Where to start?! Fresh out of the NGO daily briefing session and there’s lots to report on: from the streets came details of today’s demonstrations and brutal police intervention and the high-profile NGOs that have been refused entry to the Bella Center; from inside, news came of the of COP chair Connie Hedegaard’s resignation, and the increasing likelihood of the LCA text and Kyoto Protocol being merged.

I will, however, quickly start with disappointing news from a personal level: '3' was sadly not the magic number for me, as a 5am alarm call, trundling off in the snow dressed like the Michelin man was, for the third time, in vain. Today, not only was the NGO delegate quota capped at 7,000 again, but entry was also restricted to delegates who had managed to register on previous days. This meant that many were literally left outside in the cold with not even a glimpse of the negotiation hub which they had travelled so far to see. Various well-known NGOs such as our good partner Friends of the Earth were also banned from entering.

Apparently even if you were able to enter the venue, it was difficult to attend events due to additional high level of security inside. Strange, as the speaker being protected was Desmond Tutu - not really someone climate activists have on their hate list..!

The level of aggravation caused by the fact that civil society is unable to participate in an international debate regarding its own planet is high to say the least. At least three peaceful demonstrations took place today. The largest was the Reclaim Power march that hoped to unite the 200-strong protesters inside the venue with the hundreds who were marching outside. The demonstration ended in police intervention: protesters were clubbed, tear gas and pepper spray were used, dogs were let loose, and arrests were made.

Another was a demonstration where 'finger tactics' (a three-pronged attack from different angles) was launched to actually raid the Bella Center. More arrests ensued. There were also the Bike Block and the Autonomous Action demonstrations, plus many other smaller ones. So far up to 400 people have been arrested, although the numbers aren’t confirmed. Let’s hope this doesn’t continue!

Now - back to the Klimaforum. Due to the fact that many were protesting, participation was thin on the ground in the early part of the day. Nevertheless, interesting projects were presented from across the globe. One that was 'soft launched' at the Bella Center yesterday (apparently the press focus is purely on ‘will there be a deal?',  therefore other project launches are going somewhat unnoticed) was a joint UNEP & UNFCCC 'Open Carbon Data Platform' which is an online database of international energy, climate and carbon data. It goes from providing climate data and emissions profiles for 192 member states all the way down to offering information on where you can buy a solar panel for your house. Check it out: www.lowcarboneconomy.com. 

A screening of 'The Age of Stupid' held a captive audience - I would recommend Good Energy customers take a look as it touches on the frustration of having such a strong anti-wind power movement in the UK. According to the movie, 80% of wind projects proposed are denied planning permission - these would’ve provided 10% of the UKs energy supply ... Much of the resistance is due to the fact that they apparently 'spoil the view'. One anti-wind campaigner was interviewed (after successfully preventing a new wind farm in Bedfordshire being built) saying "I do care about climate change. I really do." Classic...

Check out the Age of Stupid's TV channel - http://www.stupidshow.tv.

The movie also presented ideas (similar to the 'Kyoto 2' Proposal http://www.kyoto2.org/page29.html) on a global cap and trade system. In short, we decide on a cap for emissions by 2012 and by 2065 we have weaned ourselves off fossil fuels, whilst also having reached global climate equity along the way (ideally by 2035).

At a side event, the Swedes gave their national experience of CO2 taxation. They presented 10 guiding principles on how to effectively implement such taxation. A lively debate followed on where the tax should be applied - at extraction or consumption? Is cap and trade better than applying carbon taxes? Apparently these were bones of contention within the negotiating rooms.

From inside the Bella Center came the big news that at midday today the chair of the COP, Connie Hedegaard, resigned and is being replaced by Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen. This is apparently because so many heads of state have showed up that they require higher level leadership, but surely there is more to the story than that? We always knew heads of state would be showing their mugs. 

Other disappointing news was that the LCA text and Kyoto Protocol are potentially merging - mainly on the negative aspects. Rather than encouraging the industrialised nations to mitigate, there is greater interest in increasing the planet’s carbon sequestration potential. The classification of 'what counts as reforestation?' for example has now been broadened. All in all the news is not great, and a lot of work has to be done in the next couple of days to improve some of these issues.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. On the way out, a visitor from India was having a whale of a time in the snow and asked me to take a picture of him - snow and a Christmas brass band in the background. It’s not all bad.

Anya Boyd of the Leverhulme Studentship for Green Energy Repbublic