After COP26 What Next?

Well what was achieved at COP26?

Join us for an open meeting on Zoom to discuss this on Wed 8th December at 7.00. We’ve invited Shelley Saunders from Havant Green Party, who was in Glasgow during the talks, and James Sebley of Portsmouth Greenpeace, to discuss what happened and what we can do next/

Here’s the link to sign up for the meeting

Here are some different views of what happened at COP26.

Christiana Figueres has been a key figure at a number of COP gatherings and this an article she wrote for the Guardian

Here’s a worrying assessment from the Committee on Climate Change – praising the Government’s’aims but arguing for lots more action is we are to meet them

Climate Action Network International has a selection of angry responses from campaigning organisations and delegates from the Global South.

Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit

E3G News

What we can be sure of

We are not on track to prevent more than 1.5C of global warming.

We need to UK to implement its own plans. Also as president of COP until COP27 in Cairo next Autumn, the UK has a key role in holding other countries to account.

The British public is more concerned about climate change than a year ago but we have to contend with climate fatalism and attacks on the cost of reaching Net Zero.

Lots of organisations and countries were really disillusioned by the whole process and desperately need proper finance to help them decarbonise and to protect themselves

We cannot limit warming to 1.5^oC without addressing the things that these talks didn’t resolve. We should use our global influence to push these forward.

We cannot limit warming to 1.5^oC without supporting the most vulnerable countries to cut emissions, adapt, and rebuild from the already-devastating impacts of the climate crisis

We need stronger agreements on stopping using fossil fuels for good

We need tighter rules that stop our pension funds being invested in fossil fuels that wreck the planet

We need stronger rules to stop governments and businesses gaming the system, cheating, and greenwashing against the effects of climate change.

We have to stop investments in fossil fuels. That includes financing the Cambo oilfield off Scotland and pouring money into projects overseas like the Mozambique pipeline.

It’s important to get a positive message out to people. If the UK follows through and delivers our part of what we agreed in Glasgow, it’s going to mean:

Reduced impacts from extreme weather, and improved air quality, by moving billions of pounds of investment out of dirty fossil fuels which destroy our climate and endanger our health

Beautiful woodlands and forests, which clean our air and preserve our heritage, saved from being chopped down and precious peatlands that store carbon restored

Better, cheaper electric vehicles that mean lower fuel bills and healthier air

Flourishing oceans that can store carbon and slow down climate change

No more taxpayer money wasted by funding dangerous fossil fuels overseas

Things to do right now

Write to your MP.

We’re told that they are getting surprisingly few letters about climate change

The Proof is in the Christmas pudding

The Climate Coalition, Christian Aid, ONE and Tearfund are getting supporters can sign an e-petition to add their name to a 3m tall Christmas Card which will be delivered to No 10 on the 15th December, and also send their own Christmas Card to the Prime Minister, to call for greater climate ambition. Find out more and sign here.

Greenpeace have a similar petition

Sign petitions about oil and gas investments.

Friends of the Earth have several on Mozambique and oil and gas investments in the UK

Greenpeace have others along the same lines

The Global Green New Deal

A lot of organisations have linked together to promote a Global Green New Deal including War on Want.

Challenge Corporate Courts

A lot of climate action is threatened by the system of corporate courts, Companies which feel their future profits are threatened are suing countries for incredible sums. Global Justice Now is campaigning on these.

And War on Want has more on Corporate Courts and the Energy Charter Treaty which also gives power to companies to block climate action.

Climate jobs.

Lots of groups are looking at how to transform our economy with worthwhile climate jobs. Campaign against Climate Change has produced an excellent report, full of ideas which you can order or download here. There’s a meeting to launch this on 13th December on Zoom, organised by the Portsmouth CO26 coalition.

Climate Finance

Governments from richer countries like the UK have not agreed to keep their promises on climate finance. The Jubilee Debt Campaign explains what this means in this article

And of course, take action locally