COP26: Less Chat. More Action

On the 11th November x+why will be hosting COP26’s challenge to deliver on actionable outcomes. Members Seismic will be presenting an interactive and impactful evening of debate, discussion, and objective-setting for your business as COP26 draws to a close. The panel includes:

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Clover Hogan, Climate activist, researcher on eco-anxiety, & Founder & ED of Force of Nature

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Dr Ash Brockwell, Associate Professor and Sustainability Lead at The London Interdisciplinary School

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Chris Turner, Executive Director of B Lab UK

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Amy Bourbeau, Cofounder and Chief Impact Officer of Seismic

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Yasha Estraikh, Associate Partner at Piper Private Equity

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And chairman Ed Boyd, Cofounder and Executive Director at ReGenerate

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This will be a live event at the People’s Mission Hall in Whitechapel - come and join us for an evening of actionable change at a time when it’s more urgent than ever. Leaders and teams around the globe are facing surmounting pressure to commit to actions over words, at a time where the need for rapid change is being slowed by outdated bureaucratic structures, COP26 are stepping in to start walking the walk and not just talking the talk.

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Actionable Targets

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Renewable energy over fossil fuels and future security rather than present consumption are just some of the promises that have been on the table for a long time now, however for change to be inclusive - the conversation must involve grassroots activists and civil society as well as global leaders and figure heads.

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This year’s COP26 is seen as one of the most critical moments in climate action history. The August report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned of the rapid and intensifying warming of the planet, stating “it is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land. Widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere have occurred.”

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While the climate community and those living through the impacts of climate change have been sounding the alarm for decades, this latest report helps to frame the global urgency and necessary action required to save the planet. Top of the agenda for 2021 is ensuring justice for those who have contributed least to the negative impacts of the change, but are unfairly experiencing some of the most significant impacts on their daily lives.

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In the run up to the event COP president Alok Sharma was intending to create an inclusive space for those voices to be heard, however the recent lockdowns and restrictions of the COVID pandemic have presented their challenges, risking further entrenching inequality into the climate crisis.

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Nevertheless countries are developing and scaling research-based solutions to address climate change and its effects from which the entire world can benefit. Bangladesh, for instance, has become a global leader on climate adaptation out of necessity. However COP26 still has some way to go in making funding mechanisms less bureaucratic and more accessible, as well as further supporting non-governmental organisations by directly responding to people displaced by climate change.

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COVID Inequalities

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We must not allow COVID-19 to further foster a power imbalance between rich and poor countries at COP26. Instead, government negotiators, especially those from rich countries, must stand in solidarity with vulnerable countries, some of which have stepped-up climate ambition in the months ahead of COP26. Businesses and civil society also have an important role to play in consciously using their in-person and virtual platforms to elevate vulnerable voices. Small acts like this, as well as the big acts, are part of rebuilding trust between countries.

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In a deeply unequal world, the impacts of climate change and human-induced extreme weather patterns are felt most by excluded communities, whether they might be residents in informal settlements, refugees housed in temporary shelters or indigenous communities living in remote locations.

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Across these groups, women often bear the greatest burden of the climate crisis. The full and meaningful participation of civil society ensures that ground realities of under-served and under-represented groups are central to policy making. Sadly, conditions for open civic space which are essential to the development of diverse, equitable and sustainable responses to the humanity’s most complex challenges are rapidly deteriorating.

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Protecting and promoting civic space must be a key priority at COP26. Without the meaningful inclusion of those most affected by the climate emergency we will not be to achieve the just and credible outcomes so urgently needed from the climate conference. We are in race against time to stabilise the planet, and COP 26 is a significant milestone, especially when it comes to the creation of climate-friendly jobs at a time of economic destabilisation and pandemic lay-offs.

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Setting The Pace In The Race

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All industries need to transition and more than 50% of climate action necessary to reach a net zero future has to be achieved by 2030. This is the bottom line to stabilise the planet and give us a hope of a secure future. The environmental global challenge that we're facing is systemic. It's a challenge that creates all kinds of barriers in the built environment, and these barriers are persistent. It's a challenge in terms of maintenance. It's a challenge in terms of ideas. It's a challenge in terms of discrimination.

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The intersection of poverty and inequality is more evident than ever. Therefore targeted policies and actions are needed to respond to such impacts, especially for the most vulnerable. The COP26 process must address the needs of the one in seven people on earth that live with a disability. That means nations and cities need to respond holistically to ensure that we leave no one behind.

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The real transformative potential at the policy level for COP26 will be to bring silos together to leverage the maximum benefit possible because environmental impacts are linked and affect communities directly. Ultimately, that is how we need to design and build our communities.

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The key formula for prosperous, stable societies is investing in people - promoting understanding of the challenges facing persons with disabilities, older persons, and other key stakeholders, including young people, women, migrants, and indigenous communities. The development and implementation of holistic Sustainability policies and strategies must include all stakeholders without exception.

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