Actions, Substance and Finance as the Heat Rises: Day 4 at COP16

Things are definitely heating up here. The World Meteorological organisation has come out with figures showing 2010 to be one of the three hottest years on record, with the period 2001-2010 having the highest temperatures since records began. Meanwhile the corridors and meeting rooms of COP16 are alive with all sorts of people rushing from meeting to office and office to meeting.

At Cancun Messe NGO’s are starting to get more active in their calls for actions. With today being Young and Future Generations Day we saw some fantastic actions by YOUNGO volunteers, stressing the urgency of this moment. The Japanese Youth staged a humorous action trying to rekindle the love between Japan and Kyoto. Meanwhile an army of blue shirts drew attention to the huge presence young people have here, and highlighted the importance of these negotiations for our futures.

Negotiations on texts prepared for the COP are becoming more substantial. There has been some attention today on finance and flexibility mechanisms within the Kyoto Protocol and future climate treaties. There was some division evident between the USA and other developed nations over the details of the global climate fund, and who should administer it, with the USA not wanting it put under the control of the UN/COP. More negotiations on the rules, procedures and substance of any future work by COP is expected in coming days.

Also interesting to note is the turn to focus on legal framework, rather than on the nuts and bolts detail that was expected. Although I haven’t been following this closely myself, I was speaking with an international environmental law academic who was particularly intrigued by this move in the negotiations.

He claimed it had been led strongly by Australia, and suddenly on Day 4 other countries took a particular interest in the legal form of a treaty. Such negotiations either represent a positive move forward in working towards a new global treaty, or a premature and dangerous move to a contentious issue that may only stall progress at Cancun.

Transparency of the COP has also come under question, with more and more meetings becoming closed to outside observer organisations. Criticism is only likely to build as the conference continues, and as governmental ministers from around the world arrive begin to arrive over the weekend.

Surprisingly no Fossil of the Day was awarded, instead a humble congratulations was sent to parties on such cooperative and forward moving progress in the negotiations. I thought it was a tad weak not being able to find something to be critical about; the point of the award is after all to keep delegations on their toes through unwanted media attention.

At night I also ventured for the first time down to Klimaforum, and was mightily disappointed. Maybe it’s better during the day, but my impressions were not good and with it being so far away from the negotiations, I’ll be unlikely to return at all. It’s a pity something with such potential is so disconnected from the rest of the conference, but does highlight a constant theme here in Cancun – keeping control of things by keeping everything at a distance. Smart move by organisers, but frustrating, time-consuming and expensive for everyone else.