What is COP26?
COP26 is last years’ United Nations Climate Conference in Glasgow, Scotland. However due to Covid-19 it was postponed until October-November 2021. The last COP meeting was in Madrid in 2019 so it is imperative for world leaders to discuss and refine agreements written in Paris in 2015.
The main topic of discussion in recent years has been the 1.5-degree problem. Scientists estimate that if our planet’s temperature increases by over 1.5 degrees Celsius the effects of the climate crises will be irreversible. That is why these sorts of conferences are critically important, for leaders to draw up a plan to save the planet.
Day one…
COP26 was two weeks long, it began on October 31st, and ended on November 12th. Yet the first thing everyone
noticed were the elephants not in the room… Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro, China’s president Xi Jinping, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman were nowhere to be seen even though they are at the head of four of the most polluting and deforesting countries. Many political and influential people spoke on the first day of the conference. Sir David Attenborough spoke about turning tragedy into triumph. Mia Mottley, the prime minister of Barbados, gave a heart wrenching speech about the painful end which awaits her country if sea levels rise. The spotlight was cast on world leaders, accusing them of not doing enough in the past and being too concentrated on their own agendas to notice the deteriorating climate.
Climate deals
The first climate deal to be struck between almost all world leaders was to end deforestation. A good start but not nearly enough according to experts. Countries like the USA, France and even Brazil agreed on this deal although many still criticise President Bolsonaro for the increase of deforestation of the Amazon during his time in office. 134 countries pledged to halt deforestation and land degradation by 2030.
Saudi Arabia said that they would reach net zero emissions by 2060, a full decade after the UN’s goal. India pledged to reach the same goal by 2070, which experts say is an achievable goal for a growing country but is terrible for the climate.
Other than countries, about 450 large banks and financial institutions committed to recording the carbon emissions of their various investments.
Speaking out
A prominent aspect of this years’ COP is the climate activism from young people around the world. From Greta Thunberg to everyday people who just want a better future, activism is on the rise to put political pressure on world leaders to demand action. “The COP has turned into a PR event, where leaders are giving beautiful speeches and announcing fancy commitments and targets, while behind the curtains governments of the Global North countries are still refusing to take any drastic climate action.” Said Greta Thunberg about COP.
Whilst some believe that the leaders of our countries meeting aid the climate crisis many activists say that it is nothing more than a publicity stunt for leaders to show how much they care. So, whilst leaders argue about who to blame for climate issues and who should try to solve the crisis, is anything being done at all?
In summary…
If all the deals and pledges are respected, and if we can create stricter international rules, we might just be able to stop the increase of temperatures past 1.5°C and stop the climate from changing excessively. Let’s help the future generations by changing the present!