Is COP26 a failure ?
The ongoing pandemic highlights the need for international cooperation to tackle global issues. At the sunset of the COP26 event this week, we explore five lessons everyone can learn from the summit’s approach to global thinking, adaptation and resilience, and effective collaboration on climate :
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
1. Long Overdue Recognition for Indigeneous Communities across the World
Here’s the reality. Climate work has been the way of life for indigenous communities that protect the planet long before COPs existed. Indigenous people are the world’s best earth guardians and frontlines. These communities that have relied on the land for generations, building an intimate knowledge of the natural cycles of plants, animals, and weather. Unlike the traditional Western worldview that humanity can and should seek dominion over the environment, indigenous populations tend to view humanity as part of an interconnected whole.
Indigenous communities also manage 33% of forests that hold 80% of the earth‘s biodiversity. With their deep ties to the land and reliance on fishing, hunting, and gathering, indigenous tribes are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Due to their indigenous peoples unique connections to the land; are feeling impacts the earliest and most severely. They are, by far, the most effective stewards of biodiversity. Hence, protecting indigenous culture is crucial for saving the world’s biodiversity.
Building a better future and conserving our environment requires never leaving anyone behind. This means respect for the rights of indigenous peoples means ensuring equal and meaningful participation, full inclusion and empowerment.
Over recent years and decades, various societies have sought to address this, including through apologies, truth and reconciliation efforts, legislative reforms, as well as constitutional reforms, while at the international level, these efforts have included the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and advisory bodies such as the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
Together, we need to embark on the collective journey to ensure that no one is left behind, including indigenous peoples. We need to learn about indigenous brilliance, knowledge and success as much as we need to learn about their suffering, trauma and discrimination. Each of us has a power to demand indigenous peoples’ inclusion, participation and approval in the constitution of a system with social and economic benefits for all. Respect for the rights of indigenous peoples means ensuring equal and meaningful participation, full inclusion and empowerment.
2. Science Is The Answer. No More Climate Denial
Before the pandemic entered our lives, the climate crisis already threatened millions of lives and disadvantaged communities are impacted first and most. Now, we are all experiencing it.
However, for a long time there are people around the world who don’t accept climate science and evidence that human activities are causing the climate to change in ways we should avoid. They reject mainstream climate science. They dispute the world is warming from man-made forces. They deny the legitimacy of the scientific evidence on climate change – not only the evidence that emissions of greenhouse gas have all sorts of impacts on the world’s climate but also the evidence that the future looks pretty risky if we don’t do something.
To be honest, climate deniers are in a tough spots these days. In the face of overwhelming scientific consensus and incontrovertible physical evidence that this global phenomenon is real, the deniers are coming to look more and more like what they are: religiously ignorant defenders of the fossil fuel status quo. But the climate deniers have not given up the battle. They have merely changed their strategy. As an example, there is an effort to deflect attention aways from systematic solutions. They are trying to convince people that climate change is not the result of their corporate policies but of our own individual actions. This sort of deflection campaign is similar to the gun lobby’s motto : “Guns don’t kill people, people do“. in this case, “Fossil fuels don’t cause climate change, people do“
So what should we do ? Well, we need to stay focus and the critical need for real policy changes. To have one coherent voice. Voluntary efforts alone are not going to achieve the kind of reductions we need. We also need powerful financial incentives—policies such as subsidies for renewables and effective carbon pricing schemes.
On solutions to climate change, we don’t really require everyone be motivated by despair over climate change. We can still move forward on agreement on solutions even if we don’t agree on the science. We need convergence, not divergence. Because everyone, including the climate deniers, is feeling the heat.
So what should we do ? Well, we need to stay focus and keep pushing for real policy changes. Individuals, mission-driven businesses and climate advocates need to have one coherent voice. Voluntary efforts alone are not going to achieve the kind of reductions we need. More than ever we need powerful financial incentives—policies such as subsidies for renewables and effective carbon pricing schemes.
On solutions to climate change, we don’t really require everyone be motivated by despair over climate change. We can still move forward on agreement on solutions even if we don’t agree on the science. Because everyone, including the climate deniers, is feeling the heat.
3.Not All Voices Are being Heard at COP26
At the beginning of this summit, I asked myself ” Who will get the spotlight to speak at the summit and whose voices will be missing ?”
During the opening of two-week summit, COP President Alok Sharma previously said that “this should be the most inclusive COP ever,” but at the moment that statement doesn’t seem to be holding up. Based on the report, at least 500 fossil fuel lobby have been admitted to COP26, representing over 100 fossil fuel companies, championing the interests of big polluters. this outnumbers the combined representation of the eight countries who have suffered the climate impacts since 2000.
A recent Guardian article found that roughly 45% of the COP26 team is now women, however almost all of the senior public-facing roles are taken by men. Similarly, EuroNews also suggests that less than 25% of the influential COP26 leadership team positions are held by women.
From MAPA (Most Affected People and Areas) regions, there is a distinct lack of advocacy. According to Island Innovation, a third of Pacific islands have announced they are unable to send senior delegations for the first time in COP history. The US, on the other hand, has sent a delegation of around 1,000 people.
We didn't get a chance to go @COP26 in Glasgow for Somali environmentalists. We loss of entire somali voice in Glasgow who are most effect the global warming temperature.
— Aqli Farah (@FarahAqli) October 31, 2021
We feel unfear for this meeting in Glasgow.
Listen to most affected people areas of climate change. pic.twitter.com/Xj8S7VQtDX
Adding women, frontline and BIPOC communities from global south countries into the conversation should be more than a mere tokenism. We know that including women and BIPOC communities in climate has a huge beneficial impact for wider communities and planet.
Too often, frontline communities and global South nations are harmed first and worst by climate change. Low-income people live in poor quality housing that is most likely to be destroyed by extreme weather. Immigrant families, many leaving their homes due to climate forced migration, and many more.
Too many “recovery” system and projects are biased toward homeowners and long-term rebuilding plans dominated by wealth-seeking developers and abetted by compromised politicians; while “Losses and damages” are most suffered by BIPOC and low-income communities include, loss of life, livelihoods, and homes.
So as long as women, youth, indigenous communities and global south country representations are not included in the key negotiation team, they won’t be able to contribute to key negotiations. “Nothing about us, without us”. Climate solutions for everyones can’t happen if they are not in the room.
4.Resilient via Collaboration and Co-Operation
It is undoubtedly an incredibly complex multi-faceted issue, and addressing every one of these diverse challenges is well beyond the scope of COP26 itself, which focuses on the climate related aspects to it. It is a long, hard battle of fighting for change have many long days ahead. but none of us are not giving up.
There is one crucial lesson to be learnt from the UN Climate Change Summit, and that is the importance of collaboration across not just large political, private and third sector organisations, between actors of every level and background.
5.There’s No One Answer For The Climate. There are Thousands.
Climate action must be inclusive. And in order to achieve inclusive change, the conversation must involve every aspect of the society. There is no single solution when it comes to climate change. But each of us can explore so others can learn and implement too. Without guilt. Without shame. All we nee to do is keep moving, learning, doing better one step at a time.
We should celebrate the potential in each and every one of us, regardless of our current footprints or habits to make changes that shift society in the right direction. There should not be environmental sustainability without diversity, inclusion and accessibility!
