Ministers begin their work

 by Samuli Sinisalo The ministerial Indaba-consultations about the Durban outcome begin tonight. In front of them, the ministers have five options for the possible outcome. No decision is not amongst them at this level. The first option is to implement a new legal instrument under article 17 of the convention. This would mean that the […]

Options for the Outcome

by Samuli Sinisalo The last 48 hours of Durban are at hand. Decisions are going to be made, one way or another. On the future mandate, the LCA working group on legal options for the outcome, came up with a conference room paper yesterday. That paper specified four options for the LCA outcome from Durban. […]

The Common African Position

by Samuli Sinisalo By the end of the week, we will know what Durban will deliver. Durban is an African COP, and Africa will have a key role in determining the outcome. A united Africa is a strong force in the negotiations, as the rest of the developing world is likely not to challenge them. […]

Possible outcomes from Durban

by Samuli Sinisalo After one week of negotiations, what are some of the possible outcomes we can expect from Durban? The negotiations run on the two tracks: Kyoto Protocol and the Long term Cooperative Action. From the Kyoto track, there are at least four possible outcomes: 1) No second commitment period is signed and Kyoto […]

Russia Presented a Possible Deal Braker

by Samuli Sinisalo On wednesday, the COP plenary discussed Russias proposal to amend the UN Framework Convention on Climate change. In the convention countries are divided into different cathegories – and have different responsibilities – according to their development status. These annexes are Annex 1, which includes all the developed countries. have legally binding emission […]