Thursday, December 15, 10 a.m.
The Press joins Eddy Pérez in the great hall of the Palais des Congrès where the plenary sessions are held bringing together delegates from the 196 countries present. This morning marks the official opening of the “high-level” segment with more than 100 ministers arriving in Montreal for political negotiations.
Immediately after the speech by the Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault, Mr. Pérez whispered in our ears that he had just posed “as someone who wants to be the negotiator [broker] “. “Canada wants to make a difference at this COP. »
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Steven Guilbeault, Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change, during a speech on Thursday
The speech by Prime Minister François Legault, announcing the tabling of a water bill in January, leaves him perplexed. “The target audience is the 130 ministers who are present. It is to them that we must address ourselves. If he had wanted to stand out, he could have announced, for example, that Quebec was releasing funds for developing countries, as was done for the climate. It would have spoken to the people in the room. »
What are all these plenary speeches for? “It’s no use. This can sometimes allow ministers to give a stronger mandate to negotiators, ”explains Eddy Pérez.
11:20 a.m.
Direction: the media center, where Eddy Pérez is to meet journalists in the company of Ruth Davis, who notably advises the UK government on its environmental policies.
When we learned that COP15 would finally be held in Montreal, we all decided [la société civile] to play a more important role.
Eddy Pérez, director of climate diplomacy at the Climate Action Network
Going down the stairs leading to the second floor, he shows us his mobile phone: “I chat all day with several colleagues who take part in the various negotiation meetings. We keep up to date with what is going on. It doesn’t stop! »
First stop: an exchange with journalist Suzanne Götze, from the German magazine Der Spiegel. This one has several questions in order to better understand the positions of the different countries of the European Union.
Eddy Pérez catches a glimpse of Li Shuo, who is senior global policy adviser at Greenpeace China. “We talk to each other very often. We spend a lot of time together at the various COPs. »
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Eddy Pérez talks with Li Shuo, who is senior global policy adviser at Greenpeace China during COP15.
“Our offices are in Beijing. It’s not always easy to do our job because of the global geopolitical context,” Li Shuo replied to a question from The Press.
During a discussion with representatives of the National Observer and Toronto StarEddy Pérez explains that according to him, “if there is no money on the table, there will be no agreement”.
“We cannot, for example, ask the 47 African countries to better protect biodiversity without giving them the means to do so,” he adds.
He looks at his watch: “Oh hash ! he exclaims. He has to attend a coordination meeting and he hasn’t eaten anything since his lunch. It’s 1:15 p.m.
2 p.m.
Meet at the Quebec Pavilion for a conference on international financing for biodiversity. Several ministers from different countries are present.
“I come here to listen to the speeches, to see if positions have evolved on the issue of funding,” he explains.
A statement by the French Minister for Ecological Transition, Christophe Béchu, startled him. “He has just told us that international funding will only come with ambition. It’s very paternalistic. You are not going to say that to African countries. »
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Christophe Béchu, French Minister for Ecological Transition, at COP15 on Thursday
During the conference, Eddy Pérez receives a message: Japan has just announced that it is releasing 800 million dollars for international financing. “This is the kind of announcement that could snowball,” he says.
Despite several speeches, there is no concrete announcement at this conference. “I don’t feel a lot of willpower,” said Eddy Pérez. So far, it’s like trying to make up a pig. »
4:09 p.m.
We head to the fifth floor to follow the discussions of a working committee (contact group) on “the mobilization of financial resources”.
In the room, about thirty people are seated around three tables forming a U. They are negotiators sent by their respective countries. Many observers are also present: representatives of NGOs and delegates from several countries.
At COP15, there are two working groups whose mandate is to negotiate the terms of the agreement. When the discussions are unsuccessful, working committees are formed with a limited number of participants.
It is the chairman of the working group who chooses the countries that could facilitate an unblocking. We seek a balance between rich countries and developing countries.
Eddy Pérez, director of climate diplomacy at the Climate Action Network
“Here, the most active players are Colombia, Brazil, Argentina and the Democratic Republic of Congo,” he adds.
At the time of passing from The Pressrepresentatives of Colombia, Malaysia, Ghana, Norway and Canada requested the floor.
The exchanges relate to very technical aspects. “We are cleaning up the text,” points out Mr. Pérez, referring to the many square brackets that frame elements that do not meet with consensus. The tone of the interventions is calm and courteous. It’s not always the case. “I have already seen quite violent discussions, among others at COP27 [en Égypte] “, recalls Eddy Pérez.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Eddy Pérez, director of climate diplomacy at the Climate Action Network
5:56 p.m.
We left the Palais des Congrès to go to the Maison du développement durable, rue Sainte-Catherine. A coordination meeting with the COP15 collective is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Mr. Pérez gives an update on the day’s proceedings.
By raising his left hand very high, he indicates that the ambitions are there, but with his right hand, he shows that the funding is not yet up to expectations.
7:56 p.m.
Return to the Palais des Congrès. Eddy Pérez intends to attend the discussions of the financing committee, chaired by Germany and Rwanda.
During the evening, the Democratic Republic of Congo leaves the room, dissatisfied with the discussions on financing. The continuation of the negotiations between now and the end of COP15 promises to be difficult.
11:50 p.m.
The day is over for Eddy Pérez. He returns home to write a report that will be sent to several environmental groups who are also following the negotiations. At 1 a.m., it’s bedtime. Another big day is going to start in a few hours.