Protesters seek logjam at Warsaw climate negotiations to end soon

WARSAW: The two-week long climate negotiations at Warsaw are in the final stretch, with ministers working to beat the clock and build a consensus on the road to take. Along the way, the Warsaw talks have seen their fair share of protests - some big and noticeable, and the other, small reminders that the world must act now, for climate change is real. The talks started off with Philippines climate commissioner and negotiator Naderev "Yeb" Sano's announcement that he was "fasting" for the duration of the Warsaw talks in "solidarity" with his countrymen who are now struggling for food back home. Sano's dramatic gesture was an attempt to remind the world about the devastation that Typhoon Haiyan, aggravated by unchecked climate change, had caused. "What my country is going through as a result of this extreme climate event is madness. The climate crisis is madness... we can stop this madness, right here in Warsaw," he said. As the days unfolded, it became clear that Sano's call to "stop this madness" was for all practical purposes falling on deaf ears. Sano called for "concrete pledges" to the Green Climate Fund, a dedicated UN-sponsored fund that will channel funding from developed countries to developing ones to reduce their climate change emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change and for "real ambition on climate action in accordance with the principles of the convention". Ironic, given that industrialised countries are yet to commit any specific amounts or timelines on capitalising the Fund and since Sano's fast, Japan and Australia have moved back from their commitments to reduce emissions. The Philippine negotiator may not have moved negotiators, but his call echoed among civil society representatives. Soon, many young volunteers and activists stepped up showing solidarity with the Philippine negotiator. If there was the drama of Sano and his fast at one end of the spectrum then there were the quotidian protests. The daily reminders from civil society - The Change Chocolate that volunteers handed out to delegates, a small nudge that time was running out and governments needed to step up the pace of their talks to small demonstrations near key meeting rooms asking negotiators to "stop going around in circles" instead to "lead the way".