Our collective battle against the worst effects of the climate crisis is not going as planned. Our opponent gains speed and toughness as the match progresses. In addition, we play badly, we get washed. COP26, a climate conference that will take place next week in the Scottish city of Glasgow, is a bit like the whistle that marks the start of our third period, our chance to avoid the most bitter and painful of defeats.
On the eve of this important meeting, what can therefore be considered a good performance by our team, made up of 196 countries?
First, we need ambition!
The Glasgow climate negotiations will be crucial, because they will allow us to know whether we will give ourselves the means to win and whether we take the game seriously.
At the moment, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Why ? Because on a global scale, our current climate plans are leading us to a catastrophic warming of 2.7 ° C. It’s like our group of coaches tell us to score two goals, when we actually have to score five to win. States will therefore have to present targets and action plans reflecting this reality.
In short, not only should our collective ambition be enhanced, we also need to have solid game plans. It’s all well and good to tell yourself that you are going to win, it is just as important to know how you are going to do it.
Our great weakness
First and foremost, we must also recognize the enormous weaknesses in our game. Iniquity is undoubtedly the most important of them.
We don’t play well together. We tend to leave key players on the bench, that is to say most of the countries of the South. Yet they are the ones who are already suffering – and will continue to suffer – more than anyone else from the worst effects of a global climate boom. Dry lands, submerged islands, conflicts over resources, migratory crises… The countries of the North cannot therefore be forgiven the unforgivable without a strong and convincing presence at COP26.
To this end, even if the Glasgow summit is a pivotal moment, it still promises to be one of the least safe and fair due to the health context.
Many delegates from countries in the South will see their participation in the conference colored by quarantines, high travel costs or the difficulty of obtaining vaccines from the organizers in the United Kingdom. Under these conditions, access to the event will be much more restricted than usual.
When it comes to climate justice, there will therefore be many issues to follow, as Canada will need to show unparalleled leadership to advance the commitment of developed countries to raise $ 100 billion per year by 2025 in order to to finance the efforts of developing countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the effects of the climate crisis. It is a minimum when one is largely responsible for the delay to be made up.
Shoot in his goal
To win, we will also have to turn our backs on the players who shoot for our own purpose: those from the fossil fuel industry. COP26 will be a wonderful opportunity to plan once and for all our collective exit from the oil and gas quagmire.
Fortunately, there is a welcome element at the dawn of this COP26: more and more of us in the world are understanding the game. We see more and more clearly those who do not put in the necessary effort to win, or who speak loudly on the bench, but rarely shoot at the net (hello, Canada!). Équiterre and other groups, supported by a mobilized civil society, will be behind the bench to bring them to order.
A real sense of urgency will have to be felt for this COP26. Defeat is not an option. The ice has already melted enough like that.
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