After repeatedly postponing drastic measures due to economic crisis, pandemic, war or inflation, we are close to the time when we will have to postpone climate measures because the priority is.. . to face the consequences of climate change. Postpone commitments because it is more urgent to deal with casualties and destruction and prepare for the next disaster
The joke is told. Read successively the slogans of the last ten climate summits:
From words to actions. All together for the climate. From words to actions. Further, faster, together. Change together. It’s time to act. Unite the world to fight climate change. Together for implementation. Unite, act, comply. Solidarity for a green world.
Come on, now read them without laughing. And then try to read them without crying.
Twenty-nine summits later, here we are, COP29 in Azerbaijan, continuing the joke from the previous year in Dubai. That the summits are already being held directly in fossil fuel-producing countries, and that they are led by a former leader of the oil sector (and a denier at that), is a step forward: since they are of little use from an environmental point of view, let’s at least take advantage of It’s for doing business. Let’s turn conferences into a trade and government fair. With a motto from Mr. Wonderful, yes, climate mutual aid so as not to discourage staff: together, action, all together, act, united, together, together, together.
Sorry to sound ashen, but the record of the previous 28 summits and the nine years since the Paris Agreement could not be darker. A succession of disappointed expectations, non-binding and unfulfilled agreements, polluting countries that do not sign, promises, conclusions that are always “bittersweet” and breakfast-cup slogans. The temperature continues to rise, we consume more oil and even more coal, and emissions are at historic highs. But we remain committed.
The fact is that there is always a certain urgency that delays us in our commitment. We were all on the same side, but the financial, economic and social crisis of 2008 arrived and we had to wait a few years because the priority was to get out of the hole, to save the banking system, to regain growth, to mitigate social destruction. . Once the worst was over, it was time to act together against climate change… but the pandemic arrived, and what are we going to do about it, we had to put it on hold again. Our commitment was still intact, but we first had to survive the virus and its economic and social consequences.
We came out of the pandemic, also very aware of our relationship with nature… but the war came to Ukraine, and at least Europe was not ready for ecological transitions. We optimists thought that shutting off the oil and gas taps from Russia would lead us to rethink our energy model, but not so quickly: some countries started burning coal like crazy, while others others were looking for oil and gas in other countries. In the event of a rebound, an inflationary crisis which would also not allow us to think about the climate, would still have to wait.
And here we are, with DANA in Valencia on the eve of COP29, as proof that climate change is no longer just a climate crisis, but increasingly a climate emergency. After repeatedly postponing drastic measures due to economic crisis, pandemic, war or inflation, we are close to the time when we will have to postpone climate measures because the priority is.. . to face the consequences of climate change. Postpone commitments because it is more urgent to deal with casualties and destruction and prepare for the next disaster.
And yet, we cannot afford to be defeated or cynical. Even though we have already crossed several red lines and there are irreversible effects, every degree, every half-degree, every tenth of a degree counts. And our lives depend on it. If it is not a priority for leaders, it should be for citizens; we will not just wait for the next summit to see if it is the right one.
