The snow has stopped falling but is thick on the ground. There is some traffic but most people are walking so it’s still very quiet. You wouldn’t think that this city is the focus of the world for the next two days. 

Pessimism abounds on all news coverage of the talks themselves. Despite being with the European Parliament delegation and an accredited member of the organisation GLOBE, it is almost certain I will not now get into the Bella Centre where the main conference is being held. The centre holds 15,000 people and 45,000 were promised passes – the numbers just don’t add up! So with the talks entering their most crucial phase we have been told that the numbers are severely restricted. GLOBE will have only a handful of passes today and none tomorrow. 

We know from the WWF briefings that some of the negotiations have been going on throughout the night. The latest text seems to be weak and non-legal, largely due to the United States position. This is why it is so important that the European Union improves its commitment to a unilateral 30% emissions reductions by 2020 (not the 20% it is committed to now) to encourage other countries to follow the lead. In the European Parliament earlier this week we were pushing for this to be done urgently. We have always claimed that the EU leads on fighting climate change. This is its chance to prove that – its biggest political challenge.   

This morning I am meeting George Monbiot and Oxfam Cymru representatives in the Klimaforum09 – the “Peoples’ Climate Summit” in the centre of the city. This is where movements and organisations from all over the world get together. This afternoon I will be meeting Wales Sustainability Minister Jane Davidson. We will talk about how we use the remaining few hours in Copenhagen to push for the strongest possible agreement.

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