COP has proven to be ineffective, considering we’re currently on track to reach 2.7 degrees Celsius by the end of the century under current policies. Lips are moving – and have been moving since 2015 – but the atmosphere isn’t taking note of who’s talking. What we need now is real action, and it was sorely lacking at COP26. While more than 140 countries put forward net zero goals, there is little confidence those ambitions will be achieved. Currently, only 7 countries are on track to stay well below 1.5 degrees and those countries are mostly in Africa.
Part of the problem is the language within the Paris Agreement itself and how it was structured and negotiated. We need a better strategy to renegotiate world leaders reducing their emissions that isn’t just peer pressure and voluntary. While the Paris Agreement is technically legally binding, the legal provisions of the negotiations are based upon vague and loose language that is hard to enforce. These negotiations must involve legal consequences and hold stronger legal provisions within the agreement itself. Talk isn’t only cheap, it’s now life-threatening.
Here are my five key takeaways from COP26:
The lack of diversity among leaders at the negotiation table has serious consequences on our ability to create solutions
Only 16% of the COP26 team were women and just 10 of the 140 acting heads of state are women.
The climate crisis is at our doorstep and affecting us all. But the perspectives and decisions about how to mitigate the worst impacts and policy negotiations have been made mainly by men. This isn’t about gender, per se – it’s about a characteristic or approach to decision-making. In fact, we must focus more on the scientific credibility and diversity of the advisors in these rooms. Historically, however, actions decided at these negotiation tables have focused on extractive measures that often lack a collaborative, holistic quality that is characteristic of feminine strategies. This lack of balance does us all a disservice. Equal representation in these conversations will build a fairer, more stable future for our planet and all living things.
Fossil fuel lobbyists outnumbered country delegations – why were they invited in the first place?
The lack of urgency within the actual COP negotiations was palpable. While hundreds of protestors, youth activists and civil society members remained outside of the conference, more than 500 fossil fuel lobbyists were confirmed to be in attendance this year. My question is, why were they granted access in the first place given their role in contributing to a rapidly warming planet? Their attendance illustrated nothing more than profit-seeking and greenwashing intentions; they were not there to create bold action that our planet needs to stop further extinction of critical species and destruction of our biosphere and ecosystems that we as humans rely upon for oxygen and survival.
Environmental law is one of the most powerful solutions to address the climate crisis
In complete opposition to the speech made by President Biden at COP26, the administration approved the largest oil and gas lease and sale in U.S. history, just days after the conference. I’m not alone in feeling fed up with government negotiations and talk; it is not an effective way to save life on Earth. We need all sectors of society engaged, and harnessing the law can serve as the critical guardrail we need as governments fail.
Although there are many legal perspectives on protecting the planet, I personally endorse rights of nature, proactive environmental law, and the Stop Ecocide movement. These strategies bring more accountability to an ineffective system and hold world leaders who are destroying our chances of a livable planet responsible.
We don’t have time for another COP in a year from now
Not only can we not wait for another 365 days to meet and discuss global climate commitments, but we need to ask ourselves, is there going to be major action and accountability before COP27 in Egypt takes place next year? The urgency of what we’re up against highlights that we need immediate action to decarbonize, and all sectors of society engaged in a swift transition away from reliance on fossil fuels.
Alongside a rapid transition, we need to simultaneously draw down atmospheric carbon, as those global greenhouse gas emissions are being trapped in the atmosphere and must come down. Continuing to emit 34 billion tons of C02/year while enabling corporations to destroy the ecosystems like the Amazon will put the entire human species at risk of extinction. We must cease the destruction and “ecocide” of nature’s mangroves, boreal forests, tropical forests, old-growths, kelp forests, grasslands, sea-grasses and many more of these vital ecosystems that we need intact to stay well below 1.5. These ecosystems naturally suck up carbon from the atmosphere much more efficiently than any carbon capturing technology ever could.
Additionally, earlier this year climate scientists detected warning signs of the collapse of the Gulf Stream, which has dire consequences and will also make air travel dangerous because of the amount of turbulence that will be created. The amount of environmental destruction we’re facing is alarming, but we can do something about it immediately.
Nature-based solutions need to be prioritized and funded
We need climate solutions that prioritize permanently protecting ecosystems, keystone species and biodiversity. Shifting from our traditional anthropocentric mindset can help. We need to prioritize creatures, plants and Indigenous lands that are vital to our survival and carbon capture into our action plans. For example, stopping ecocide and preserving the Global Safety Net, which is the first comprehensive global analysis of the biodiversity that needs to be protected to solve climate change, are not only possible but more impactful than silver-bullet technologies. The report produced by One Earth found that 37% of the 50% of terrestrial territories and lands necessary to protect are Indigenous occupied, further emphasizing the importance of Indigenous land rights and nature rights.
Directing funds and resources to these solutions is critical.
Less than 2% of global philanthropy goes to environmental groups and causes, and less than 0.25% of all foundation funding goes to women-led environmental action. Even less funding reaches frontline organizations. It’s time to close this gap. Supporting Indigenous guardianship and sovereignty, we can stop committing ecocide, and harness the power of the law to protect the planet and regenerate ecosystems. We need to recognize that we can’t destroy our biosphere and expect technology to save us. While we do need technology, especially renewable energy, we must cease warp speed destruction of the planet. We need to take action now and to focus on what happens in-between COP and every day thereafter.
We need action today, not tomorrow.
- Julia Jackson, Founder of Grounded
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