During the COP this morning, after inspiring remarks by Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the UN, the prime minister of Tuvalu, a tiny island nation which has been representing the alliance of small island states, (AOSIS, a negotiating bloc at this conference) made the following statement: "It is our belief that Tuvalu, as a nation, has a right to exist forever,"

Who could contest this? Many nations here agree, as more than 75 have signed on to a pledge created and circulated by the international youth here at the climate conference which reads:

I, the undersigned, commit my delegation to a global climate treaty that: safeguards the survival of all countries and peoples.

However, when countries do not acknowledge the necessity of keeping global warming below 2°C, and the associated emissions reductions that are necessary to ensure this, they are essentially disagreeing with this statement. Does Canada agree? We're still waiting on the pledge ... let's hope we hear some inspiring words in Minister Prentice's statement to the high-level sessions this afternoon!