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Your daily must-read during the UN climate change summit in Paris | COP21 Day #12
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Not exactly. The latest rounds of talks in Le Bourget ended about an hour ago, just after six this morning. Canada's climate change minister Catherine McKenna — one of the ministers tasked with chairing the final negotiations — tweeted "It's a wrap. Negotiations continue tomorrow (aka today). Final text expected Saturday morning." Last night, the Guardian already reported that despite positive signs that "a deal is there to be done", many negotiators were predicting that the talks would not finish on time tonight, but would drag on into the weekend.
The latest version of a draft text released last night, reduced from 29 to 27 pages, has retained some key language about 1.5 degrees of warming but the issue about how to share responsibility for climate change between developed and developing countries remained open. Despite the delays, the Financial Times said that aside from occasionally "terse language", the meetings are proceeding unusually orderly and polite for UN climate events, which regularly descend into angry exchanges as they near a close. Apparently the calm tone of the Paris meeting has been particularly notable for a meeting aimed at achieving a historic new climate deal.
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Meanwhile, in a diplomatic coup for European Union negotiators from Brussels who lead the climate change negotiations on behalf of EU member states in Paris, the United States has now joined the coalition of the European Union and 79 countries from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific that was announced earlier this week. The BBC reports the so called "high ambition coalition" now comprises well over 100 countries from the rich and developing world. Norway, Canada, Mexico and Colombia have reportedly also indicated interest in supporting the alliance, isolating countries such as China and India.
In a statement, EU Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete says his coalition “will not accept an agreement that is not fit for purpose. In the remaining hours of these negotiations together we will push to strike the most ambitious global climate deal." The coalition commits to a "ambitious, durable and legally binding" deal with a strong review every five years. Although the coalition is not a formal negotiating block, it has set out a common position on what the Paris agreement must achieve.
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China, India, Brazil and South Africa are raising big questions over climate finance at the climate summit, a strategy that allows them to monopolise the limelight at other countries’ expense, EurActiv reports. Relations between China, India, Brazil and South Africa have rarely been as good as they are now, at COP21. Their number one target is finance, or the lack thereof, and they have dedicated a great deal of effort to demolishing the OECD's claim that developed countries had already provided $62 billion of climate finance in 2014.
"If I measure deforestation in Brazil, I cannot use data provided by a third party. The same should apply to financing!" the Brazilian Minister of Environment Izabella Teixeria said. The emerging countries also denounced the fact that loans could be included in the climate finance calculations. "Loans are repaid, they are financial operations. So how can they be included in the calculations? Or should we only include the interest? We just don't know," the Brazilian minister said.
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Although the negotiations are likely to continue at least until tomorrow morning, today is technically the final day of COP21. Time to have a look back at the last two weeks to see if you have paid attention! The New York Times has created a quiz with eight questions about the climate summit, ranging from who said what to which means of transport generates the most carbon emissions. Feel like you're ready to dig a bit deeper into your climate science knowledge? NASA's climate experts go where no other quiz masters have gone before and present a dazzling range of quizzes on topics ranging from the air you breathe and oceans to Earth's frozen poles.
But all that aside, what's really much more important are the solutions to climate change. CNN has published a brilliant "two degrees challenge". Based on your answers to questions such as "Would you use less electricity?" (one of the answers: "Yes! Cut electricity use in half. We all become more European.") you may or may not keep temperatures below two degrees and avoid disastrous climate change.
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Scroll Down for Social Media Highlights
 Scroll down for our COP21 social media highlights, as well as The Daily Planet Report and #WordOnTheStreet with interesting comments overheard at COP21. Other items include a special focus on the Mediterranean, insider tips from Le Bourget where the negotiations are taking place, our insight of the day about the role of business in solving climate change as well an overview of climate innovation events in Paris and a flashback to how we made it there. Not a subscriber yet? Subscribe today!
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Video: The Daily Planet Report
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A groundbreaking study on the attitudes of business leaders to climate change has revealed some surprising shortcomings in the way businesses prepare for climate action.
We bring you instant analysis following the announcement at COP21 last week.
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Watch the video on YouTube to learn more about the Climate-KIC research, which reveals that although most business leaders are preparing to respond to climate change, there is a lack of focus on innovation — rendering their strategies ineffecive.
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Insider Tips from the Summit in Le Bourget
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The Daily Planet's latest insider tips, brought to you by Climate-KIC's observers at the COP21 negotiations.
- Had a long night?: We've found you the perfect hidden quiet corner in the Blue Zone. Go find it in in hall three!
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- Lunch today: Join us at the EU pavilion, 12:30 in the Blue Zone, for a discussion about the Climate-KIC supported global calculator project. This event is organised by the UK's energy and climate change department.
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Did You Know? Insight of the Day
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A new Climate-KIC study released in Paris last week shows European business is addicted to incrementalism, and lacks the skillset needed for an innovation step change in line with a 2°C trajectory. The Daily Planet brings you an insight per day!
Did you know, that less than 2 in 10 seek input from entrepreneurs or start-ups when it comes to responding to the risk of climate change and its impact on the marketplace?
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In #WordOnTheStreet, we bring you some of the most interesting comments overheard at COP21.
Who are you?: We are told that over the last few days a lot of prominent CEOs rushed in to the summit, trying to help, But we also hear that politicians and businesses still need to "learn to talk to each other and understand each other better, especially we want to implement a COP21 agreement."
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While the world was still preparing for the UN climate change summit COP21, environment ministers representing a number of Mediterranean regions already signed the “Mediterranean Declaration on Climate Change.”
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And it began: Canada's climate change minister, Catherine McKenna, did her best to keep her Twitter followers informed about the state of play in Le Bourget on Wednesday night, the first all-nighter for the ministers.
At 22:39 local time she tweeted dryly: "One thing is clear. This will be a long night."
McKenna is one of the ministers chairing negotiations at COP21.
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Make that two!: At 23:03 McKenna's chief of staff tweeted that the minister would be going for a coffee as she had been asked to moderate a meeting at 1:00 in the morning.
McKenna was quick on the ball and replied: "Make that coffees! #COP21"
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Bed time?: At 4:14 in the morning, McKenna tweeted that the negotiations were still ongoing, and that the prospect of getting any sleep was slim at best.
"Still negotiating. Likelihood of sleep tonight down to 20%. #COP21," she tweeted.
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Midnight humour: Half an hour later, McKenna was still going, but the lack of sleep was starting to kick in, demonstrated by the joke in this tweet: "#cop of coffee. #COP21," she said.
It was not until 5:56 that she finally said "bonne nuit".
Check out McKenna's lively Twitter feed to find out what it was like last night!
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Daily #JourneyToParis Flashback
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#JourneyToParis:
We have arrived!
 Following a virtual journey that started in June, we have arrived in Paris and now keep you up to date with daily reports from COP21.
Find out how we got here by checking out our Journey to Paris, which took us across 27 countries. We put a spotlight on innovators who are already creating solutions across Europe.
We have an unprecedented opportunity to create a prosperous zero carbon future, driven by innovation, jobs, and investment. Climate-KIC is seizing that opportunity for Europe by connecting both public and private sectors with climate change-focused education, research and innovation. Join us!
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Get in touch
 Drop the Daily Planet newsroom a line if you have any questions or tips!
Contact our editors — based in Paris and London during COP21 — on Twitter or send us an email at media@climate-kic.org.
Connect with Climate-KIC's COP21 observers at the official UN site in Le Bourget: Tweet @krptndr or email andrea.karpati@climate-kic.org.
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EDITORIAL: Executive Editor: Angela Howarth | Editor in Chief: Peter Koekoek | Editor, Events: Kelsey Hunter | Editor, Social Media: Molly Redmond | Reporter, Le Bourget: Andrea Karpati
PUBLISHER: Climate-KIC, the EU's main climate innovation initiative © 2015 Climate-KIC
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