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...

Tuesday’s Child

by Nathan Thanki and Bogdan Zymka (as part of our effort to be a resource to Youth groups, the following was sent to UNFCCC youth on Tuesday night) The opening of the high level plenary began today. Nothing really dramatic yet--apart from the ridiculous opening ceremony which actually included an interview that said "one must not be ashamed of doing something unspectacular or with low...

Big Picture Overview: State of Play

By Anjali Appadurai and Nathan Thanki This is our analysis -- informed by various actual experts -- of what is currently happening in these negotiations from a birds-eye view. Look at it as a stock-taking of sorts. (Please comment if we use too much jargon.) Overview We are headed towards a 6-degree warming world. We all know the impacts of this. What needs to happen is very serious emissions...

Twisted logic: no money for adaptation unless the rich can emit more, and profit from it.

by nathan thanki The old axiom “adapt or die” is haunting the halls of the UNFCCC in Doha. As has been made clear over the years of apathy and inaction, the industrialised world will do everything it can to avoid making serious emissions reductions. The resulting 0.8 degree celsius warming, and certainty of a further 0.8 degrees, mean that those who are particularly vulnerable are...