Cathy Orlando, Citizens Climate International Project Director and director of CCL Canada took part in the walk out from the People’s Plenary at COP26 today to protest at the draft deal described as  ‘a death sentence for vulnerable countries’. Participants were dismayed by the lack of progress on the $100 bn pledge, the stalemate on global carbon trading rules (Article 6) (in particular the request to link trading revenue to adaptation payments for developing countries) and the pressure being put on negotiators by the fossil fuel lobbyists.

Cathy Orlando said her country “had to pay” to help protect countries most at risk. “We are on a see-saw,” …..”There has been progress but there is a lot of work to be done. We need to protect our friends in the Global South in a realistic way, we need to listen.” 

John Kerry has come up with a new take on an old expression, re the subsidisation of fossil fuels, estimated to be in the region of trillions of dollars….’That’s the definition of insanity’.