Mood Shifts at COP18

As COP18 shifts from formalities to working groups, the focus of the conference too has shifted from big picture rhetoric to finicky details being negotiated. Little progress was visible on Wednesday at the UNFCCC made its way through “hump day.”

Warsaw, the capital of Poland, has been confirmed as the host for the next round of climate change negotiations – COP19. This is the second time Poland will have hosted the UNFCCC framework, having also held COP14 in Póznan in 2008. There are concerns from the environmental community that Poland’s lack of ambition and general disinterest in being constructive, particularly within the EU process, will hinder rather than assist the process.

Tempers were raised in the Long Term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA) discussions as the Umbrella Group rejected the Chair’s text as suitable for the basis of negotiations. The procedural bickering has been perceived by some developing countries as a deliberate stalling tactic to prevent the talks from progressing. Re-establishing trust and ambition will be critical to progress in the LCA as discussions will conclude in Doha.

Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) previewed the upcoming fifth assessment report from the IPCC. This report will provide the most comprehensive update on the current climate science. Initial indications show that the news will be far from comforting.

As we delve deeper into the negotiations, Pachauri’s question first asked five years ago still remains eerily relevant; “Will those responsible for decisions in the field of climate change at the global level listen to the voice of science and knowledge, which is now loud and clear?”

By Michael Mazengarb and Sophie Trevitt, photo by Laura Owsianka.