snow in Malmo

It is probably not the most surprising thing ever. (Swine) flu isn't either. Imagine all this diverse community (conquistadores and chieftains, slaves and sailors, herders and hunters, teachers and students, nurses, ministers, assistants, deputy assistants of the assistants) breathing and coughing and sneezing its germs all around the place. Everybody is getting sick, except the people who were alread ill when they left their countries. Half of our delegation is, and having to deal with most of the logistics - publications, badges, manning the booth, registration for newcomers - made me sick as well. I'm in my hotel room in Malmo, watching the snowflakes falling.

In the meanwhile

- the second week begun, that's when the important people come, and, most probaly, when decisions are going to be taken. Which means that more and more people are going to be here. The organization is incredibly bad. The Bella Centre can host max 15000 people. There are 7000 UN & technical staff members, 3500 journalists, 22000 NGO & IGO staff, and about 13000 national delegates. 45000 thousand people. The centre is overbooked, and there's no next flight to jump onto. People who still have to register can have to wait outside for registration (barely 5°C, sometimes snowing) for literally 10 hours, (including the Guatemalan Minister of the Environment and, according to rumors, Dr. Pachauri himself - not too sure about this one though) and still not getting registered, since the desk closes at 6 pm, and who's out, well, can try again the morning after.

In order to control the amount of people who access the Centre, we have been distributed a 2nd badge (NGOs are only getting 7000 out of 22000 people, IUCN has 19 for a 45 people delegation), and apparently we'll get a third one for Thursday (1000) and even a fourth one on Friday (90). Imagine 22000 NGO activists catfighting for 90 pieces of paper. Lovely.

There are lots of people coming from half the world away who won't even be able to step into the centre. I wonder if anyone is going to figure out the economical and environmental costs.

Oh, by the way, people still queuing monday evening were spitting at anyone who came out of the Centre.

- monday afternoon I met one of our ministers. Interesting experience, let's put it this way. Pure politics, and an esthetic experience worth a reflection. By far, the most interesting moment was realizing what was written on the badge of the guy who was standing outside the italian delegation office: "secret service". ça va sans dire.

- after having met the minister, I've been to Christiania with a colleague, both with our best clothes on. A beer, cheap food ("all you can pay" kind of dinner), many foreigners, people, no photos and all the rest. We headed back around 10:00. At 10:04 the police surrounded the area and the usual "black bloc" broke out and attacked them. Helicopters, water cannons (can you imagine what a water cannon can do by 0°C?). The people were apparently planning the demonstration for today. 200 arrested - I had the computer of our Senior Advicer for Climate Change with me. My career could have been short. Don't know if there's anything to learn from the experience, though.

- Yesterday morning I've seen the sunrise behind the wind factory off the coast of Copenhagen. It was 9:30. I'm still in love with Scandinavia.