In addition to the climatic urgency of these negotiations, there is also human urgency. Poor people are on the frontline and face the direct impact of climate change. While they need strong mitigation to stand any hope of survival, they also need development in order to enjoy a better quality of life.

Such development – economic, social, and political – needs to be decarbonised and aimed directly at these poor people to maximise its efficiency.

A timely reminder of the human urgency was highlighted in a report published earlier this week by UK-based development agency Christian Aid. Based on research among livestock herders in north-eastern Kenya earlier this year, it found that drought had increased four-fold in the past 25 years.

The most recent drought, which put 11 million people across east Africa at risk and in need of food aid, is known in the area as “the sweeper” because it swept everything away. It forced many of these semi-nomadic people to settle permanently and abandon their traditional way of life. This impact is putting a huge strain on social services in the region and on natural resources.

This is a clear indication climate and development are intimately bound together in the heart of COP/MOP2. Poor people are already struggling with a less than one degree Celcius increase in mean global temperature. At plus 2oC, they will need considerable extra help to adapt and survive. Anything higher than this and the Millennium Development Goals will be swept away.