By Emma Graham-Harrison
How do you stave off boredom when you’re an international negotiator, stuck in talks that drag on until two in the morning, with colleagues capable of arguing over the importance of a semi-colon?
Revamp your CV or hone your drawing skills.
The U.N. conference reached a deal to launch two years of negotiations on a new climate treaty on Saturday after a dramatic U.S. reversal ended a standoff between rich and poor nations.
And that was after a session of talks, lasting past 2 a.m. in the morning, that reached a draft deal. At that session, at least one ambitious delegate was apparently keen to start building on the coming success immediately.
“I participated actively in the Ministerial Working Group — it was a core group of 18 countries. We were able to bridge a gap - between the position of US in particular, which wanted a reference to … out,” said a handwritten note abandoned in the conference room.
Another bored delegate had tried out at least 20 versions of a bold, swirling and illegible signature, next to doodles of the conference logo and alarmingly fierce faces - perhaps his fellow delegates.
But in a reassuring sign that most negotiators were focused on the dull but vital process, the vast majority of left-behind notes were jottings on negotiating positions and draft amendments.
“For the sake of progress in launching a process we cannot sacrifice the main essence - i.e. to have a benchmark of ambitious targets to reduce CO2 emissions” read one, below a list of the costs of delay.
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4 comments so far
How much longer must we endure the Al gore
- Posted by karl koebkeinvented nonsense of Global Warming? The Kioto agreement is a joke a bad one. The klima has changed since million’s of years and will change again. Reduce the stupid population of 6.5 billion to 3 billion and the planet will be able to support them. I have no intent to sacrifize anything of our lifestile for the bunch in Africa, Asia or elswhere.Selfinflicted wounds have to repaird by those who have caused them. KH K
Sensible green strategies don’t have to hurt the economy. Businessman politicians like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michael Bloomberg have shown that green policies can spur economic growth, not hamper it.
Draft Mike Bloomberg for President
- Posted by Draft Bloomberghttp://www.RunMikeRun.com
Look for a huge spurt of CV editing as further proof comes in that even as the rate of increase of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions increases due to rampant disregard for any plan to reduce emissions in China and India, temperatures have certainly peaked and may even be declining. The hottest year on record was 1998. 2007 was called the 7th hottest, not what one would expect unless we were now in a cooling trend. If we are, even if that trend reverses and we go back to warming the last 9 years prove that carbon dioxide does NOT drive global temperature. CO2 continues to rise at increasing rates and temperatures have flattened out if in fact they have not actually fallen as is suggested by the official 2007 results.
What of it? We’re coming out of an ice age. Warming, despite what you’ve been programmed to believe, is good, not bad. The Northwest Passage has been open before - that’s why it got it’s name and why we spent so much time, life and treasure looking for it way back when. The Arctic has been warmer and more ice-free before - and guess what - the polar bears survived!
I agree that sensible changes should be considered. But not the IPCC plan - it’s insanity and more than anything else a scheme to get massive amounts of wealth into a system which will be more riddled with fraud, waste and abuse than the oil-for-food program, which was a joke!
- Posted by GregDraft Mike Bloomberg for President suggests the policies of Arnold Schwarzenegger are good for the economy - guess again. Although it’s also caused in part by the mortgage loan crixis, California is looking at some rough times ahead due to the Governator’s failure to live up to the promises he made when elected. He’s a Republican In Name Only it seems as he’s been as big a “tax and spender” as any Democrat. His latest plan is to slip a “tax” into the works in the form of a “surcharge” on insurance policies. People are already having trouble purchasing adequate insurance - his plan will likely drive more people to risk going uninsured since they won’t be able to afford the higher rates this idea will usher in across the state.
- Posted by Greg