CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!

COP26

(219 posts)

No tags yet.


  1. chdot
    Admin

  2. chdot
    Admin

    The UK’s credibility as host of the Cop26 climate talks this November in Glasgow rests on a clear net zero strategy – but publication has been postponed until near the eve of the summit, giving the UK little leverage to bring other countries to the negotiating table with the tougher carbon targets needed. Meanwhile, steep cuts to overseas aid have severely damaged the UK’s standing internationally, experts on the UN talks said.

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/13/treasury-blocking-green-policies-key-to-uk-net-zero-target

    Posted 2 years ago #
  3. chdot
    Admin

    The US president, Joe Biden, controversially called for Opec to increase oil production further last month, to keep oil prices from rising and assist with the US economic recovery. His plea was rejected.

    The Guardian understands Wednesday’s Opec meeting may also discuss the climate crisis, in an unusual move for the fossil fuel producers, before vital UN climate talks called Cop26, scheduled for Glasgow in November.

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/01/opec-member-urges-oil-producers-to-focus-more-on-renewable-energy

    Posted 2 years ago #
  4. chdot
    Admin

  5. chdot
    Admin

  6. chdot
    Admin

  7. chdot
    Admin

    Despite fears that it will be a talking shop, Alverà believes COP26 will herald change. “There’s a strong likelihood that there’s going to be some breakthroughs at the political level.” If that happens, claims Alverà, he envisions a cleaner, safer – cheaper – world just around the corner.

    https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/19574970.neil-mackays-big-read-revolutionary-north-sea-green-energy-boom-will-trigger-goldrush-transform-scotlands-debate-independence/

    Posted 2 years ago #
  8. chdot
    Admin

  9. chdot
    Admin

    “It is time for us to listen to the warnings of the scientists – and look at Covid, if you want an example of gloomy scientists being proved right – and to understand who we are and what we are doing.”

    “The world – this precious blue sphere with its eggshell crust and wisp of an atmosphere – is not some indestructible toy, some bouncy plastic romper room against which we can hurl ourselves to our heart’s content,” he added.

    Johnson also claimed the Muppets character Kermit the Frog was wrong when he sang: “It’s not easy being green.” He also offered a lengthy explanation of the Greek word deinos.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/22/boris-johnson-to-tell-un-that-cop26-must-be-turning-point-for-humanity

    Boris

    Now

    Britain’s World King Statesman

    Over there

    Meanwhile, back at home…

    Posted 2 years ago #
  10. neddie
    Member

    "Everyone must do something! (Except us)"

    Posted 2 years ago #
  11. LaidBack
    Member

    “My head – this precious blue sphere with its eggshell crust and wisp of blonde hair – is not some indestructible toy, some bouncy plastic romper room against which we can hurl ourselves to our heart’s content,” he added.

    "That is why we have taken the radical step to decarbonise the Australian Navy by supplying nuclear submarines. I'm sure my French allies would be the first to agree that diesel killer submarines are not good for the world's oceans and on reflection will accept that losing a €30bn Euro order is a price worth paying to keep the Pacific green."

    England doesn't deserve that man - totally phoney and smirking away as if he's in a Python movie. At least we should get clear of him as he is unable to focus on more than one thing at a time.

    Posted 2 years ago #
  12. chdot
    Admin

  13. chdot
    Admin

    The world is poised to make a big leap forward at the UN Cop26 climate summit, with world leaders “sharpening their pencils” to make fresh commitments that could put the goals of the 2015 Paris agreement within reach, John Kerry has said.

    Kerry, special envoy for climate to Joe Biden, gave an upbeat assessment of the prospects for Cop26, which begins in Glasgow at the end of this month, saying he anticipated “surprising announcements” from key countries.

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/11/john-kerry-cop26-climate-summit-starting-line-rest-of-decade

    Posted 2 years ago #
  14. chdot
    Admin

  15. chdot
    Admin

    Unions have been quick to criticise the situation. The RMT has warned that the electricity price hike threatens to “destroy rail freight and jack up dirty diesel use.” It is huge embarrassment for the UK government with the climate change COP26 conference in Glasgow just one month away. “As COP26 approaches the Government have to step in to stop this carnage on our railways”, said general secretary of RMT, Mick Lynch. “With the road haulage industry already in turmoil, and with the threat of empty shelves this Christmas, we should be encouraging the use of rail freight not battering it into submission with electricity charges that will add millions of pounds to rail freight companies’ bills, with one operator reporting an eight million pound [9 million euro] increase in costs.

    https://www.railfreight.com/railfreight/2021/10/13/freightliner-takes-down-electric-locs-due-to-high-electricity-prices/?gdpr=deny

    Posted 2 years ago #
  16. chdot
    Admin

  17. chdot
    Admin

  18. ejstubbs
    Member

    https://fullfact.org/online/COP26-Tesla-cars/

    WHAT WAS CLAIMED

    Tesla cars have been bought to transport COP26 delegates and because there aren’t enough charging points, they will be charged via a diesel run generator.

    OUR VERDICT

    Supplied electric vehicles for the climate change conference will be Jaguar Land Rover vehicles and any generators will run on recycled cooking oil.

    So, they won't be Teslas they'll be Land Rovers, and the generators will run on vegetable oil not diesel. So that's OK, then.

    Except, hang on: it's not. Neither multiple 150-mile round trips that could be avoided with a more intelligent choice of accommodation*, nor transport powered by IC generators that, regardless of where the fuel originates from, will still be emitting CO2, seem a particularly good look in the current, er, climate (see what I did there?)

    * Last time I looked it was supposed to be a deadly serious international conference aimed at avoiding a looming climate catastrophe, not a <rule 2>ing jolly for politicos in an overpriced country hotel.

    Posted 2 years ago #
  19. chdot
    Admin

    Where are they staying?

    Posted 2 years ago #
  20. neddie
    Member

    Worse than that, the Jaguar Land Rover iPACE EV is an oversized SUV

    Posted 2 years ago #
  21. chdot
    Admin

  22. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Where are they staying?

    The Scotsman was speculating that it was Gleneagles, but ends its own article with a quote from the hotel itself saying it wasn't. Reuters isn't saying.

    But frankly, given the intense security around the event, do journalists really think anyone is going to say exactly where all the most important delegates are staying?

    Disappointing that we have a car company sponsoring the entire thing. We could have had a cross-industry alliance of bicycle manufacturers, bus and train companies.

    Posted 2 years ago #
  23. ejstubbs
    Member

    @chdot: According to the original 'fake news' circulating on Farcebook et al, they are staying at Gleneagles. Note that this is not refuted in the fact check piece. However, this article in The Scotsman says:

    The number of generators being provided and their locations have still to be finalised, but there is speculation they could include the Gleneagles Hotel, 47 miles from Glasgow.

    Note that the above also says the one-way trip would 47 miles (which seems to be borne out by quick reference to Google Maps) rather than 75 miles which seems to be the figure being touted in the 'fake news' on antisocial media.

    P.S. Whoever coined the term "MSM", meaning "Mainstream Media" - presumably to distinguish them from social media - should be added to the list for when the revolution comes. It seems to be especially prevalent in discussions about the causes of the 'fuel crisis', as if in that particular instance no social media platforms carried any (mis)information which might conceivably have helped to stoke the panic buying.

    Posted 2 years ago #
  24. chdot
    Admin

  25. chdot
    Admin

  26. chdot
    Admin

  27. chdot
    Admin

    The source blamed the “very young, very inexperienced” civil servants tasked with planning the event for taking a “top-down public sector approach” that has raised hackles among sponsors.

    “It’s clear that many of them have very little experience managing relationships in the private sector, or even experience attending a Cop event,” the source said.

    The energy company sponsors – Hitachi, National Grid, Scottish Power and SSE – are understood to be particularly frustrated because they were under the impression that no other energy brands would feature at Cop26. However, the “blue zone”, which is organised by the UN, will include rival brands.

    Ministers had been due to release three key documents on Monday on the government’s plans to achieve its net zero target by 2035, but publication has been delayed owing to the murder of the MP Sir David Amess.

    The documents reveal a stark split within the cabinet, understood to be between on one side Boris Johnson, the prime minister, Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, and Michael Gove, responsible for improving the UK’s homes, all seeing benefits to strong climate action; and on the other, the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, a free-market hawk instinctively opposed to government intervention.

    All three papers are now expected to come later in the week, with the government seeking to preserve a show of unity over the publications.

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/17/cop26-corporate-sponsors-condemn-climate-summit-as-mismanaged

    Posted 2 years ago #
  28. chdot
    Admin

    Humans might be the only intelligent beings in our galaxy, so destroying our civilisation could be a galactic disaster, Prof Brian Cox has warned leaders in the run-up to Cop26.

    Speaking at the launch of his new BBC Two series Universe, the physicist and presenter said that having spoken to the scientists around the world advising the show, he thought that humans and sentient life on Earth “might be a remarkable, naturally occurring phenomenon” and that was something that “world leaders might need to know”.

    https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/oct/19/earths-demise-could-rid-galaxy-of-meaning-warns-brian-cox-ahead-of-cop26

    Posted 2 years ago #
  29. chdot
    Admin

    Kevin Anderson, a professor of energy and climate change at the University of Manchester, said: “The UK’s net zero strategy falls far short of both its Paris and G7 temperature and equity commitments. Scour the associated spreadsheets and the numbers reveal a story of subterfuge, delusion, offsetting and piecemeal policies – all dressed up as a shiny new strategy for Cop26. Remove the reliance on other nations offsetting our emissions and today’s children deploying ‘negative emission technologies’ to suck our CO2 out of the atmosphere, and the UK’s total carbon budget is more in line with 2.5-3C of warming than 1.5-2C.

    “As our government rubs its hands at the prospect of oil revenues from the Cambo and Clair South fields, invests £27bn in new roads, [supports] overseas airport expansions, and pumps £1bn of taxpayers’ money into a huge new liquefied natural gas field in Mozambique, its PR machine, accompanied by the voices of high-emitting CEOs and senior academics, swings into full gloss paint mode. The climate, however, will see through this, responding as it always does to emissions rather than slick presentations, accountancy scams and half-baked strategies.”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/19/uk-government-reveals-net-zero-plan-create-jobs

    Posted 2 years ago #
  30. chdot
    Admin


RSS feed for this topic

Reply »

You must log in to post.


Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin