COP ends. Cop-out

 

Once again a climate COP has finished. Once again it finished in failure. This COP is worse than a failure - it is a betrayal.

It betrays the hopes of those who thought that its decisions would match the severity of the crisis. For this is the year in which the global temperature first exceeded the Paris climate target - 1.5 Celsius. That is just a fact. And it is nearly certain that most years will exceed the target in the coming decade.

And it betrays those whose lives, livelihoods and communities have already been damaged by the climate emergency - the inhabitants of low-lying islands, parched semi-deserts and flood ravaged valleys.

Worst of all it betrays our shared future. For we could have a world in which clean green energy makes us more secure and protects us against petrostate tyrants. A world in which natural energy and sound construction give us warm, comfortable homes. A world in which our lungs are safe from air pollution and our cities are not clogged with diesel and petrol cars.

Instead the fossil fuel lobbyists and petrostate politicians - the salesmen of human death and global collapse - will continue digging coal and pumping oil. To bribe governments and mislead publics. To make obscene profits from the worst thing that anyone could do - the destruction of our shared natural world and thus of our human future.

 

Once again global leaders have seen what's needed and resolved not to do it. Following Schiller we might say that "against stupidity even the gods contend in vain” However, world leaders are not too stupid to know the results of their actions. They are too cowardly to confront the vested interests. If there is a remedy for this its well above my pay grade.