On Irretrievability

by Trudi Zundel The last few nights at COP are characteristically grim. Ministers have arrived and Parties have been in closed sessions for two straight days. Negotiations have been in a deadlock for a week and a half—North and South are fundamentally opposed on most major issues. This is the time when the powerful players begin to throw their weight and influence over the process in...

When you ain’t got nothing, you got nothing to lose

by nathan thanki It is the sometimes orthodoxy that any deal is better than no deal, that by degrees we can overcome the climate crisis. It is "common sense" that you take what you can get and live to fight another day. But all this piecemeal haggling simply moves us, degree Celsius by degree Celsius, toward an unlivable and somehow even more unjust world. Let's have a new...

The Red Lines of Justice, Equity and Ambition – Press Briefing

On Thursday December 6th, Angeline Annesteus, Trudi Zundel, Nathan Thanki and Katie O'Brien spoke about the state of the negotiations and what needs to be done in a press briefing. Anjali Appadurai monitored the briefing.                     Trouble viewing? Watch here. Angeline Annesteus We...

Call to arms: Youth speech to COP high level plenary

This morning Munira Sibai, a Syrian-American student with SustainUs, delivered this speech on behalf of young people (YOUNGO). Although many governments could not be bothered to listen to their citizens, civil society was present in force: supporting Munira and each other in a way that governments can only dream of. Onwards. I stand before you given two minutes to make the same call for action...

No Deal: CJN! intervention to COP high level plenary

on 10 minutes notice, to a near empty hall, Anjali delivered an intervention on behalf of Climate Justice Now! environmental NGOs. The UNFCCC secretariat attempted to censor our message and her mic was cut off. Nevertheless, this is what we had to say: This message is not for the blockers of progress, the bullies in the playground, though they should take heed. This message is for the most...