I know we have an unprecedented crisis going on. Or rather, I know we have two going on.
Coronavirus is killing right now. And it's going to get worse. But we will survive.
The climate crisis is also killing right now. The difference is there is no end in sight. And it's not going to get better.
That is why this report in the Guardian this morning is so disappointing:
The UN climate talks due to be held in Glasgow later this year have been postponed as governments around the world struggle to halt the spread of coronavirus.
The most important climate negotiations since the Paris agreement in 2015 were scheduled to take place this November to put countries back on track to avoid climate breakdown. They will now be pushed back to 2021.
A statement from the UN on Wednesday night confirmed that the meeting of over 26,000 attendees would be delayed until next year. It said new dates for the conference would be decided in due course.
I understand why so much of our world is being put on hold right now.
I am not convinced that stopping planning for this conference in eight months time was wise. However important coronavirus is, and it's massively so, beating climate change is at least as important.
If there was one thing for which planning should have continued for as long as possible it was COP-26.
But we've bottled out. It's really not a good sign, at all.
Thanks for reading this post.
You can share this post on social media of your choice by clicking these icons:
You can subscribe to this blog's daily email here.
And if you would like to support this blog you can, here:
Good decision in my view. You want planning for 30,000 delegates to fly to the UK in the autumn from all parts of the world to continue. Some of those places will still have CV-19 circulating in their populations according to epidemiological experts.
You think the decision makers have bottled it – it’s a view.
Perhaps you and the Fair Tax organisation and a local university in East of England should offer to organise it instead.
We do not know what will be happening in November as yet
I would accept cancellation nearer the time
This is bottling it now, precisely because of the timing
Wouldn’t surprise me if ScotGov had a ‘watcher’ on the situation…
The excuses given on the radio this morning was that all the preparations and agreements are done in the months before the conference, so there will be a delay. Well, I see something wrong with that excuse.
Thing is, to my mind a pandemic is NOT unprecedented. Climate change IS unprecedented. If governments can’t even handle a pandemic, I despair that there there will ever be change to tackle climate change. ‘too little, too late’ I think is a phrase that could be applied to all governments these days, for just about anything related to population health and survival.
Oh! Good pun in the title there too 🙂
I’m applying to The Sun
Only kidding…..
I share your discontent at this being postponed, however perhaps a little delay might help.
My reason for some positivity is a just a feeling that the world is changing. Priorities are rearranging.
I think there will be less excuses for inaction in the future, and especially less tolerance for not having proper plans in place. I think there might be an impetus for change.
Also I think we will have some evidence based on less aviation and road travel about the quality of the air and the amount of greenhouse gases, which will show what change can do.
A change is gonna come.
26,000 attendee’s is one hell of a junket,
as the size of these events blossom the fruits of their deliberations seem to become more ephemeral,
I don’t understand why these events can’t be achieved using tele-working and our planets currently ubiquitous internet?
the actual physical gathering only seems to produce poignant photo op’s like John Kerry’s grand-daughter sitting on his knee as he signed the Paris Agreement, a very touching image made more emotional because you damn well knew it would be upturned at the first opportunity,
in hindsight, and in recognition of the singular and outstanding failure of any of the meetings since Kyoto to produce anything other than vague platitudes, empty promises and plenty of photo’s, would global degredation have advanced a tiny bit less without these fantasmagorical junkets?
if these events could be enabled by tele-working with each nations representatives gathering in their respective capital and their assemblies being networked surely the costs and ecological footprint of these events could be reduced and maybe their frequency could be increased to quarterly instead of annually?
if some of the lavish indulgence, glamour and self aggrandisement could be deducted from these events that tends to suck all the oxygen out of the room then space might be freed up to hear from the real academics and intellectuals who may lack the polish of PR, speech writers, tailors, stars of hairdressing and dental hygiene but actually bloody well know what they’re talking about.
what I’d really like to hear at the next conference is evidence gathered from the reduction in human activity currently precipitated by the corona virus about how much co2 emissions have dropped and how air quality has improved in a staggeringly short period of time,
for all the unpleasantness that the corona virus has recently brought us we mustn’t ignore the wealth of unique data that this global event will produce,
we could never have negotiated a global shutdown as an experiment but now the experiment is actually happening,
I rather suspect that data being recorded now will offer a compelling argument against returning to BAU in the post corona consensus,
already people are commenting on the improvement in air quality in our towns and cities, I’m especially enjoying the absence of the continual groans of commercial aircraft decelerating on their approach to Gatwick,
I’ve been walking to Tesco’s for the last year, now I can hear birdsong instead of BMW’s and breathe more freely.
Much of the pre-work is on line
Do we need 26,000? For 190 countries? Maybe…
We are on a bus with failed brakes, rolling down the mountain road twards a hair pin bend. Meanwhile, the passengers are complaining about spat out chewing gum stuck to the seats and rubbish on the floor.
Just a remote chance that we might make some effort to host a worthwhile event – so a delay in the context of a completely disconnected government might be better.
The COP conference in Glasgow could at least be scaled down to world wide video linked discussions and some outlline plans worked out for ratification when the pandemic is over as soon as possible. There are enough IT buffs about to organise and arrange it for every UN nation. Richard is right – climate change is still the major threat to the survival of humanity and needs to be addressed urgently.