The Crying Dutchman Resigns

Yvo de Boer, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, has today resigned from his role as head of the UN climate change body.

De Boer, who famously and perhaps unfairly earned the nickname the crying Dutchman when he broke down in tears at the Bali UN climate conference, has to be regarded as one of the world's most experienced climate change negotiators.

Moving on to greener pastures, de Boer is expected to join accountancy firm KPMG as a consultant on climate and sustainability issues. It is always cause for concern when someone leaves a high powered political position to move into the commercial sector as it is hard to know what influence those individuals can wield for their new employers and clients.

Perhaps de Boer will work with progressive business interests in addressing climate change in the private sphere and become part of the growing commercial contingent that seek to encourage real action in the area. Alternatively, his services could be utilised for the benefit of investors seeking to profit from a changing world where carbon becomes a hugely valuable traded commodity and the use and ownership of land (particularly in the developing world) fails to benefit local communities.

As the focus now turns to who will replace de Boer, it will be just as interesting to see what his future holds.