The US earns the Fossil of the Day for blocking the common space discussion on mitigation in the Ad Hoc Working Group for Long-term Cooperative Action yesterday.  Failing to pass a strong climate and energy bill is keeping them from participating in cross-cutting discussions, like the one AOSIS proposed, to build a post-2012 agreement to reduce global warming emissions.

Saudi Arabia was awarded Second Place. Saudi Arabia earns a Fossil for being the only country trying to block discussion of bunker fuels. Speaking in this morning’s LCA contact group on sectoral approaches, Saudi Arabia asked the chair not to bring forward any text on reducing emissions from international aviation and shipping fuels and warned her that discussions on this issue ‘would be futile’.  No prizes for guessing who will try to wreck that debate.

First Place – Japan. On Saturday, Japan won the top fossil award for strongly opposing setting a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol, blocking progress by refusing the chair’s text as a basis for negotiation. Second Place – Papua New Guinea. It received the second-place fossil award for openly opposing the AOSIS proposal for two legally binding protocols.

A new development occurred on Thursday. France was awarded Ray of the Day—the second in history—for its leadership in fighting the EU’s shameful position on LULUCF