The first part of the conference organized by the British government under the auspices of the United Nations was full of important announcements about reducing emissions of polluting gases such as methane, reforestation and protection of land and the abandonment of coal as an energy source.
The multimillion-dollar contributions that rich countries and the private sector will make to the so-called climate fund, designed to help poor nations cope with and mitigate the effects of climate change, were also discussed.
Although for many, the promises made thus far represent a step forward, environmentalists were not very impressed and remain on the streets of Glasgow to demand that world leaders move from words to deeds.
The leading voice in the demand for urgent action is led by a broad international youth movement, one of whose most visible figures from the media point of view is the Swedish student Greta Thunberg.
Become an icon of the fight for the protection of the planet since she began to protest every Friday in front of the Parliament of her country years ago, Thunberg last Friday went up to a platform in Glasgow after a march through the city, and called the failure a failure. COP26.
According to the activist, who said that she was not invited to the debates taking place at the Scottish Campus of Events, the climate summit is one of the most exclusive held so far, and a public relations stunt to wash the image of the biggest polluters. of the planet.
Leaders give wonderful speeches and announce commitments and fabulous goals in there, while behind the scenes, the governments of the nations of the global north resist taking drastic action to stop climate change, he said.
The day before, more than 100,000 people joined the World Day of Action for Climate Justice in Glasgow, which was celebrated in dozens of cities around the world.
Aware of the public pressure, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, urged ministers and negotiators to reach this week the agreements and commitments that are needed to meet the goals outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
COP26, scheduled to end on the 12th, is seen as one of the last opportunities for governments to implement measures aimed at limiting the planet’s temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and reducing carbon emissions to zero.
oda / nm
