Update from Copenhagen Monday 14 Dec PM

Published on Mon 14th Dec 2009

After a brief suspension in the negotiations, talks are now tentatively underway again.

The climate change conference centre holds 15,000 people. It is rumoured there is at least twice that number outside. This must be the first time world public opinion has mobilised so effectively, putting pressure on the government leaders to act.

I spoke to Stavros Dimas, EU environment commissioner. He thinks we will get a deal, at least in the form of a list of commitments by each participating country. Will the commitments be legally binding? It may be better if they are not, since in that case they will be less ambitious. A political agreement would probably be policed quite effectively by world public opinion.

Graham