Talks go behind closed doors

When I was in Marrakech, Morocco, last November covering the climate talks, I felt I could hardly move my eyes from the hundreds of protesters expressing their anger in and outside the venue of the talks.

It was not difficult at all to find something interesting to write about — there were protests, meetings and parades almost every day.

Delegates responded to my emailed interview inquiries on the US withdrawal almost immediately. All of this kept me in a constant state of excitement.

But it seems this year’s conference in Bonn is a lot more peaceful.

With a sign “for staff members only” taped to the door of US delegation’s office, the door is almost always closed.

Shift in focus

It seems people have shifted the focus away from the “noise”.

And that has encouraged me to focus more on the negotiation progress — what are the disputes between different parties and what progress has been made.

While having to wait until the end of next week to get the final results, I am guessing there might be more fruitful results when the meeting does finally end.

The deadline for coming out with a rule book on implementing the Paris Agreement is right there. There are existing commitments and obligations which must be met.

Only more concrete steps will be helpful to fill the gap left by the United States.