8 December 2011 - Durban, South Africa – It was the busiest Fossil ceremony yet at COP17. New Zealand took third for opposing the Kyoto Protocol. Japan, Canada, and Russia earned second for their own lack of KP commitment. And the United States came in first for failing their 2 degrees C agreement. Luckily, the Africa Group earned the first Ray of the Day in Durban for consistent, constructive progress. If only the negotiations were so productive. The Fossils as presented read:

7 December 2011 -  “The United States of America and the European Union win the 2nd place Fossil. The US-EU supported the deletion of Fast Start Finance paragraphs (Paragraph 18 and 19) from the updated amalgamated Long-Term Cooperative Action text. This implies that they are not serious about the past commitments made by their head of states on provision of finance to the most vulnerable countries to cope with the impacts of climate change. Not only is it a breach of trust, but also shows lack of leadership from them to take climate action seriously.”  

6 December 2011 - Durban, South Africa – Canada wins a first place Fossil of the Day Award. Canada’s position has been clear when it comes to Kyoto – without movement from large industrializing emitters, Canada will not budge. Over the weekend you may say that China called this bluff by announcing openness to a more flexible position at the climate talks. Unfortunately, it seems Canada is not prepared to live up to its end of the bargain – with the Minister saying that even if China moves, Canada’s position is set in stone.

December 3, 2011- Durban, South Africa – Turkey earned the First Place Fossil of the Day today for trying to acquire funding and technology under the Kyoto Protocol without agreeing to any greenhouse gas pollution cuts. CAN cannot remember the last time Turkey took the fossil stage, but its actions recently were clearly worthy of this dubious distinction. The Fossil as presented read:

“Turkey wins the 1st Place Fossil. Turkey finally made it to the podium and managed to grab its first Fossil of the Day award today.

2 Deceomber 2011- Durban, South Africa – Brazil earned its first (and First Place) Fossil in Durban for suggesting that its potential forest law would actually help it reduce greenhouse gas pollution. New Zealand, similarly, took its first, and Second Place, Fossil for overly acrobatic flexible mechanisms to help them earn emissions reduction credits. Canada, no stranger to the stage in Durban, stood at Third Place, for celebrating its earlier fossils and suggesting that the massive body of climate science and policy they were based on were biased. The Fossils as presented read:

Climate Action Network’s 700+ member organisations regularly judge ‘Fossil of The Day’ awards, giving them to countries who have performed badly in the climate change negotiations. When earned, these slightly sarcastic yet highly prestigious awards are presented daily during climate talks. The Fossil of the Day awards were first presented at the climate talks in 1999 in Bonn, initiated by the German NGO Forum.

28 November 2011 - The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 7th Session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties (CMP7) to the Kyoto Protocol began today in Durban, South Africa. The theme of the COP17/CMP7 is Working Together; Saving Tomorrow Today.

Two banded cranes are back in the Phobjikha valley. In the winter of 2010-2011, RSPN in collaboration with the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment, Bumthang, banded four adult cranes with GPS Accelerato-meter in Phobjikha valley.