Saturday, 8 December, 6:30 p.m. — There is a general sense that Bali is on track although there are still many differences that need to be resolved. Countries have made proposals but there has been no formal negotiation on a document so far. One is supposed to come out later tonight to give delegations a day to mull it over. Any issues that are not resolved by the various smaller negotiating groups will be sent to the ministerial part of the meeting that starts on Wednesday. There have been calls for Bali to launch negotiations for a new global deal on climate change, an agenda that includes mitigation, adaptation, technology transfer and financing. And there have been calls for the negotiations to conclude by 2009.

Saturday, 8 December, 3 p.m. — Renewable energy, once considered a bastion for the virtuous and idealistic, is now a really big business. The industry has grown so sharply in recent years that in 2007, investment in renewables has attracted more than $100 billion, says a new report by the UN Environment Programme. By far the largest growth has been in wind power, which has now used in more than 80 countries. But the largest growth has been in countries that include the United States, China and India. Wind power is so hot right now that the supply of new equipment lags far behind demand.

The picture is quite bright for other renewable energies as well. Demand for solar energy has grown sharply, as well as hydropower and biofuels. Much of the growth in renewables has been in developed countries but the technologies are spreading to more developing countries, mostly those with the largest markets. China is by far the world's leading producer and user of solar hot water heaters.

Much of the growth in renewable energy has been driven by new government policies, says Virginia Sonntag-O'Brien of the Renewable Energy Policy Network. But now it has critical mass. "The market has matured and is ready to scale up and make a major contribution to CO2 reduction."

Saturday, 8 December, 1 p.m. — The Bali Conference Center was markedly quieter today although negotiations were in full swing. But perhaps taking advantage of the fact that the Conference would be closed on Sunday and people might have more time, a centre for holistic health and meditation distributed a flyer asking, "Stressed from campaigning? Want to take action to combat climate change? Let's start from within!"

There weren't many other events with props today which left the scene to members of the NGO Avaaz, who were marching outside the Conference Centre on behalf of a half million people around the world who signed a petition calling for a breakthrough in Bali on climate change.

Saturday, 8 December, 12:30 p.m. — Discussions on targets for reducing climate change abound in Bali and there are many delegates and NGOs who remind us that we need to sufficiently reduce greenhouse gas emission to prevent a temperature rise of more than 2°C. But this is little solace to some small island states who fear that that kind of target would sink them. "It is not possible to consider a target that itself would result in the disappearance of a member state," says Mary Jane Mace of Micronesia.

Climate change has taken a big toll on small islands. Grenada, formerly thought to be too far south of the hurricane belt, has been devastated by two hurricanes since the turn of the century, the last one destroying 90 per cent of housing and 70 per cent of agriculture. Losses added up to $800 million and the country received $80 million in assistance.

The organizing principle of Bali, says the head of a group of small island states, Angus Friday of Grenada, should be "no island left behind." Small islanders are already putting in place costly adaptation measures, such as building safe islands in the Maldives.

"This isn't about economic development. It's not about sustainable development. It's about survival," say Selwyn Hart of Barbados.