175 World Design

175_World Design

Prayer for CoP26:

·         We know the immediate future is critical and we focus our prayers on CoP 26, asking for God’s Spirit to bless and strengthen all those who are working to make CoP truly effective. We pray for God’s blessing and that the Holy Spirit will flow through and inspire the discussions with wisdom that leads to commitment.

We particularly pray for all our leaders that they will put self-interest and prevarication aside, that they will recognise how urgent this is and will commit to serious and far-reaching practical actions. We pray that the voices of indigenous and marginalised peoples will be heard loud and clear. We pray that countries like the UK, who have done so much more to create the problems, will now be the first to commit to the practical changes we all need.[i]

Amen.

Due to COVID-19, CoP26 takes place this year in Glasgow from 1st-12th of November 2021.

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin reported that a COP venue has rarely “felt so full and near-chaotic” as when the delegates and media arrived for the World Leaders Summit, which took place from 1-2 November 2021. Notable commitments and announcements during the Summit included:

·         India’s commitment to achieve net zero by 2070, along with reaching 50% renewable energy by 2030.

·         Spain’s contribution of USD 30 million to the Adaptation Fund in 2022, and commitment to increase its climate finance by 50% by 2025.

·         US’ long-term strategy for achieving net zero.

·         Republic of Korea’s increase of its emissions reduction target to 40% below 2018 levels by 2030.

·         Ecuador’s addition of 60,000 km² to its marine reserve around the Galápagos Islands.

·         Tanzania’s pledge to reduce economy-wide emissions between 30% and 35% relative to a business-as-usual scenario by 2030.

·         Denmark’s pledge of USD 1 billion by 2023, and 60% of the country’s climate aid focused on helping the most vulnerable nations adapt.

·         Japan’s contribution of up to USD 10 billion in additional climate finance in the next five years.

·         Norway’s pledge to double its climate finance to USD 1.6 billion by 2026, and funding for renewable energy and preserving forests in developing countries; and

·         Nigeria’s pledged to reach net zero by 2060.

In other statements, Txai Suruí, a young advocate from the Amazon, called for placing Indigenous Peoples at the centre of COP 26 decisions. President of Korea Jae-in Moon proposed regular youth engagement in climate decision making.

President of France Emmanuel Macron cautioned that current pledges would take the world to 2.7°C of global warming. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said if commitments fall short by the end of this COP, countries must revisit their plans every year until 1.5°C is assured, fossil fuel subsidies end, carbon has a price, and coal is phased out. Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel also stressed the need for carbon pricing. His Royal Highness Charles, Prince of Wales, underscored that the cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of prevention.

Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley lamented the mitigation, finance, and adaptation finance gaps, and said a 2°C future is a “death sentence” for the people of vulnerable countries. Elizabeth Wathuti, Kenyan youth climate and environmental activist, reminded leaders that their decisions at COP 26 will determine whether children will have food and water. Prime Minister of Fiji Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama said the existence of lowland and island countries is not negotiable.

As Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina called for a “climate emergency pact.” Surangel S. Whipps Jr., President of Palau, called for COP 26 to better integrate the ocean into UNFCCC processes, including in the Global Stocktake.

Other announcements focused on collective efforts, such as:

·         The Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forests and Land Use, in which 110 countries aim to end deforestation by 2030.

·         The Breakthrough Agenda, launched by the UK and endorsed by 42 States, to accelerate the development and deployment of clean technologies and sustainable solutions.

·         The Global Methane Pledge – which now has nearly 90 members – to collectively reduce methane emissions by 30% below 2020 levels by 2030, which could avert 0.2 degrees of global warming.

·         The High Ambition Coalition announcing its resolve to deliver on mid-century net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions goals, including by phasing out unabated coal-fired power plants and halting inefficient fossil fuel subsidies as soon as possible; and

·         International Just Energy Transition Partnership, in which France, Germany, UK, US, and EU aim to support South Africa’s efforts to decarbonize its economy.

Alongside the leaders’ statements, negotiations launched on finance (both the programme on long-term finance and a new post-2025 finance goal), capacity building, Article 6 (cooperative approaches), loss and damage, common time frames for nationally determined contributions (NDCs), transparency, and adaptation, among other issues.[ii]

We see our world designers make changes and now we have some guarantees on the table, but not the response we wanted. It is still not good enough!

Will the people take media recommendation and make their own changes?

I have converted to one wash a week, with an eco-ball, turning off lights and unnecessary power, recycling, using food waste bins, using the eco setting on white goods, buying vegan products and traceable products, for refill, and eating two vegetarian meals a week, including cutting down on red meat. These are the actions we should all be taking.

The delicacy of the subject is like an Edmund de Waal porcelain cup depicting an historical event in time:

“White is the colour of mourning in China. To wear white is to express your loss to those around you, to keep the world away. To build white* on this scale is to mourn on a scale that had never been attempted before.”[iii]

*Emperor Yongle ordered the building of his 261ft. high temple of gratitude to his parents, in Nanjing of Bao-ensi, made entirely of porcelain.

Should we destroy this World, and start again? Well, we already have!

So, austere, attitudes of white mourning, can bring us to todays aesthetic, and black positivity. We do not need Sinicism, a manner or custom peculiar to the Chinese from which porcelain comes, neither do we need cynicism, believing in pure self-interest. And yet cynicism tells us, the environment is our self-interest, and so, we must convert everyone.

A lack of integrity in the traditionalist’s perspective, can be seen as a conceptualism, to make comedic in the manipulation of a self-interest in kind, of re-perceiving an object or artefact or act of intuition. Yet politeness and respect come first in our social etiquette, so, it is more an artistic tool, than a paradigm.

We feel for each other when we are powerless to world leaders making pledges to guarantee no more than a 2.7 degrees Celsius rise in temperature, when sea levels require 1.5 degrees Celsius. Like the film ‘Eternals’, we will just have to rely on Marvel Studios to produce some form of eternal being to continue the fight! Well, that’s us!

So, off we go!

There must be peace.

There must be no more fighting.

Fighting is just a personal flow, an inner dynamic, so, respect your partners.

God bless.

Ready for Stillness.

Love AB x.

[i] FM, anonymous, Prayer for CoP26, copyright, Winchester, 2021.

[ii] SDG Knowledge Hub, National Pledges and Collective Efforts Highlighted at COP 26 Leaders’ Summit | News | SDG Knowledge Hub | IISD, International Institute for Sustainable Development, Earth Negotiations Bulletin, 4th November 2021.

[iii] Waal, Edmund de, The White Road, Chatto & Windus, Penguin Random House, London, UK, 2015.