Copright © Françoise Herrmann
Beginning October 31st, and for the next 12 days, the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Conference of the Parties serving as Meeting for the Parties to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol (CMP16), and the Conference of the Parties serving as Meeting for the Parties to the more recent 2015 Paris
Agreement (CMA3), will be meeting to discuss urgent topics, to review existing commitments and targets, and to secure more international, national and local pledges on the matter of climate change, at a time variously
qualified as humanity’s “last best hope” (Jordans, 2021), “a critical moment for leadership” (Hitchings-Hale, 2021) and "one minute before midnight on the Doomsday Clock” (Johnson, 2021). A conference bringing together more than 30,000 delegates, with representatives from 200 countries, including 120 world leaders. Indeed, a summit on the topic of climate change with an agenda, including the following:
- finalizing the Rulebook for the (controversial) flex-mex carbon exchange market
- increasing investments in clean energy sources
- increasing joint action of the private and public sectors for accelerating the implementation of mitigation and/or resiliency plans
- reforestation, planting trillions of trees
- elimination of coal power plants
- conversion to electric vehicles (EV)
- securing rich nation grants (vs. loans) within the context of the 2015 Paris Agreement on an annual pledge of 100 billion USD for nations who are not responsible for the anthropogenic causes of climate change [UNFCCC - Paris Agreement]
- detailing the costs and implementation of a “just transition” within the context of a global “Green New Deal” to a clean (non-fossil fuel) and sustainable economy, considering that visionary Labor Union leaders have endorsed the conversion, and the workforces of whole sectors of the fossil fuel industry (coal in particular) are implicated (Chomsky & Pollan in Polychroniou, 2021, Chomsky & Pollan with Polychronou, 2021).
- developing resiliency plans, considering that the consequences of climate change are already causing drought, famine and floods, impacting millions of people, creating a new category of refugees, designated climate refugees (UNHCR,)
- compensating and remedying existing climate-related losses and damages, per the African Youth Climate Leader, from Burundi, Vanessa Nakate.
- "turning the tide on coal, cash, cars and trees" (Johnson, 2021); panic, action, and no more empty promises, to mitigate and remedy the catastrophic scenarios of global warming that science has already specified, per the Swedish Global Youth Leader Greta Thunberg, on behalf of future generations, who might inherit irremediable situations.
Concretely, however, the new Glasgow COP
26 Summit takeaway will, at least, result in a sector-specific Declaration on Climate Change in the Tourism Industry. A Declaration bringing together members
of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in an effort to scale up efforts
to control the tourism sector’s emissions, which are predicted to increase 25%
by 2030 (from 2016 levels). Specifically, the working session draft of the Glasgow Declaration calls for:
- monitoring of the CO2 emissions from tourism operations
- decarbonizing tourism with greener transportation and infrastructures
- removing carbon
- promoting science-based targets in view of meeting the Paris Agreement targets, which call for cutting emissions back 50% by 2030 and achieving net zero(1) by 2050, to prevent global warming in excess of 1.5 degrees Celsius, above pre-industrial levels (per the recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC ).
- setting forth the One planet Sustainable Tourism Programme to host the Tourism Section action plan. A program designed to implement transition to a circular economy, invoking recycling, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, remanufacturing, and repurposing to reduce waste and pollution, and as a pathway to sustainable development. The creation of a circular economy to bring added value, to promote creativity and new business models, with efficient use of water and resources. A program also arising within the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), in particular Goals No. 13, 14 and 15 on climate action, and the protection of marine and terrestrial ecosystems (UNDP - SDGs).
- promoting Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) in tourism policies
- supporting global tourism initiatives against plastic pollution
- supporting green travel
- promoting sustainable recovery from COVID 19, according to 6 lines of action (UNWTO- Climate action).
The COP26 conference is taking place at the Scottish Event Center (SEC) campus, in Glasgow, Scotland (UK), a location that has become as much a transformative architectural landmark. as it is currently a destination for crucially important Climate Change action. For example, the monumental 3000-seat Clyde Auditorium, known as the Armadillo because of its eight, overlapping, aluminum-clad roofs, was inaugurated in 1997, specifically as a highly distinctive site, that still remained efficient and easily maintained. On a shipyard location, the scale of the Armadillo is that of a large ship or warehouse. Together with the other monumental conference venue building, designated the OVO Hydro, with a capacity for 13,000 patrons, the site offers special synergy for the twelve conference days ahead.
 |
| The Armadillo @ The Scottish Event Center (SEC) |
De La Garza, A.,
Nugent, C., Baker, A., Duggan, J. and C. Wilson (Oct
28,2021). Here Are the Goals of the COP26 Climate Change Meetings—and Where the
World Stands in Accomplishing Them. Time
Magazine https://tinyurl.com/jekhcmyd
https://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/sec-armadillo/
Foster + Partners - https://youtu.be/MIc3tZ7HIIk
Hitchings-Hales, J. (Aug. 16, 2021). What Is COP26 — and Why Is the Summit a Critical Moment For Leadership on the Climate Crisis? Global Citizen https://tinyurl.com/3xne33sk
IPCC – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/
IPCC - Report Glossary. https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/glossary/
Johnson, B. (Oct. 31, 2021). Opening Ceremony Speech. https://youtu.be/SOaZP0YND6c
Jordans, F. (Oct. 31, 2021). Last best hope: Crucial Climate summit open in Glasgow. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/cop26-climate-summit-un-glasgow-fbe482ba15f0c83dbe784d73b92f5817
Maizland, L. (Oct. 22, 2021). COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow: What to Expect. Council on Foreign Relations https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/cop26-climate-summit-glasgow-what-expect
One Planet Network - Sustainable tourism - https://www.oneplanetnetwork.org/sustainable-tourism
One Planet Network - Covid 19 - How tourism can recover responsibly. https://www.oneplanetnetwork.org/sustainable-tourism/covid-19-how-tourism-can-recover-responsibly
OVO Hydro - https://www.ovohydro.com/about
Polychroniou, C. J. (Oct. 28, 2021). Chomsky and Pollin: COP26 Pledges Will Fail Unless Pushed by Mass Organizing. Truthout https://tinyurl.com/2dhptbyn
Rapold, N. (Nov. 12, 2020). ‘I am Greta’ review: Birth of a Climate Warrior. NYTimes. https://tinyurl.com/hbadkuf4
Scottish Event Center (SEC) - https://www.sec.co.uk/
UKCOP26.org - https://ukcop26.org/
UNDP - United Nations Development Programme - Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS). https://tinyurl.com/87k3js5c
UNFCCC - https://unfccc.int/
UNFCCC - What is the Kyoto protocol? - https://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol
UNFCCC - 2015 Paris Agreement [full text English version] https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/english_paris_agreement.pdf
UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Climate change and disaster displacement. https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/climate-change-and-disasters.html
UNWTO - United Nations World Tourism Organization. - https://www.unwto.org/
UNWTO - The Glasgow Declaration - An Urgent global call for commitment to a decade of climate action in tourism. https://www.unwto.org/news/the-glasgow-declaration-an-urgent-global-call-for-commitment-to-a-decade-of-climate-action-in-tourism
UNWTO - Transforming tourism for climate action. https://www.unwto.org/sustainable-development/climate-action
UN (Sept. 29, 2021). Vanessa Nakate's Full Keynote Speech at Youth4Climate Pre-COP26 | Doha Debates. UN Youth4Climate - https://youtu.be/W71eBGN2iSw
Vanessa Nakate: You cannot leave this responsibility to young people. Youtube video. https://youtu.be/bXH--TDGId8
No comments:
Post a Comment