I am sorry. I wish I could be more positive about international climate conferences. No doubt most of the attendees are well-intentioned and genuinely desirous of meaningful actions that might save this ailing planet but the end declarations are often extraordinarily wishy-washy. Besides, any commitments that are made are dependent upon what happens back in the delegates' home countries.
Arguably, the city state of Dubai should not exist. It was built with steel, concrete and glass in a relatively short time period with monies accrued from oil industries. It has hardly led the way in energy conservation either. It would be virtually impossible to live in Dubai without air-conditioning or motor vehicles. One might even say that Dubai is a monument to excessive use of fossil fuels. And yet this is where COP28 was held. The irony could not be more startling.
People flew in from all over the world, staying in sumptuous hotels. They consumed fabulous food - also flown in from all over the world. Our beloved prime minister, the future Lord Sunak of Southampton, flew in for a few hours and then flew straight back to Britain. He was just showing his face and ticking a box but did he pause for a moment to consider how much that one return flight had enlarged his already enormous carbon footprint? Irony upon irony.
Back in 2021, Greta Thunberg referred to these COP conferences as all "Blah-blah-blah", adding, “This is all we hear from our so-called leaders. Words that sound great but so far have not led to action. Our hopes and ambitions drown in their empty promises.” I tend to agree with her.
One of the key factors behind climate change is surely population growth. Every extra million people increases the environmental stress upon this aching world. And yet the issue hardly features at all in agendas at international climate meetings. It's as if straying into that territory is like entering an agreed no-go zone. Best to stay quiet on that one. Shhh!
Did you ever hear the expression, "fiddling while Rome burns"? It concerns the emperor Nero and his alleged disregard for his people and his imperial city. However, it is a saying that might as well be attached to our current world leaders. They don't seem to care overmuch about the truth of climate change and what is already going on. It's much easier to pay lipservice to these matters.
One COP28 attendee I do quite admire is the current UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres. Unequivocally, he said, “The science is clear: The 1.5C limit is only possible if we ultimately stop burning all fossil fuels. Not reduce, not abate. Phase out, with a clear timeframe.”
But do short-termist politicians listen? Not really. They are drifting onward both to another COP jamboree - next time in Azerbaijan of all places - and ultimately to the end of Earth as we know it.
from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/nIkSBW3