Cop27 and beyond - Are climate conferences doing it right?
With COP27 kicking off on November 6th, we want to take a moment to cut through the noise and get back to basics: why do we have the COP summits, and are they working?
First off – COP is the United Nations Climate Change Conference – abbreviated to COP (Conference of the Parties) – a yearly summit that brings together world leaders to discuss and tackle some of the most pressing climate issues, as well as form plans for the future.
One thing is for certain with the COP summits: they get people talking. The UN Climate Change Conference is one of the biggest ongoing climate action events around the world, and every year news feeds become flooded with climate thinkpieces and updates on what’s being discussed that year. From this, there’s a trickle-down effect: world leaders meet up to talk about the climate, which then gets all of us talking about the climate.
So…should you care?
The COP summits often seem like a place of all talk and no action. Eco campaigners like Greta Thunberg have even labelled them as “greenwashing” events, with lots of talking about being environmentally conscious without following through and proving it.
Sadly, it’s really hard not to agree. Just take a look at some of COP26’s stats; 118 different private jets flew world leaders to the event, creating around 1,400 tonnes of CO2e; 80% of food served was locally sourced, but nearly 60% of the menu included meat or dairy products; the largest group in attendance were lobbyists from the big oil companies. These aren’t the figures of a group of people prioritising the planet.
Then there’s the fact that COP27 is being hosted in Egypt, a country openly hostile towards activists, with a history of imprisoning protestors demanding basic democratic rights. The event is sponsored by Coca-Cola, identified as the world’s biggest plastic polluter for the past 4 years. All of these factors add up: what are the world’s leaders fighting for if the event doesn’t even measure up to the standard they’ve set themselves?
The event becomes more about who is and isn’t attending and what issues can make the most sensationalist headlines, rather than the issues themselves. Recently appointed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made the news for pulling out of this year’s COP27 event before changing his mind and deciding he will attend (which also made the news).
So, are the COP summits doing enough for the topics they’re covering? Despite the discussions, there isn’t much immediate, tangible action emerging from these talks. We HATE being this cynical about something we should be supporting and we do see some really incredible steps being taken by governments across the world outside of COP, like France leaving the Energy Charter Treaty which protects fossil fuel investors and the US putting record billions into combatting climate change.
With the conference’s overarching aim for the world to reach global net zero emissions by 2050 and reports last year showing we’re off track to meet this target, we can’t help but ask: what is getting done?
Why collective impact matters
As Greta Thunberg put it, “In order to change things, we need everyone – we need billions of activists.” Rather than leaving the decisions to the leaders, collective action has a more immediate impact, one that encourages us to care because we can see it, and because it’s in our hands.
Whatever you think about COP27, it’s undeniable that collective impact is a tangible way forward. Leaders just aren’t acting fast enough – being off target proves it.
The best way to make a change is to start making a difference in your own life, talking to others about it, and then making your point even bigger by writing to your MP, voting, changing where your pension money is invested, and a host of other simple actions. Simple actions, done by millions (or billions) of us, will add up.
Want to start making a change? We’re here to help: https://beonhand.co.uk/book-a-demo 🌍 🙌
