Goddess saves the day in Cancun

There is an expectant atmosphere in the plenary hall at the UN Climate Change Conference on Friday evening. Patricia Espinosa, President of the Conference, is greeted with a standing ovation. Her proposal for a climate compromise is finally to be discussed. But suddenly she is interrupted by shouts and hammering on the doors.

Some delegates from the group of developing countries have been delayed because of a consultation meeting, and in the meantime the plenary hall has filled up. The security guards have fire safety instructions to follow, and have closed the doors. The symbolism is striking: the rich have closed the doors on the poor and are taking decisions over their heads. The lack of confidence from Copenhagen fizzles like radio static in the background.

Patricia Espinosa immediately grasps what is happening and has the doors reopened. The delegates from the developing countries file into the room, led by Claudio Salerno from Venezuela looking cross. At worst, this experience could turn them against the text. I met Claudia Salerno in Venezuela earlier this year. She was the one who showed us her bloodied hand on the last night in Copenhagen, after she had been hitting the table in an attempt to get speaking time.

Ms Espinosa makes an unreserved apology.

After 48 hours of intense consultations, she has presented a balanced solution, in which all countries have both gained something and lost something. The Norwegian negotiators can hardly believe their eyes. The text is good – in fact, much better than expected. It is so balanced that it could gain the support of all countries. But it is a case of take it or leave it. If anyone wants to remove or change any points, everything will have to be renegotiated.

The future of the Kyoto Protocol has been one of the thorniest issues. Japan has said that it will not ratify a second commitment period of the Protocol. The developing countries will not accept an agreement that does not include an extension of Kyoto. It is difficult to find a compromise between two positions that are mutually exclusive. Ms Espinosa’s text proposes that work on a new commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol should be completed as soon as possible, but without clarifying all the conditions.

In other words, the Kyoto issue has not been resolved, but neither is it being allowed to stand in the way of finding solutions in many other areas, such as reducing emissions, developing monitoring reporting and verification (MRV) systems, protecting rainforests and securing funding. The agreement text upholds the emission reduction targets from the Copenhagen agreement, and urges countries to cut emissions further. In 2011, there will be negotiations on what form a comprehensive, global climate change agreement could take. The proposed Cancun text would take us a big step forwards.

Ms Espinosa and her capable team know the negotiation process well, including the background for the positions held by the various countries. Mexico has learned from the experiences from Copenhagen, and has stressed that the process must be open and inclusive. There are no secret groups or back-room deals here. Ms Espinosa has repeatedly made this clear in Cancun. The 52-year-old diplomat and Foreign Minister is friendly, authoritative and incredibly patient.

We have made every possible effort to draw up a text that takes everyone into account, says Ms Espinosa. Now you will have a chance to give your views. Bolivia has asked for the floor .

Bolivia’s chief negotiator Pablo Solón expresses deep dissatisfaction at having been met with closed doors, and adds that the document does not reflect the views of Bolivia, and he cannot give it his support. The room is silent. This is unusual; he tends to be well received by his Latin American allies.

Peru takes the floor and supports the text. Enthusiastic applause. Then it is Venezuela’s turn. Collectively, we hold our breath.

Claudia Salerno says that we are very close to an agreement, but that she has to listen to the views of the Bolivian delegation. She asks if it is possible to take the text back to the working groups to make a few small adjustments. Cuba, Nicaragua and Saudi Arabia give the same response. This is the same group that blocked the Copenhagen agreement.

But now Bolivia stands alone. Pablo Solón reminds us that consensus is needed in the UN. It is as if one of your neighbours were to turn up at the general meeting of the housing cooperative and insist that the balconies should be painted green, even though everyone else wants them to be grey.

Ms Espinosa has the patience of a goddess, as India’s Minister of the Environment Jairam Ramesh has called her. Your views will be reflected in the conference minutes, she says. The principle of consensus cannot be interpreted in such a way that one country has the right of veto when 193 countries have reached agreement after such strenuous efforts.

We spend a lot of time clapping this evening. The night is rounded off with champagne at the Norwegian delegation’s office at five in the morning. The climate negotiations are back on track, confidence in the UN system has been re-established, and if Patricia Espinosa were to stand as presidential candidate for the whole world, she would secure a great many votes.