Fossil of the Day Awards

7 June 2010

BONN, GERMANY 2010-06-07

The Climate Action Network (CAN), a coalition of over 500 NGOs worldwide, gives out 'Fossil of The Day' awards to the countries who perform the worst during the past day's negotiations at the UN climate change conference.

The awards given out on June 7, 2010 in Bonn, Germany were as follows:

Canada was awarded First Place. Canada earns a Fossil of the Day for reducing its mitigation commitment after Copenhagen to the same level pledged by the United States of America. This January, Canada scrapped a 2020 target equivalent to 3% below 1990 in favour of one equivalent to 3% above 1990, using the rationale of following the U.S. Canada is endangering progress on post-Copenhagen targets by acting like the 51st U.S. state.

Saudi Arabia was awarded Second Place. Saudi Arabia earns 2nd Place for being the only country trying to block discussion of bunker fuels. Speaking in this morning's LCA contactgroup on sectoral approaches, Saudi asked the chair not to bring forward any text on reducing emissions from international aviation and shipping fuels and warned her that discussions on this issue 'would be futile'. No prizes for guessing who will try to wreck that debate.

About the fossils:

The Fossil-of-the-day awards were first presented at the climate talks in 1999, also in Bonn, initiated by the German NGO Forum. During United Nations climate change negotiations (www.unfccc.int), members of the Climate Action Network (CAN), a worldwide network of over 500 non-governmental organisations, vote for countries judged to have done their 'best' to block progress in the negotiations in the last days of talks.

www.climatenetwork.org