People to watch for at the Paris climate talks

Here are the 14 people who will drive the dialogue at COP21

 

Gurdial Singh Nijar – from Malaysia  and Chief spokesperson for Like Minded Developing Countries which includes India and China. Has given the group a clearer pitch. Those who know him well call him the prof (for professor)

Ravi S Prasad  - Leading Indian negotiator

Ravi S Prasad  - India's leading climate change negotiator. Calm as a sea, will not let his emotions betray the upheaval below the surface

Xie Zhenua (R) – Climate Ambassador for China. Photo: Twitter

Xie Zhenua – Climate Ambassador for China. Hard negotiator backed by a strong team of experts and negotiators

Wei Su – Chief negotiator for China. Photo: Twitter

Wei Su – Chief negotiator for China. Old hand at the negotiations. He has been the anchor for the Chinese delegation

Nozipho Joyce Mxakato-Diseko- Leader of the G77

Nozipho Joyce Mxakato-Diseko @ClimateG77  – Leader of the G77+China group of more than 100 developing countries from South Africa. Stunned the last negotiations with her statements equalling discrimination at the talks with apartheid.

This picture of US envoy Todd Stern tweeted by @rtcc_alex

Todd Stern – US Special Envoy on Climate Change – He holds the cards for what is the maximum the United States can do without President Obama needing to go for an approval from the Senate back home. And, he has a big team of experts and negotiators to back him.

Claudia Salerno Caldera- Negotiator for Venezuela

  Claudia Salerno Caldera @cscaldera – Negotiator for Venezuela – Does not chew her words. Recently warned the officials a Copenhagen II would be really bad – referring to the failed 2009 UN meeting where smaller developing countries were ignored by the big countries while stitching a deal.

Juan P Hoffmaister

Juan P Hoffmaister @jhoffmaister from Columbia. Co-chair of the UN Adaptation Committee and one of young but strong voices on issues of adaptation and Loss and Damage from G77+China
 

This picture of Amjad Abdulla tweeted by @WEDO_worldwide

Amjad Abdulla - from Maldives and chief negotiator for the Association of Small Island States (AOSIS). Speaks for a set of countries deeply bothered by the immediate physical impacts of climate change.

 

Bernarditas Muller

Bernarditas Muller – represents Bolivia - One of the oldest hands at the climate talks from the Southern World. A storehouse of decisions from the past that have to guide Paris

Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu

Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu, @tosimm the Democratic Republic of the Congo expert on Climate Finance

This picture of Swedish Environment Minister, Ambassador Anna Lindstedt, and Ambassador Ian Fry of Tuvalu at #COP21 ministerial tweeted by @AchalaC

Ian Fry – Australian but represents Tuvalu, a small island country of about 10,000 people. An old hand, who shook Copenhagen talks in 2009 with his eloquence.

 

Xolisa Ngwalda from South Africa, lead negotiator for the Africa Group

Xolisa Ngwalda from South Africa, lead negotiator for the Africa Group – Strong voice on equity and issues of finance

Artur Runge-Metzger

Artur Runge-Metzger for the EU – he has led the negotiations as a chair previously and is an old hand at the talks. Doesn’t smile too often at the talks.

Giza Gaspar Martins from Angola

 

Giza Gaspar Martins from Angola for the Least Developed Countries – the group is very vocal but for its interests can find commonalities with the EU as well as the G77+China.