As the negotiations slow to a crawl inside the venue, members of Extinction Rebellion and FridaysForFuture demonstrate on the streets outside, calling this the 'ultimatum COP' to address the climate crisis.
As the Chile/Madrid Climate Change Conference entered its scheduled last day, many expected the meeting to extend into Saturday.COP 25 President Carolina Schmidt confirmed such expectations in the stocktaking plenary when she asked the Co-Facilitators of various items to keep working, without providing a clear timeline for conclusion. Calling on all parties to “show the world that we are capable of reaching agreement,” she outlined the new model of work going forward. Negotiations would proceed in two tracks. The first track focuses on Article 6 (market and non-market mechanism). The second track includes three issues: the review of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts; response measures; and the outcome decision (decision 1/CP.25).As the day wore on, negotiations continued among parties only, facilitated by ministers. Several delegates expressed concern both at the number of unresolved issues, and the many divergent positions on each issue. Some whispers suggested the conference “might fail altogether,” considering that no agreement is in sight. Others were more optimistic, but wondered how agreement would emerge with the overtime clock running. After hours of waiting, with the live schedule advertising facilitated ministerial consultations through midnight, many delegates left the venue to catch a few hours of sleep.Outside the venue, with flags and banners held aloft, Extinction Rebellion labelled the meeting “another lost opportunity.”The Earth Negotiations Bulletin will continue with photographic coverage of the negotiations on Saturday, 14 December 2019, and a summary and analysis of the Chile/Madrid Climate Change Conference will be available on Tuesday, 17 December 2019.
Informal Consultations
Delegates gather in plenary awaiting news on when the final stocktaking session will begin.
Delegates consult informally as the draft negotiating text is released.
Delegates from the Republic of Korea
Mohamed Nasr, Egypt, and Richard Sherman, South Africa
Delegates from Brazil
Leon Derek Charles, Grenada
Stocktaking Plenary
The room is filled to capacity as the stocktaking plenary begins in the afternoon.
Yeshey Penjor, Minister of Agriculture and Forests, Bhutan, speaking on behalf of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs)
Mohamed Nasr, Egypt, speaking on behalf of the African Group
Carlos Fuller and Janine Coye Felson, Belize, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)
Ricardo de Aquino Salles, Minister of the Environment, Brazil
Tina Stege, Marshall Islands
El Waleed El Malik, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Franz Perrez, Switzerland, speaking on behalf of the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG)
Chen Zhihua, China
Shinjirō Koizumi, Minister of the Environment, Japan
Ayman Shasly, Saudi Arabia, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group
Marcia Levaggi, Argentina, speaking on behalf of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay
Informal Consultations Throughout the Night
Informal consultations continue on Article 6.
Delegates gather outside the room where Ministerial facilitated consultations are to take place.
Heads of delegations meet for a briefing on Article 6.
Civil Society Demonstration
Representatives of EU youth organizations demonstrate in the corridors, showing the 'tug of war' between transitioning to a carbon-free future and being controlled by the fossil fuel industry.
As the negotiations continue behind closed doors inside the venue, members of Extinction Rebellion and FridaysForFuture block the roads outside the venue, staging a large protest, calling the meeting 'another lost opportunity.'
Around the Venue
The dais is empty as delegates wait for announcement on when the closing plenary will begin.
Andrew Ferrone, Luxembourg, speaks with a delegate.
Members of civil society work in the corridors.
Alf Wills, South Africa
Henrik Eriksen and Peer Stiansen, Norway, speak with SBSTA Chair Paul Watkinson, France.
David Oehmen, UNFCCC Secretariat, and Emerson Resende, Green Climate Fund (GCF)
In the early evening, delegates begin to leave the venue.
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ENB images are free for use with attribution. For the Chile/Madrid Climate Change Conference, please use Photo by IISD/ENB Kiara Worth.