COP18 (29/11/2012) – Liz Gallagher from E3G gives an update on the Long-term Co-operative Action (LCA) negotiating track. She describes the concerns of several developed countries over the status and substance of the text in plenary, and how this lack of clarity has carried over into contact groups.

She attributes these concerns to the wider issue of a trust deficit at the talks. She explains three key factors which make up this trust deficit; a lack of ambition, a lack of ambition in finance commitments and the lack of space and process for discussing equity and access to sustainable development in the Durban Platform.

To conclude, she remarks that there is not much on the table at COP18, and urges the COP presidency to engage in front line diplomacy to broker a deal on the LCA text, deciding which version to move forward with. She also calls on parties who want to see progress, notably the European Union, to put forward constructive proposals to advance the talks.