Will there be a breakthrough?
In spite of the chaos which played out outside the Bella Centre on Wednesday, I was successful in getting inside to carry out meetings with – among others - Massachusetts Senator John Kerry.
While the talking was going on, the tension within the centre was palpable. Bridging the gap between developed and developing countries appeared to be impossible.
According to the Danish daily Berlingske Tidende, the Presidency on Wednesday night abandoned attempts to create consensus on a text that should have formed the basis of a global political agreement to combat climate change.
Today 119 heads of state and government are meeting for the final, crucial negotiations. The Danish Presidency had hoped to present the world leaders with a text containing as tight an agreement on issues such as emission cuts, financing of climate aid to developing countries, accounting for emissions etc as possible.
According to Berlingske Tidende, the developing countries represented by the Group of 77 blocked the initiative.
Now, the strategy is to try to make progress in some isolated areas, preparing the ground for the next UN climate negotiations which will take place in Mexico next year, the newspaper reports.
President Obama flies in to Copenhagen tomorrow but has already made it clear his role won’t be to broker a deal.
Anger, frustration and despair are being vented both inside and outside the negotiations but we can’t afford at any point to give up hope.
The banners are still flying on buildings lining the road to the airport.
“Let’s make it Hopenhagen,” they declare.
Let’s hope time isn’t running out.
