From Pillars to Platform: Demystifying the Durban Outcome
“If we accept this text, we are killing ourselves.” These were the words of an ambassador from a small island nation in the final hours of the longest UN climate negotiations in history. “We may be small, but we are not dead,” he continued. With these strong statements, the ambassador sought to rally other countries [...]
Rethinking Equity and Other Things Indian
On December 13, The Hindu’s editorial announced that “India Lost the Plot at Durban.” The editorial said that the Indian delegation was “isolated” and “intransigent” and quite simply “unprepared for the groundswell of support” for a comprehensive legally binding agreement. Jayanthi Natarajan, the Minister of Environment and head of delegation, fired back, in a rebuttal to [...]
Now for the People, Now for the Planet: COP 17 Climate Negotiations
This is the fifth annual UN Conference of the Parties (COP) conference that I have attended. My journey in the process started with the landmark COP 13 in Bali, Indonesia in 2007. That conference was the first major one that was to layout a roadmap for what the post-Kyoto regime might look like. Its mandate [...]
Candid about Cancún
The climate negotiations live to see another day! Amidst the cheer and applause that marked the end of the talks in Cancun, Mexico; a mischievous sense of relief was shared by many parties and observers to the COP. Did we strike a historic deal that will limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius? Did we [...]
Great Power Race Winners Announced at COP 16
Another round of climate talks are approaching an end in Cancun, Mexico and the odds for achieving a fair, binding and ambitious climate deal seem highly improbable. But while negotiations are slow, a race has just ended between the youth from India, China and the United States. The Great Power Race was a clean energy [...]
Maldivian statement from COP16 – Call for 350 ppm
The following is a statement from Mr Mohamed Aslam, the Minister of Environment and Housing to the High level segment at the ongoing COP16 negotiations in Cancun, Mexico. The statement reiterates the need for more political will and leadership from all nations of the world to safeguard the very survival of small island nations. A [...]
Can Cancún Can?
The Mayan Land holds a spirit of true promise, the 16th conference of parties here in Cancun began with the gong of Cancun Can ! The expectations from this conference have been very low, but it seems like the host country has done well to get us a step closer to a balanced Cancun Package. [...]