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Cancún offers us all a chance to shape the planet's future

Don't let last year's failure at Copenhagen put you off – pressure from the media and society can force negotiators to make a deal
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A couple walks past a bottle with a mess
A couple walks past a bottle with a message placed by Oxfam activists during a demonstration in Cancún, Quintana Roo State, Mexico, last month. Photograph: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images

Can you reach a compromise when it comes to Mother Earth? Can you cut a deal on our climate? It's ambitious, perhaps, but that's what over 192 governments of the world are aiming to do at Cancún.

After a disappointing climate conference in Copenhagen last year, the Mexican city is playing host to renewed efforts to reach an agreement. Apart from the governments who attempt to find consensus, there is also a host of observer organisations (like youth, gender, and environment NGOs). But the participation of civil society has declined and, due to the heavy security restrictions, groups are struggling to campaign effectively in the venue.

This year's negotiations are an important opportunity for the global north and south to rebuild trust, not only in the possibility of getting a climate deal, but also in the UN process itself, the credibility of which is now being questioned. This conference has to prove that political will can be effective and that we can get to a solution multilaterally.

One of the obstacles at the moment relates to the status of major emerging economies in a new world order. Most advanced developing countries would not strike a deal involving binding emission cuts, and the developed world will not compromise without the advanced developing world taking concrete action.

As I write, the negotiations at Cancún have moved into the ministerial phase. Although this attracts a lot of media attention, it becomes a challenge for negotiators to provide the ministers with a mutually agreed upon negotiating text from the preceding week. To get to a text by consensus is a slow and challenging process. Every country looks for a comprehensive and "balanced" deal, but defines the "balance" differently. Sometimes, as well, difficulties arise from petty friction between the bureaucratic level and the ministerial level. So as the negotiators pass the baton on to the ministers this week, we hope that greater political will can spur compromise forward.

One of the most positive aspects of the UN negotiations is the increasing number of young people attending the conference and sharing ideas, solutions and lobbying for a better climate deal. Youth are central to the process, as they are a provisional constituency under the United Nations framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC) with the observer status. This allows them to make interventions in key meetings and plenaries and campaign at the UN venue.

Before the official meetings start, young people meet every year at the Conference of Youth, where we share local success stories, introduce and train people on the UNFCCC negotiations, and break out into working groups for actions, media, policy and long term strategy. This year, young people have successfully lobbied for stronger text on education and awareness on climate change, which has been tabled under the convention.

We've made a difference where it seemed impossible. This is proof that sustained pressure from media and civil society can put the negotiators under the scanner and push them to find a compromise. It has been done and it can be repeated. So write, blog, comment and get involved in whatever capacity you can. This is an important opportunity to fight for the earth and for our future.

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