On the brink in Durban - Day 6

It’s somewhere close to midnight here in Durban, and most of the attendees have been sent home. The most senior officials from each country are staying to negotiate. This includes Ministers, Ambassadors, Senior Negotiators and I suppose their immediate support staff. Given that there are 190+ countries, that means that 1,000 people are staying to debate on through the night.

The official end to the conference occurred at 5pm this afternoon (Friday). They stopped the clocks to allow for more time to try and reach a deal. Even with just the high level group it will be tough to reach a deal with 1,000 voices and 190+ agendas. But with that many people reports leak out to us. One of them I found disturbing.

Around the globe there are Green MPs elected. Australia, Brazil, Canada, etc. including lots from European countries. It was green colleagues from Belgium that relayed to me a note about Canada’s performance in the high level (closed door) meetings. Late in the evening, our Minister of the Environment made negative remarks about the rapidly developing countries (Brazil, South Africa, India and China or BASIC). 

India responded saying that Canada had no moral authority to speak on the matter because our emissions were so much higher than the BASIC countries, the BASIC countries were already doing more than Canada had despite the economic disparity and that Canada had rejected its responsibility. Ouch.

Diplomacy will not allow these remarks to make it on to the official record. So while it is pleasantries on the outside, the undercurrent here is one where Canada is no longer held in respect.

Canada - we used to punch above our weight. Here it seems we are punching below the belt.

Yours, a north by northwest scientist / politician reporting from the south by southeast

John Streicker

ps Canada once again won the Colossal Fossil Award. Now five years running. A young Inuk, Jordan Kornek symbolically received the award on behalf of Canada. Reports are that MPs laughed in the house when word reached the floor that we had been receiving these dubious awards. Laughed. Shame on us.