In breaking news, UN Climate Change has confirmed the event will move from Santiago, Chile to the Spanish capital.
Quite how Spain will pull it off is anyone’s guess. Shifting the climate talks to a new continent with just over four weeks to go is a massive logistical puzzle. Meanwhile, Spain has a general election on the 10 November.
It seems likely the consequence will be a scaled down conference, which raises questions over who will be left out. Will we see the normal business and civil society jamboree? African and Asian delegates are worried about access to EU visas. How can South American NGOs, strapped for cash, afford to attend the fifth European climate talks in seven years (and next year in Glasgow on top)?
It is clear Spain didn’t know the answers to these questions when it threw itself forward.
The UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa was quick to frame the offer as an example of nations coming together. On the face of it, it is an astonishing gesture, demonstrating the radical fraternity so often absent from climate talks and wider diplomacy.
Read more at Spain Steps Up for Cop25
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