To Begin: 'What’s COP26? What’s Your Role?'
As I write this, COP26 starts tomorrow (on Halloween). I’ll be there for the second of its two weeks.
Here are some Q&As about the event and my role as it gets underway.
What is COP26 and why does it matter?
You may have already seen a flurry of articles on this in your feed. Here is a solid overview; this one is more in-depth.
In short, COP26 is the United Nations Climate Change Conference that will assemble leaders from the countries of the world in one of the most important opportunities to date to curb climate change’s most deadly effects. It is the most important international conference since Paris in 2015. It brings together all the signatory nations of Paris to check in on their targets and update those targets in light of new evidence.
Back in 2020, COP26 was billed as the “most important COP since when the Paris Agreement was formed (COP21 in 2015).” COP26 is the COP when the Paris Agreement finally goes into effect, and when the nations bring their revised pledges that we hope will match what science tells us is needed to prevent 1.5C warming.
Here’s where we are now:
Climate scientist and communicator Katharine Hayhoe likens the conference to a global potluck. Every country is expected to bring to the gathering a dish proportional to what they have contributed to the problem. (It is fairly clear based on historic pollution which countries ought to be bringing one of the mains and which will be doing their part with a bag of chips.)
Isn’t this event controversial?
No and yes.
No in the sense that, scientifically, there is no question the countries of the world need to convene and work quickly on climate change.
But yes in that COP26 has faced criticism from many sides. There is a very small but very loud subset who don’t think international cooperation is required for climate change and/or think the UN is evil; I obviously flatly disagree with the first and, without particularly loving the UN, think there has to be a body to call countries together for a task this large. (From its past failures, the UN has learned to convene these COPs more than dictate them.)
Some have said this shouldn’t be held unless all countries’ delegates can safely attend vaccinated. (After all, the countries with lowest access to vaccines are also some of the countries most threatened by climate breakdown, hmm.) In response, the UK stepped up and provided vaccines for COP26 delegates.
There remain questions of representation, though. COP26 has been called highly exclusionary for the underrepresentation of women, youth, island nations, and Indigenous leaders. Are those who are most affected going to be there to advocate for themselves and push the goals of the proceedings? That is a question that ought to be wrestled with and accounted for during the fortnight and beyond.
Critique has also been leveled (and not wrongly, in my view) that these events are stages for pageantry but countries don’t translate words into actions, that it’s just a bunch of talking heads.
There has undeniably been too little action resulting from past COPs. Almost every country is behind on its pledges. And much of the hands-on work required—drawing down emissions, changing practices, building community resilience, and planning for a better future—doesn’t happen at the COP, it happens at the grassroots and local levels.
But this work cannot happen at the speed and scale needed without global shifts in terms of funding, priorities, leadership, and again, funding. This moment is ripe for the mix of positive peer pressure, activism, scientific backing, and the real-life experiences of climate change in wealthy and poor countries alike to break through social tipping points and increase countries’ pledges. And of course some healthy competition between countries doesn’t hurt. (I recall that old church bulletin blooper: “I’ve upped my pledge. Up yours!”)
How does the U.S. factor in?
We’ll see. That’s a question that’s being wrestled with endlessly right now.
From the summary I linked above (emphasis mine): “President Biden has said that America will cut emissions 50 to 52 percent below 2005 levels in the next decade. As of now, though, few policies are in place to make that happen. Whether other countries come on board, and whether the United States can actually make good on its promise, will determine the trajectory of the planet.”
A lot depends on what the U.S. brings to the table. The fate of the Build Back Better Act may be decided today, or in the next few days. It is far less than it is ultimately needed on climate but as written it has lots of good climate action in it, and it may be enough to show the U.S. is for real on climate and thereby up the ante for other countries at COP26. So we all have a stake in this legislation.
What’s your role?
I'm officially designated as an “observer.”
This means I’m not a diplomat (obviously), but neither am I a conference-goer there to simply sit in sessions and visit swag tables.
My role is to actively observe. Observers are part of the civil society sector. My delegation is there to report out on what’s happening, learn, give voice to a faith perspective, and get face time with decision makers to push them to do more, faster, and with justice integrated in all planning.
(So, I like the multiplicity of the word observe. Seems about right.)
What’s your goal?
There are a few:
First is to share what is going on in a way that engages you in this historic, potentially game-changing moment for climate action. This will mean some recaps, but even more so, stories of those I meet who are at the COP for many reasons.
I am excited to talk with people from around the world. US climate politics (and the social taboo around talking about climate) are not representative of the world’s, and I look forward to learning from all kinds of folks there.
Part of the goal here is to practice making climate an easier topic of conversation; not because the topic has necessarily gotten easier but because of past mistakes and new knowledge, people are learning more all the time about how to have productive, empowering discussion about climate change while avoiding some of the pitfalls that lead to shame, numbing, paralysis, and various forms of denial. I’m still learning and you will no doubt see that reflected here. But on my platforms I am aiming to both keep it real and honest AND to be open to new learning through dialogue.
Goal two is to bear witness. What does that mean? For me it means to attend, see, share, and help keep faith, ethics, and morality in the conversations that have implications for so, so many lives. So I’m going to be trying to stay close to the justice and loss and damage conversations happening at COP26.
If by activism we mean civil society and individual citizens (that can include any of us) to exert pressure on decision makers, yes, I’ll be there practicing activism of a sort.
Anything else?
A few more points of prologue to this event:
COP26 is not the only or even primary place change is happening when it comes to caring for our common home. A lot of the most important, transformative work is happening out of the media eye and on the local and grassroots levels.
This leads me to an important note on my position. There will be 25,000+ people at COP26. Many, many people in the world deserve to be there more than me and will be more personally affected by its outcomes. That’s not right. And I also can’t do anything about it at this point except to use the opportunity to the fullest and for positive impact.
So I’m going to try to lift up other voices on here. And I’m also looking for platforms beyond this newsletter. If you see ways I can share these conversations beyond the COP—via presentation, media, informal beers, etc.—I welcome the connections.
Finally, I still mean what I said a few weeks ago about really valuing all y’all’s thoughts, prayers, and solidarity. Thank you for reading this and engaging in the future as you are able.
(Quick request: if you haven’t already, would you please take this brief, anonymous survey? It helps me know what content is most useful for you.)