I've worked in the COP Secretariat. I've chaired UNEP conferences. I've even been a note runner during disarmament meetings.
As the fanfare of COP-27 dies down, now is when the actual hard work begins.
But nobody will see it unless you're in the room. I'll give you a little peek into what's about to go down.
The goal of the conference is to agree on a resolution...any resolution. Sidebar chats have already been happening, but these will ramp up over the next 24 hours. Over the weekend, delegates should expect very little sleep as they wordsmith an agreement.
The biggest sticking points this year include whether or not to reiterate the 1.5 degree target outlined in the Paris Agreement. Yes, there are countries wanting to downplay this, or leave it out altogether. Given zero countries are on track to meet their national plans, the target doesn't seem that important anyway.
As with all climate conferences, the north-south/developed-developing rivalry rages on. The Group of 77 and China will want loss and damage included in the resolution. CANZ and the rest of the G20 will work hard to ignore any talk of remuneration.
My insider take: much like Copenhagen and Glasgow, we're over-expecting and COP-27 will under-deliver. Which is why we must carefully examine whether these meetings are still fit for purpose.
Happy to share more insights if you have questions.