COP26: Were the outcomes just funeral orations?

As the curtains dropped on COP26 on November 13, the much-awaited event wherein political leadership was expected to take firm, bold but futuristic steps to save the planet and humanity, has been a bit of a disappointment.

Powerful leaders across the globe came, made few commitments and left, largely without furthering the expectations and interests of a large population who voted for them and future voters. And the negotiators they left behind all worked towards a weakened draft. The sense of betrayal is palpable.

The first few days of the COP26 did see a deluge of announcements from political leaders. The global methane pledge to curb methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030 has been signed by more than 100 countries. Scientists would have preferred a commitment of 50 percent. Some other pledges signed included: Ending deforestation of which Uganda also signed; ending use of coal with 190 signatories; clean technologies with 35 signatories and nature and agriculture, with 45 signatories.

More than 130 countries have pledged to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030, and signatories include Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia, Canada, China, the UK and the US. Indonesia later informed the world that it wants to reduce deforestation, not end it. 24 African countries have signed up to the pledge including Uganda, Cameroon and Botswana.

Some 45 countries pledged on urgent action and investment to protect nature and shift to more sustainable ways of farming. The pledge includes leveraging over $4 billion of new public sector investment into agricultural innovation.  Scientists and environmentalists fear that governments have done nothing on their commitment of achieving net-zero targets. China and Saudi Arabia have committed to net-zero targets by 2060 while India has committed to 2070. The UK, with its ambitious targets of cutting emissions is simultaneously trying to open up new oil fields. According to Prof Martin Siegert of the University of London, “The longer you leave it the more difficult it will be to deliver net-zero by 2050.”

Scientists and the public at large are also skeptical on commitments about mid-century pledges since it’s easier to make long-term promises but hard to make difficult short-term pledges and commitments that are painful but required to be made if at all the long term pledges are to be made.

The track record of previous commitments has also not been great. The long-standing UN pledge to reverse biodiversity loss remains a distant dream. In absence of an enforcement mechanism, targets will continue to remain unmet. Committed climate finance was also not forthcoming. The larger question of the current GDP-based growth model that was found on extraction, encroachment, and displacement, which devastated the environment, sickened people, and widened inequality gaps, was not discussed. However, what did find more traction in these discussions was the need to protect nature and biodiversity. These and related issues were highlighted also because of the pressure of civil society organisations, scientists and environmental activists across the globe who for the last few years have focused on drawing attention to these issues and also building networks and alliances. Hundreds of thousands of people were protesting out in the streets not only in Glasgow but also in cities like Copenhagen, Paris, Sydney, Melbourne, Istanbul, and London, to name a few. In July 2021, more than 14,000 scientists from 153 countries signed their names to research that warns of the incoming climate emergency.

While pledges are an important development, it is critical that governments now develop policies and plans for the implementation of these pledges. Having a robust plan will help in tracking and achieving progress.

More heads of multilateral institutions such as WHO and the UN have not spared words in their report released in August this year. The report mentioned that this was Code Red for the Planet. During COP, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Gutierrez, once again did not mince words when he said that “our addiction to fossil fuels is pushing humanity to the brink. It’s time to say enough; enough brutalising biodiversity; enough killing ourselves with carbon; enough treating nature like a toilet; enough burning and drilling our way deeper and that we are digging our own graves.” Evidence and communication have been at an all-time high, it’s the decision and action needed that continues to be laggard.

It is also becoming increasingly clear that communities across the globe will need to play a central role in climate change adaptation, where nature and all its resources are nurtured and planetary boundaries respected, restored, and rejuvenated to the extent that is now possible.

I hope the COP-26 summit’s outcomes will not be like funeral orations but calls to action. Our future and our lives and the lives of future generations can no longer be left in the hands of governments; communities must help themselves.                                                                     

Phillip Kimumwe, [email protected]