COP26 and the Future of our Climate

Written by Sofia Oloyede

01/12/2021

In her passionate speech at the ‘Youth4Climate’ convention, Swedish activist Greta Thunberg criticises world leaders and their approach to the climate crisis. The event was held prior to the highly awaited COP26 conference, where leaders congregate and discuss how they will approach the ever-growing climate-related issues of our world. COP26 ran between the 31^st of October 2021 until the 13^th of November 2021.

‘Will COP26 make us sink or help us swim?’

To paint a picture, the conference was held in the scenic city of Glasgow, Scotland. As a country known for its mountains, lochs and highlands, Scotland seems like the ideal place to host such a conference. Unfortunately, if the growing climate crisis does not improve, this beautiful country will face increases in flooding, coastal changes and damages to buildings and infrastructure.

‘Words over Action or Action over words?’

‘Green economy…. blah blah blah. Net zero by 2050… blah blah blah. Climate neutral…. blah blah blah.’ A quote by Thunberg, who makes a point about the lack of action that has been taken by world leaders. After all, the government in the UK spends only 0.01% of it’s GDP on tackling the climate crisis. This is below what has been advised by the WWF and it is predicted that the UK is unlikely to deliver on their climate targets. From a more positive perspective, the UK is this year’s climate leader at the COP26. Between the years 1990-2019, the UK boasted a record of clean growth, however, it is not clear that this has continued, and the remaining promises that were made at the conference will depend on the country’s future actions – which is where the uncertainty lies.

In a more emotional Youth4Climate speech, Ugandan activist Vanessa Nakate speaks on her personal experiences in relation to the drastic climate fluctuations in her country and other less developed economies.

She makes a point about the irony that the African continent is experiencing some of the worst effects of the climate crisis, such as: heavy flooding, droughts, hurricanes, and wildfires, while only producing 3% of the world’s global emissions.

It seems unfair that the African continent and the rest of the Global South feel the worst of these effects.

Picture taken in Lagos, Nigeria.

Vanessa asks:

‘What is the state of the hearts of the world leaders who watched this happen and allowed it to continue?’

A question many are unable to answer without a response such as ‘greed and power.’

Madeline, who actively follows the mission and targets of global environmental organisation Greenpeace, shares the same opinion as these two young girls. Her opinions, however, were based on a conversation after the COP26 conference. She similarly believes there is problem with the mindset of the leaders and the fact that many of these people are driven by money and corrupt ideologies.

‘It seems unlikely that many of the international goals set out at the COP26 will be achievable, especially with the lack of climate funding’ – Madeline Rowland, Glasgow 2021

Madeline also mentions that she believes even if the funding is made available, governments will fail to allocate it correctly.

Jennifer Morgan, who is the executive director of Greenpeace, described the conclusions of COP26 and ‘meek and weak’. This is in response to the Paris Agreement, which is a legally binding treaty that aims to minimise global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Evidently, this is an ambitious goal for nearly 200 parties to agree on, let alone achieve successfully.

This was only one of the many elaborate goals set out at the conference. Other COP26 goals include reaching net zero emissions by 2050, restoring ecosystems, spending at least $100m dollars on climate funding and general collaboration between countries. Vanessa Nakate mentions the funding was supposed to be available in 2020 and was not delivered. It seems that aiming for the stars might look and sound good, but are these goals realistic? And will the government ever stop making empty promises? – Jennifer and Madeline don’t seem to think so.

In conclusion, there seems to be a general lack of trust in the government in achieving any of these highly ambitious goals. The COP26 has good intentions, but whether or not it creates long-term benefits and is able to actually change the structure and approach of those in power towards the climate crisis, is a question for individuals to decide on.

References

The Independent (2021). ‘Government spending just 0.01% of GDP on fighting climate crisis’. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/climate-crisis-rishi-sunak-uk-b1900969.html

Scotland’s Environment(2021). ‘Changing climate’. Available at: https://www.environment.gov.scot/our-environment/climate/changing-climate/

UNFCCC (2021). ‘The Paris Agreement’. Available at: https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement

UK COP26 (2021). ‘COP26 Goals’. Available at: https://ukcop26.org/cop26-goals/

BBC News (2021). ‘WWF warns UK spending is lagging behind targets’. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58170865

Greenpeace (2021). ‘COP26 UN Climate Change Conference’ . Available at: https://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaign/cop26/

All pictures owned by Author.