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Last Friday, 39 organizations from across Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and the United States sent a letter to the Turkish G20 President and all G20 finance ministers, calling for the ministers to set out a strict timeline for the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies.

The Lima UN climate talks which open today were always the diplomatic aperitif before the main three course carbon-fest in Paris next year. However they open with a renewed sense of optimism that after 20 years of delay and political deadlock – often driven by the fossil fuel industry – a deal may well be in sight for Paris.

One step forward - two steps back or two steps forward one step back? It’s been a topsy turvy couple of weeks as far as the climate is concerned. We have had the Republicans gaining control of both sides of the House and Obama pulling a climate rabbit out of the hat with the US-China deal.

The actor Leonardo DiCaprio was one of a number of people to address the United Nations Climate Summit yesterday, urging them to take action to address "the greatest challenge of our existence on this planet."

Yesterday was day two of the dynamic and energised protests against climate change in New York which saw several thousand activists take part in “Flood Wall Street.”

400,000 in New York. 40,000 in London. 30,000 in Melborne. 25,000 in Paris. Thousands others in some 2,700 events across the globe in over 150 countries.

On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to take part in what the organisers are promising to be the largest climate march ever in New York.

The tar sands industry wants to transform northern Alberta into the largest man-made lake district on Earth, with dozens of toxic tailings ponds.