”

by Lara Shirley and J. Taggart Wass Today, in an unprecedented show of solidarity between all elements of civil society, there was a massive walkout of COP19.  The action involved 800 members of civil society protesting the complete lack of progress in this year’s conference. The move was a culmination of many different frustrations: the corporate takeover of the UNFCCC space, the continued...

Day 9 Policy Updates: let’s talk about text, baby

by Lara Shirley We are entering the point in the COP where negotiation spaces are mostly closed to us, and draft decision text is being generated from the various areas of work. To see the documents published so far, go here. Things to look out for: there are some areas that haven't been concluded yet and are still undergoing negotiations. These are - ADP, finance, loss and damage, REDD+...

What the HECK is up with REDD+?!?!: A Summary Of My Struggles Up Until Now

by Lara Shirley This is part of a REDD+ trilogy featured here on : Lara is angry and confused, Lara is just angry, and Lara gets technical. Stay tuned for the next installment! REDD+ is complex, illogical and confusing. I kind of dislike it a lot. After having spent what feels like far too much time on it – although compared to many here, it’s barely a millisecond – I thought I would spare...

Day 3 Policy Updates: Contact Groups

by Lara Shirley There has been a general breakdown of bigger negotiations into smaller contact groups, which are often closed. COP In Finance, all agenda items were discussed. However, long term finance proved to be the most contentious. Philippines on behalf of the G77 stressed the importance of clarity in the pledged 100 billion per year by 2020 and urged scaling up of finance from the Fast...

The Technology Mechanism – what it contains and what’s happening within

by Lara Shirley As one of the five key points in the 2008 Bali Action Plan, technology and the transfer of it constitute a key part of an equitable response to climate change. A Technology Mechanism was therefore created in order to increase the quantity and efficiency of technology transfer from the North to the South. The Technology Mechanism was proposed by the G77 and China in 2008, and was...