Overtime in Durban - Day 7

It’s just gone midnight here in Durban. Officially the agenda was supposed to end at 5 pm Friday. So we are now 31 hours over - and counting. Earlier today smaller groupings of countries were meeting to go over the compromise proposals.

Finally very late in the day, the big hall began to fill up. The meetings started. After some opening motherhood remarks from the President Maite Nkoana-Mashabane we got down to business and almost right away we hit problems. In fact things got confounded and confusing so fast I was left shaking my head. It was a real “cluster fccc”.

As of midnight we have muddled through two meetings and in both we’ve pushed the challenges up from the working groups to the official conference of the parties (this is where the word COP comes from). It is the exact same group of people and will be in the exact same space.

I don’t what we will get, but I do know whatever it is it will be later.

Here’s what’s on the table. We need a commitment to carry on from the first phase of Kyoto ending in 2012, with out a break. We need to make sure that the next phase is not too far into the future or else we’ll just put off solutions again.

We need legally binding targets. I know Canada has failed in its targets, but back when it was non-binding, everyone failed to meet their targets. It has to be binding and countries need to live up to their responsibilities.

That responsibility is the last piece we need. In order to get China and India and other key countries on board they need to know that we who have been most responsible for historic emissions and we have the greatest capacity to change are taking the lead. I tell you we are lucky to have the EU because they are the ones stepping up to the plate.

Where will we get to? I don’t know yet. Attrition and fatigue are setting in and it is even now evolving, still unfolding, as yet unresolved...

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

John Streicker