John Lanchbery from the Bangkok UN climate meeting
The UN climate talks in Bangkok are drawing to a close. After running straight through the weekend, typically for at least twelve hours each day, everyone is feeling a bit tired now. This is not helped by the fact that, as the guide books say, Bangkok has two seasons, hot and unbearable. We are in the second of these now, the rainy season, although I must say that I like the heat and Bangkok is charming when you walk past the temples and hundreds of little shops on the way to the UN conference centre.
Inside the UN building the world is different with the gigantic Rubik’s cube that is the UN climate process slowly grinding around, each little cube an important topic in its own right and yet inextricably linked to all of the other little cubes. At major conferences, there can be seven distinct processes each divided into many different topics.
The main task this year is to begin negotiations on a new global climate change treaty, whilst shutting down other, older negotiating tracks so as to focus better on the future – as agreed in Durban at the end of last year. But it is hard to do. Many smaller, poorer countries fear that things that they fought hard to get debated will be cut from the new process by the big countries and blocs: the USA, EU, China, Brazil, South Africa or India. Yet each of these is also wary of the others, aggravated by elections in the USA and Germany this autumn, when China’s leadership will also change.
We non-governmental groups (NGOs) divide our lives between our own particular topic areas, such as adaptation to climate change, working with country leads on these matters whilst also meeting with heads of national delegations to get a bigger picture view of where they think the process is going.
Yesterday, after chatting over coffee to various people at eight, I went to the NGO coordination from nine to ten, followed by more quick chats and writing up EU Parliament voting recommendations on land use and forestry until about eleven. I then met with head of the Brazilian delegation from half past eleven until half past twelve (Andre is always thought provoking). A quick sandwich and then off to chair the NGO group on reducing emissions from deforestation with my colleague Gaines from Vitae Civilis in Brazil. After that, chats to various people, including Tossi (DR Congo) on tropical deforestation and Alf (head of South African delegation) on land use more generally, before going back to the EU Parliament voting recommendations for a while. Four o’clock meeting with the UK head of delegation, and his boss. Six o’clock, a meeting with the Chinese NGOs for an update of what is going on in China on climate change (quite a lot). Today I’ve met with Bolivia and have a meeting with the head of the US delegation scheduled for lunchtime.
Live pictures from the concluding meeting
The talks have been constructive but there remains a huge amount of work to be done by the big conference in Doha at the end of the year. My main work on halting tropical deforestation looks safe and will continue but some other important negotiating tracks are in trouble.
To end on an hopeful note, the Thais do not call this city Bangkok (village of the plum tree) but use a very long name that takes up two lines of writing - beginning Krung Thep, City of Angels. Let us hope they are on our side.