COP 26 - Glasgow 2021

[kerouac2]

Well, we all know that the Paris climate agreement (COP 21) did not solve all of the problems even though every country in the world ended up signing on.  Then of course Trump pulled out of the agreement, but Biden joined it again.  Big deal -- we are still in climate shit.

Just before the beginning of COP 26, we have 3 countries lobbying against the new climate goals -- Saudi Arabia, Australia and Japan.  You would think they'd be strange bedfellow, but I guess not.

To be continued...

[fumobici]

Oct 21, 2021 15:09:08 GMT kerouac2 said:

Just before the beginning of COP 26, we have 3 countries lobbying against the new climate goals -- Saudi Arabia, Australia and Japan.  You would think they'd be strange bedfellow, but I guess not.

To be continued...

Well Australia and Saudi Arabia are obvious as huge exporters of dirty hydrocarbons, Japan, much less obvious.

[kerouac2]

I suppose that Japan is up shit creek for having stopped all its nuclear reactors at once.

[whatagain]

Oct 21, 2021 19:06:15 GMT kerouac2 said:

I suppose that Japan is up shit creek for having stopped all its nuclear reactors at once.

A side effect of Fukushima maybe...

[kerouac2]

Yes, and Germany is doing the same thing but gradually... Japan panicked.

[fumobici]

Oct 21, 2021 19:06:15 GMT kerouac2 said:

I suppose that Japan is up shit creek for having stopped all its nuclear reactors at once.

Now you sound like a true Frenchman again. After the "too much butter" incident, that's reassuring 

[bjd]

I understand that these big international meetings are supposed to work by personal contact between "deciders" easing the way to agreements, but is it really necessary for the added hundreds of assistants to fly to Glasgow? Surely they can work by Zoom and be in contact. After all, most of the working papers are already prepared I assume.

It's always ironic that so much carbon is going to be added to the atmosphere for a meeting about slowing climate change.

[mossie]

Don't begrudge them their little jollies, they are poorly paid civil servants after all

[mich64]

Oct 22, 2021 6:43:32 GMT bjd said:

Surely they can work by Zoom and be in contact. After all, most of the working papers are already prepared I assume.

My thoughts as well bjd. It is a perfect opportunity to use this technology we have all become accustomed to and for someone to calculate the carbon savings of all attendees/support staff staying home. Have a side bar that adds everytime a new person/group is added to zoom meetings.

I read this week that they have brought in two small cruise ships to accommodate all the support staff.

I also am trying not to over react with thoughts of safety concerns.

I do, however, understand that there are benefits for people coming together to forumulate new ideas through discussing different perspectives and challenges.

[kerouac2]

I'm quite sure that each (minor) person making the trip is justifying it with "my tiny presence will not really hurt the environment and I'm doing something useful." Maybe, maybe not...

We are probably coming to the end of these big in-person gatherings slowly but surely. The UN General Assembly will probably be the last to go.

[kerouac2]

I accept the explanation for why it is important to have an in-person meeting, but I am willing to quibble over the need for 25,000 people to attend.

From the BBC:

The pandemic might be seen as the perfect moment for the UN to use technology for negotiations, and it was attempted during a preparatory meeting for COP in June, which ran for three weeks.

Unfortunately, it didn't go well - time-zone and technology challenges made it almost impossible for countries with limited resources, progress was limited and decisions were put off.

As a result, many developing nations have insisted on having an in-person COP. They feel that it is far easier for their voices to be ignored on a dodgy Zoom connection.

They also bring a lived experience of climate change that it is critical for rich countries to hear first-hand.

There's some evidence that this works. In 2015, the presence of island states and vulnerable nations was key to securing the commitment to limit temperature changes to 1.5C in the Paris Agreement.

Among the 25,000, there will NOT be the heads of state of China, India and Saudi Arabia.

[mickthecactus]

Or Russia? I have a feeling it’s going to be a waste of time.

[kerouac2]

Do you think that we should make no attempt to do anything and just wait for climate change to kill us? It has already killed millions, but I suppose that those of us on high ground can hope to last a bit longer.

[mossie]

Not a waste of time, just think of all the hot air that will be produced.

[bjd]

Oct 24, 2021 7:49:09 GMT mossie said:

Not a waste of time, just think of all the hot air that will be produced.

That's the point, Mossie. We don't need more hot air. The climate is already getting warmer.

What we need is large scale political action and it looks as though nothing will be done without the largest polluters agreeing on a common plan.

[kerouac2]

Here's an interesting graph which is a bit different from the ones about the biggest polluting nations.

[bjd]

That graph is informative, but what is ambiguous is that I tend to forget that these enormous companies own loads of different products. So Coca-Cola is not producing all that plastic packaging by selling Coke in plastic bottles but also from its other products. The same goes for all the others in the list.

[casimira]

Oct 22, 2021 6:43:32 GMT bjd said:

I understand that these big international meetings are supposed to work by personal contact between "deciders" easing the way to agreements, but is it really necessary for the added hundreds of assistants to fly to Glasgow? Surely they can work by Zoom and be in contact. After all, most of the working papers are already prepared I assume.

It's always ironic that so much carbon is going to be added to the atmosphere for a meeting about slowing climate change.

Also of note, they are apparently all staying at some posh hotel and being provided limousines by Tesla that are operated by electricity. There is only one charging station so, they are bringing in dozens of portable chargers. In order to run the chargers they then have to bring in dozens of generators to keep them running. What do the generators need to operate? Petrol.

[kerouac2]

Are there hotels for 25,000 people in Glasgow? Google tells me that there are 11,672 hotel rooms in the city. I'm sure that they are not all posh. Perhaps there are some campgrounds in the outskirts?

[patricklondon]

Oct 24, 2021 15:05:56 GMT kerouac2 said:

Are there hotels for 25,000 people in Glasgow? Google tells me that there are 11,672 hotel rooms in the city. I'm sure that they are not all posh. Perhaps there are some campgrounds in the outskirts?

It's a big issue for the delegates from smaller/poorer countries and the various campaign organisations.
www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/09/scottish-campaigners-condemn-cop26-as-the-most-exclusionary-ever-accommodation


www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/23/weve-been-caught-half-dressed-ambivalent-glasgow-awaits-cop26

[kerouac2]

If Scotland cannot provide appropriate accommodations for the people coming, it is disgracful.

[mickthecactus]

Apparently Germany is one of the biggest fossil fuel polluters.

[kerouac2]

Absorbing East Germany did not help its carbon footprint.

[bjd]

In Germany, there were also political decisions to be taken: get rid of nuclear reactors vs close down coal-fired energy plants. The choice was make to get rid of nuclear power.

[mickthecactus]

In Rome Biden had an 85 vehicle convoy (if I heard it right) most of which had been flown in.

That’s the way to deal with climate change!

[bjd]

Oct 29, 2021 21:13:25 GMT mickthecactus said:

In Rome Biden had an 85 vehicle convoy (if I heard it right) most of which had been flown in.

That’s the way to deal with climate change!

I tried to find out whether this was true but all the hits were on sites like the Daily Mail and NY Post -- not sources I would trust. They mentioned some huge SUV as well whereas the news video I saw where Biden went to the French Embassy in Rome to talk to Macron, his car was parked in front and it was a large US-type limousine with little flags on it.

[kerouac2]

Scott Morrison is such a disgusting hypocrite. Australia needs to get rid of him as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, I almost choked when Joe Biden talked about Glasgow and made it rhyme with cow.

[mickthecactus]

Wolf Blitzer of CNN has apparently gone to Edinburgh by mistake.

[mickthecactus]

Nov 1, 2021 18:12:30 GMT kerouac2 said:

Scott Morrison is such a disgusting hypocrite. Australia needs to get rid of him as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, I almost choked when Joe Biden talked about Glasgow and made it rhyme with cow.

Presumably Moscow gets the same treatment

[kerouac2]

That's probably how Biden says it.