Failing to act on Climate Change is a death sentence for all — B/dos PM tells World Leaders

Nov 02, 2021 News

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…calls inaction immoral, unjust that is paid for with lives and livelihoods

Kaieteur News – Barbadian Prime Minister, Mia Mottley, yesterday scolded some 130 World Leaders and leaders of other delegations over their collective failure in recent years to address the sore issue of Climate Change its global impact, mitigation and adaptation measures needed.

She was at the time addressing the opening of the World Leaders Summit, at the 26 Conference of Parties (COP 26) currently underway in Glasgow, Scotland, under the auspices of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Delivering blunt remarks to the confab, Prime Minister Mottley, sounded the ‘Code Red’ alarm specifically for G7 and G20 countries, the seven and 20 richest countries on earth.
“Earth to COP,” Mottley dramatised as before cautioning, those who have eyes to see, those who have ears to listen and for those who have a heart to feel, “1.5 (degrees) is what we need to survive, 2 degrees is a death sentence for the people.”For the people of countries like Antigua and Barbuda and Barbados in the Caribbean, in addition to countries like the Samoa in the Pacific, the Maldives, Kenya and Mozambique, among others,
“We do not want that dreaded death sentence and we are here today to say try harder because our people, the climate army, the world, the planet needs our action now, not next year not in the next decade.”
Pandemic Lesson
Prime Minister Mottley in her remarks to the largest climate change confab globally, prefaced her arguments by firstly pointing out that the COVID-19 pandemic has “taught us that national solutions to global problems do not work.”
According to Prime Minister Mottley, world leaders have assembled in Glasgow with a global ambition but there remain critical, if not dangerous gaps in place, as it relates to achieving the publicly stated goals by some.
She cited as example, that with regards mitigation climate pledges to steer the world away from a pathway of a 2.7 degree increase in temperature—above pre-industrial levels—many of “these commitments made by some, are based on technology yet to be developed and this is at best reckless and at worst dangerous.”
Regarding the promised financing by the developed world to the tune of some US$100B annually for Small Island and Developing States (SIDS)—such as Guyana—Prime Minister Mottley used the occasion to point out that this is short some US$20B, and as it relates to the promised adaption finances, this, she said, remains only at 25 percent of what was promised and not the 50/50 split that was promised or needed, given the warming that is already taking place on this earth
Immoral and Unjust
In fact, Mottley noted that Climate related finance to frontline SIDS declined by 25 percent in 2019, and that failure to provide the critical finance sees a measured loss in damaged lives and livelihoods “in our communities.”
This, she said, “is immoral and it is unjust if Glasgow is to deliver on the promise of Paris, it must deliver on these three gaps.”
She queried of World Leaders present, “what excuse should we give for the failure; when will we as world leaders address the pressing issues that are truly causing our people angst and worry, simply put, when will leaders lead.”
Prime Minister Mottley also used the occasion to lament that “regrettably some of the faces needed at Glasgow are not present,” a direct reference to the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping—the world’s leading carbon emitter, responsible for some 27 percent of global emission of greenhouse gases.
Additionally, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, leader of another of the world’s top emitters of carbon, was also absent from the confab.
Both leaders were instead represented by delegations, citing COVID-19 fears for their absence.
Cries of Humanity
The Bajan Prime Minister in her appeal to World Leaders also referenced the voices and imagery on display even at the opening ceremony—depicting the atrocities linked to climate change, asking “are we so blinded and hardened that we can no longer appreciate the cries of humanity.”
According to Mottley, at the end of the Glasgow confab there must be consensus on the correct mix of voices, ambition and action, while questioning, “do some leaders believe that they can survive and thrive on their own, have they not learned from the pandemic.”
She was adamant, “our world stands at a fork in the road, one no less significant than when UN was formed.”
According to Mottley, in 1945 at the time of the formation of the UN, many of the countries in existence today, did not at the time but “we want to exist 100 years from now.”
To this end, she was adamant, “we must act in the interest of all of our people who depend on us, the leaders of today, not 2030 not 2050.”
Minute to Midnight
United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, who hosted the event, in welcoming the delegates and leaders warned that the world was at a “minute to midnight” on the proverbial doomsday clock.
Cognisant summits alone would not solve the current climate crises, Prime Minister Johnson conceded that two weeks after the summit concludes there would still be smoke stacks belching from hydrocarbon powered plants across the world, in addition to petrol and diesel powered vehicles still congesting the roadways.
To this end, Johnson was adamant that the fight against Climate Change cannot be left to governments alone and pointed to the private sector and the role of international financing institutions and multilateral banks.
He was adamant “we have the technology” to make a difference and that “we can find the finance and we must.”
According to the UK Prime Minister however, the question is a matter of political will and pointed to the fact, “we all talk about what we are going to do in 2050 or 2060.”
As such, he used the opportunity to point out that half of the world’s population is under 30, in contrast to the average age of world leaders present in Glasgow being 60.
To this end, Prime Minister Johnson posits, it is “the children who will judge us, children not yet born and their children; if we fail they will not forgive us.”
War-Footing
He was adamant that the grandiose speeches and “blah, blah, blah” would redound to nothing, if COP26 were not to conclude with concrete measures in place.
Elucidating on the urgency of the situation, the UK Prime Minister noted that a two degrees increase in global temperature, inherently means a loss of food supply to millions, while a three degrees increase would result in an increase in extreme weather conditions such as with the case with droughts and wildfires.
With a four-degree increase in temperature, Prime Minister Johnson impressed that at such a time, “we say good bye to cities.”
He was adamant however, all is lost and noted that despite the failures on commitments made some 11 years ago at Copenhagen and six years ago in Paris, there are still measures that can be put in place.
The UK Prime Minister cited as example the shutting down of hydrocarbon and coal fired plants across the world, in addition to the phasing out of fossil fuel based transportation, as well as for the developed world to make good on its financial commitments saying, “we in the developed world must recognise the need to help everybody else to do it.”
Other speakers at yesterday’s opening session of the leadership summit included the Prince of Wales, His Royal Highness, Prince Charles Phillip Arthur George, who in his appeal to the leaders said, “we have to put ourselves on what might be called a war like footing,” in the fight against Climate Change.
Other presenters included UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, famed environmentalist, Sir Richard Attenborough and Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, among others.
Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali is scheduled to address the COP 26 Leadership Summit today.

 

 

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