They expressed concern at the negotiating positions and strategy of the US. Quoting Obama during his election that “Few challenges facing America – and the world – are more urgent than combating climate change,” and that “once I take office, you can be sure that the United States will once again engage vigorously in these negotiations, and help lead the world toward a new era of global cooperation on climate change.”

Now the US is a major obstacle to progress, because of the positions on two major issues – the mandate for future negotiations and climate finance – threaten to impede in Durban the global cooperation so desperately needed to address the threat of climate change.

The letter ends by quoting Clinton at the Copenhagen talks when she challenged countries to rise above their differences, saying “all of us have an obligation to engage constructively and creatively toward a workable solution. We need to avoid negotiating approaches that undermine rather than advance progress toward our objective.” Progress is possible in Durban, but only if the U.S. meets the standard she laid down in Copenhagen.