A sketch style Q&A about COP26, why it is important, and what local people can do to get involved.
What’s a COP?
Come again?
This COP26 thing. What’s a COP, and does that mean it’s the 26th COP? If so, what happened to the other 25. No-one seemed very bothered about them.
Well COP stands for “Conference of the Parties” Are you any the wiser?
Probably less wise.
OK, it’s the Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, another acronym, UNFCCC. That was agreed in 1994 with the aim preventing “dangerous” human interference with the climate system.
OMG, it’s acronym heaven!
The first COP was held in 1995, so, yes, this is the 26th meeting. It was supposed to happen last year but, well, you can probably guess why it didn’t…
OK, but why haven’t I heard of the other 25?
Well, climate change hasn’t been top of the news very often until this year, has it? But have you heard of the Paris Agreement?
Well, yes. Wasn’t that the one that said we had to stop temperatures rising by 2°C, and aim to be below 1.5°C?
You’ve got it. Well, that was agreed at the end of COP21 in 2015. The thing is, part of the Paris agreement was that each country has to set a target for greenhouse gas reductions, and these are updated every five years. So that’s why COP26 is so very important.
Not just because it’s in the UK then?
No.
And not because everything is going seriously pear-shaped?
Well, OK, that too.
So this is a big deal for the UK Government then?
Well, you’d think so, but the Government-appointed chair, Alok Sharma MP, isn’t exactly a world statesman. But of course our own MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip will be there.
Naturally. So who else is coming of any note?
A large number of world leaders. It’s perhaps more instructive to say who won’t be there, which according to my current reading, includes the leaders of China, Russia and Brazil. Maybe they’ll send senior deputies. Maybe they’ll Zoom in (although of course other online conferencing facilities are available).
So does the UK have to play a leadership role, and if so how is it doing?
Well, there are good things, new announcements, a ten-point plan, new improved targets, new investment. But not really enough, and we’re historically rather better at setting targets then meeting them.
Yes, and we also seem very good at saying how much we’ve already done, don’t we?
You took the words out of my mouth.
So there must be a lot of preparation going on.
Oh, yes, behind the scenes, a massive effort. And our local man and Mr Sharma are jetting round the world persuading other countries to improve their proposals to come closer to what the world actually needs.
So surely that’s a good thing, right? Apart from the “jetting” bit, though, of course.
Yes, but what worries a lot of people is that the UK are being a bit hypocritical about it.
How do you mean?
Well, have you heard about the proposed new Cumbria coal mine, which the Government could have pulled the plug on but hasn’t? Or the new oilfield that’s about to be developed off Shetland? Or the liquid natural gas project in Mozambique to which the UK has pledged over a billion pounds of investment?
No, they’ve kept them a bit quiet.
How about the idea of drilling for oil in Surrey?
Surrey? You’re not serious? Should we be watching out for oilwells in Northwood?
No, but judging by what HS2 is doing to Harefield, I wouldn’t be too confident about anything, but that’s a different story.
But surely we’ll need to use fossil fuels for a little longer, won’t we?
Well, yes, although coal not so much. But giving the green light to new fossil fuel developments is not the best example of green action. We need to go flat out on renewables – wind and solar – which are falling in price very fast, and invest heavily in battery technology. And of course we should have had a massive scheme to insulate homes in Britain without waiting for pressure groups to close motorways, it’s just so obvious.
So what can we do about it?
Well, you could have a word with our local man. He is Prime Minister as well as a local MP, after all!
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