Flash, I love you, but we only have 14 hours to save the Earth!

I’m feeling a little fragile today and, no, that’s not due to the reception with the Turkish delegation last night.?We’ve gone into extra time here at COP15 and we’re now in the traditional ‘race against time’ to get an agreement over the line.?The conference in Montreal has comprehensively lost the ratings war against the World Cup, but only one of this weekend’s events is a true historical moment.?The outcome of COP15 will impact on all of our futures, for good or ill.?Tomorrow is either the day we decide to transform our relationship with nature for the benefit of future generations of all life on earth; or it’s the day we didn’t take our last chance.

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After the close of the high level ministerial segment yesterday, there was a process of taking stock, and good progress was claimed.?The ministerial ‘odd couples’, working groups, and ‘friends of the chair’ groups reported back on their bracket-busting skills and provided sections of clean text from the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and monitoring framework.

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Negotiation, however, is a game of two halves, and while there is certainly more consensus now than last week, the sticking points are still extremely sticky.?While Target 15, which requires the reporting by business of biodiversity impacts, has had wide support, notably from the strong business and finance delegations here – there are still parties opposing making this mandatory.?There are entrenched positions on funding and the role of the Global Environment Facility, and while some big commitments have been made (notably by Canada) not all developed nations are committing to the suggested target of $100bn to be provided to support developing nations with action for nature.?There are even wrinkles in the widely-applauded 30x30 target (to protect 30% of land and sea for nature) with parties wrangling over exactly what activities could occur in these protected sites.

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Yet while there have been robust exchanges of views on some of the areas of difference, the shared vision is still strong.?In all of the statements from parties yesterday, I heard no suggestion that we should give up and come back in two years’ time.?The unifying call was for a strong GBF now, for transformative action across our economies, for ambitious targets and for cooperation and collaboration to get to agreement.?We should keep strong and aim to get a deal done.?What wasn’t called for was that universal solution to disagreement (and alleged recipe for a happy marriage) – compromise.?Rather, delegates recognised the risk of compromising out the ambition of the GBF, of watering it down so far that it no longer serves the purpose it set out to do.?That purpose is turning the good intentions of the Kunming Declaration, The High Ambition Coalition and the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature into reality.?It’s being accountable to future generations and to all life on this beautiful little blue-green planet we inhabit.

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There have been moments of light relief along the way, like film night (no, we didn’t watch Flash Gordon) and the snowman competition (the Malaysian delegation’s was the biggest), moments of proud applause (with great contributions from youth delegates), of frustration and concern. ?The world may be looking to Doha right now, rather than Montreal, but here – waiting for the new draft to land this morning - ?is where the real action is.?See you after the final.