The Daily Tck: 1 December 2011

We are in South Africa, but the last thing we need to see are elephants in negotiating rooms tying up progress. Yet, they are everywhere. The biggest elephant in the Kyoto Protocol room is the United States. The U.S. sits outside the Kyoto Protocol but yet they remain vested in its future (or its demise) for several reasons. The EU has stated that in order for them to agree to a 2nd commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol they need to see progress on a timeline for a global deal in the LCA track of the negotiation, i.e. the track including large emitters like the U.S., China, India, Brazil and South Africa. The U.S. has repeatedly messaged that it will move to take on legally binding commitments when China does (an inherently immoral position given the U.S.s historical responsibility for emissions already in the atmosphere), yet they have made it clear here in Durban that they intend to avoid any obligations until 2020 or beyond. This leaves China and the other large emitters to decide whether they will call the U.S. bluff by working with the EU and other countries in building on the strengths of the Kyoto Protocol towards a fair, ambitious and binding deal, or whether the U.S. will succeed in side-lining the Kyoto Protocol for good. We need the Kyoto Protocol, and not just any Kyoto Protocol, so the EU must step up its game to close those forestry and hot air loopholes, while avoiding an 8 year commitment period that locks us into low ambition levels for too long. The Fair part of a future global treaty hit a bump in the road yesterday. After a year of work and compromise, the Transitional Committee of the Green Climate Fund presented its report in an effort to get the Green Climate Fund launched, but it was objected to by Venezuela on behalf of the ALBA countries. The COP Presidency is undertaking informal consultations to hopefully find a way forward. If that doesnt work out, we are likely looking at going another year without a fund established, giving donors another excuse to hold back much needed climate finance

Message of the Day

We came to Durban to discuss a post 2012 climate regime, a discussion about action in 8 years from now is simply not acceptable.

What is Happening?
Today is World AIDS day and Youth and Future Generations Day. Its the perfect occasion for CAN International and partners to launch the I love 1.5 tie action! This afternoon 200 "I [heart] 1.5" ties will be given to negotiators, NGOs and youth delegates. Find out more here: http://ilovekp.org/ilove1-5/. If you're not big on neckties, you could have caught the WAGGGS dance action: The World Association of Girl Scouts and Girl Guides and YOUNGO members performed a climate change-related version of the cha cha slide at 12:00 outside the exhibition center. Other partners, including the UKYCC and 350.org celebrated the Youth and Future Generations Day with side-events portraying the inspiring stories of African youth activists. Your fellow partners in the EU published this letter in this week's edition of European Voice. This afternoon at Speakers Corner, volunteers from the Sierra Club and other members of TckTckTck dressed in black brought a black casket labeled "COAL" in bold lettering, declaring King Coal dead. In a New Orleans style, celebratory funeral procession, other volunteers dressed in white accompanied the funeral holding wind turbines and a solar panel.

The funeral for coal reflects the success of the Sierra Club and local activists across the United States in defeating over 150 proposed new coal power stations over the past 5 years. Taking a page from Big Oil, the Canadian and UK youth delegations were raising money to compete with big polluters to set Canadas climate agenda in Durban. They were holding a bake sale to buy back their future. Youth across Canada simultaneously sent letters to the Prime Ministers office containing small change to urge the federal government to switch gears and put people before polluters. The International National Trusts Organisation, with just under 60 member organisations around the world representing 6 million individual members has recently held a conference in Victoria, B.C. One of the outcomes of that conference was the unanimous support for the Victoria Declaration on the Implications for Cultural Sustainability of Climate Change. Their concern is that in all the talk at the COPs little mention is made of the effect of climate change on the cultural heritage. Curious? Visit these guys at stand 76 in the DEC and sign the declaration. And coming up next week:

What can you do today?

There are plenty of ways to share resources, ideas and amplify each others' efforts. Here are a few: Tweet your support for bold ambition in these negotiations: Our climate future starts in the present. A deal can't wait until 2020. #COP17 #Climate As you know, the EU position on the length of the KP 2nd commitment period and the implementation of the global legally binding treaty has been a issue these days. We knew that Connie Hedegaard is going to have a phone call meeting with the EU HoD tomorrow, so we thought it would be a good idea to (massively) remind her our demands through twitter. Send her this tweet: "@CHedegaardEU - Only legal #Kyoto with 5yrs will secure 2015 mandate and control global #fossil corporates #cop17 #climate"

Spread the word! Plans are underway for the Global Day of Action on Saturday, December 3rd at 9am. This mass march, a tradition at UNFCCC COPs, is a demonstration of civil societys common determination to address climate change. Participants include the international and national community, labour, women, youth, academic, religious and environmental organisations. For more information, go here. Attend the Daily Tck meeting at 10:15am tomorrow in Berg River If you're tweeting about COP17, we want you on our official Twitter list! Please send a message to @tcktcktck on Twitter or an email to heather.libby@tcktcktck.org to be added.

Resources & Tools

Visit the freshly-redesigned TckTckTck.org & our COP17 Hub for an up-to-date calendar, fresh news & stories and media resources - all available for reposting and sharing through Creative Commons. OneClimate Video Highlights OneClimate TV interviewed Saleemul Huq this morning: WATCH Watch the UN talks live with OneClimate TV: Starting tomorrow, OneClimate will be broadcasting live from the Durban climate talks from 3pm - 6pm daily local time. Follow their livestream, embed the code, or, for those who prefer their live content in text form, follow the live blog. Share this fantastic wrap-up video from the Conference of Youth, courtesy the Australian Youth Climate Coalition:YouTube