On the margins of the Cancun climate conference we have talked to Andreas Kohn who consults companies on the issue of emissions trading. He attends the conference to stay up to date on the regulatory and financial issues the COP16 negotiations may entail. The green strategy consultant told GLOBAL IDEAS why a fixation with numbers isn't always the best thing when it comes to saving our climate. Focusing solely on keeping the rise of global temperatures below 2 degrees this century is misleading – if we forget what this actually means in terms of dangerous climate change, he said.  

We talked to Keith Porter who is a member of the official delegation from Jamaica at the Cancun climate talks. A forester in his home country, he is interested in conservation and reforestation issues and their relevance for our climate. In Cancun his special focus is on the problems that climate change poses particularly for small island states like his home country Jamaica.

In the first of our encounters with participants at the UN climate conference in Cancun, we talked to Kevin Buckland of 350.org, a grassroots organization. Its mission: to mobilize the public to counter global warming with "solutions that science and justice demand". At the Cancun talks, Kevin presents the "Fossil of the Day" award. It's handed out daily to countries that represent the biggest stumbling block in the official climate negotiation sessions on that day. Winner of 1st, 2nd and 3rd place on Day 1: Canada, because the Canadian government is rolling back or inhibiting meaningful climate protection in several areas.

GLOBAL IDEAS will be attending the UN climate change conference in Cancun, Mexico. Starting November 28th Sabrina Weber and Ranty Islam of the GI-team will be keeping their ears to the ground. Their mission: to network with imaginative individuals and organizations who have ventured to Cancun to present innovative climate protection projects, share ideas – and make a difference in the fight against global warming. Some of our encounters will be featured on this blog. Watch this space.

For live coverage of the key developments at the Cancun talks and additional background reporting please take a look at our main news site DW-WORLD.de or tune in to DW-TV.