8 December 2009
Neat trick
The Copenhagen mayor, Ritt Bjerregaard, fearful for the morals of the 35,000 climate delegates who have descended on her city, has sent postcards to all central hotels warning summit guests not to patronise Danish sex workers during the conference. The Copenhagen union of prostitutes has not taken this insult, as it were, lying down: they have now formally offered anyone carrying one of the mayor's postcards a hefty discount rate.
Stuck in a zipper
The US has a swish hi-tech centre in the Bella Centre, the G77 countries have a few pokey rooms for their delegation, but pity the EU delegation here at the summit. They are consigned to rooms which all have been assigned the names of Swedish inventions. Not Abba, but "safety match", "zipper", "cream separator" and "adjustable spanner". So in theory, the EU delegation could literally be stuck in its zipper.
A nice cup of char
Hotels are in Copenhagen are notoriously pricey, but an invoice left on a fax machine reveals the true cost for the rich. The national delegation of Bahrain is paying a cool £1,300 per person per night in Hotel Kong Arthur superior double suites. Meanwhile non-government groups, which are mostly barred from putting any alcohol at all on expenses, have redefined "cup of char" for a bottle of chardonnay.
Eco jive
Youth and indigenous groups here are much in evidence. Yesterday 20 young people silently invaded the stage at a major EU press conference holding up banners as a Fijian made an emotional speech about the imminent demise of her islands. Another group was doing an eco jive dance when six security guards waded in and arrested them. It transpired they had permission.
Diplomatic refugees
Shyam Saran is the Indian prime ministers' eminent special envoy on climate change. But this experienced negotiator will be heading back from Copenhagen to Delhi the next 48 hours before his minister arrives for the high-level talks. It is yet another signal that negotiators here are becoming distraught at the way that they are being sidelined by splits within their own governments. In the past week, two Filipino negotiators have left their delegation. Both have been signed up by Sudan which is becoming a centre for diplomatic refugees.
