Sara:
After the joy of Australia announcing on Monday that it had ratified the Kyoto Protocol after years of snubbing the UN process of binding emissions cuts, it was back down to earth with a thump today…
Firstly, we heard that Japan had set the hares running by hinting that it might move away from support for binding targets (one step forward with the Aussies, one step back in prospect with Japan?).
And then during one of the main sessions of the day, three hours or more was taken up with delegates wrangling over whether they would adopt a new item onto the meeting agenda!
If the lives of poor communities were not at stake in Bali, it would be funny. I wonder what a homeless family in Bangladesh would make of it? Not the best of days.
Herry:
I am beginning to find my feet. I went to a press conference today and understood some of the complex issues surrounding these negotiations for the first time. I guess those speaking know that many of the journalists – like me – are not specialists and need the news in straight forward, everyday language where possible.
I was disappointed to hear that a couple of countries, including Japan, seem to be threatening not to co-operate in reducing their emissions in a legally-binding way under Kyoto. It is rather ironic, considering that Japan was the birthplace of the Kyoto Protocol
I went to the Fossil of the Day award ceremony, run by the NGOs here and given to the three countries who are being most obstructive in negotiations. Japan came first, second and third equal (with the USA and Canada). And so they should.
Of course the victorious countries do not turn up to collect the award ceremony, watched in anticipation as it is by the media. But someone from a Japanese campaigning body accepted the award on behalf of her country. She said she was ‘very honoured. And ‘very proud’ to be threatening to hold up negotiations. It was very funny.