Let's walk
COPs are a mass of things happening in one place and for 13 days the eyes on climate change and how to break the downing spiral is on COP and this time Glasgow.
There are negotiations, side events, networking, people demonstrating at the streets, people praying and singing, friends are made, sleeping are missing and a total confusion of where to be... To be frustrated is a kind of normal mood. If you see and understand the threat that climate change is to the whole world you think that COPs are not of any substantial value. Better to act and stop talking.
At the same time. You know that acting must be built on facts and values on what to do and where to go. That must be discussed by people. That is the meaning of COP.
In just hours of hindsight I think that COP 26 is a lifeline too precious to loose or get rid of but not so strong that it secures a more sustainable and just future. The good thing of COP 26 is that it bends the narrative of development to a fossil fuel free future, to a better future even if the visions are no yet there.
In the Glasgow Climate Pact we find the mentioning of fossil fuels and that the subsidies needs to go.
We see the impatience when countries do not meet the target of 100 billion USD to adaptation, decided in 2009.
We see that indigenous people are mentioned in the text.
We see that article 6 in the Paris agreement seems to be solved to have a transparent way of monitoring and counting the emissions and trading of emissions.
But still, we are in a trajectory over 1.5 degree. Some say 1.8 and some say 2.2. It depends on how you count. It is still taking the world to a more risky place to be in.
But it is better than the pledges to Paris 2015.
We are not satisfied with what we see but I think we see that we are bending towards justice (to quote Dr King.) We cannot step back and think that we are safe.
COP 26 have been seen as the make or brake of Paris Agreement. I am not sure. But I think this is the time when we are building the narrative of what we aim to be. And this includes our economic and social systems. We have to adopt them to what Mother Earth tells us and what justice and equity compels us to do. This is a new path and we are making while we walk it. Frightening to some. Inspiring to some. But let's walk...
Henrik Grape