COP26 Daily Review: Monday 8th November
Monday was the start of a new week at COP26 and there was a lot going on! Check out the video and photos below to see what CHEC got up to today! Also, read on for the latest news from COP26 including:
Obama's arrival
The fossil fuel industry's delegation size
Saudi Arabia's lobbying
If you're at COP26 we'd love to know! Reach out to us in the comments below!
If you're looking for what's on at COP26 then look no further than our COP26 Daily Preview: Tuesday 9th November.
We've also added some extra snaps to yesterday's update so don't forget to check out those as well here: COP26: Daily Review: Sunday 7th November.
CHEC's Monday at COP26
It was another busy day at COP26 on Monday 8th November for CHEC. Our delegation visited many events and discussions including:
A plenary with Alok Sharma on "taking stock" of where progress is right now.
A play in the Blue zone for "Act Now for Climate Justice"
The "Building A Climate Resilient Future" event in the Presidency Pavilion
For our daily review video, CHEC Board Member and Trustee, Emily Robinson provides a great overview of the day. We then have interviews with James Brown of Mental Health First Aid about climate anxiety in young people and youth climate activist, Lian Chen. CHEC Board Member and Trustee, Subbu Loganathan then provides his own views. You can watch it below!
Large queues getting ready for Monday 9th November at COP26
Plenary with Alok Sharma on "taking stock" on progress at COP26 so far
The Youth delegation respond to Alok Sharma at the Plenary session at COP26
The play in the Blue Zone at COP26 - "Fund Loss and Damage for Climate Justice"
On the left: Actors dressed as "Rich countries" who drank pretend bottles of oil and had lumps of coal blocking them from listening. On the right: People explain the harm and suffering caused by fossil fuel use and climate change.
A cheque used in a play presented in the COP26 Blue Zone. The cheque reads "$blah blah blah"
The speakers at the "Building a Climate Resilient Future" event at COP26. Speakers include: Professor Iain Stewart, Dr Tara Shine, Emma Howard Boyd, Arghya Sinha Roy, Anand Patwardhan and Professor Saleem Huq.
Storm sea barriers to stop floods - shown to be an example of adaptation and resilience at COP26. #TogetherForOurPlanet
Bijal Brahmbhatt, Director of Mahila Housing SEWA Trust (MHT) speaking at COP26.
Ionie Samuels, a resident at Gales Point Village in Belize speaking at COP26.
Obama Arrives at COP26
Over the weekend former US President Barrack Obama arrived at COP26. On Monday he took to the stage to discuss climate change. In his wide ranging speech Obama addressed:
How the US stalled in the battle against climate change under former President Trump.
How we have so far "fallen short" and not done enough "collectively or individually" to address climate change.
How both China and Russia have a "dangerous absence of urgency".
However, Obama's speech has not gone without criticism. Obama was billed as having a "message for youth" however, many have taken to Twitter to share how they've not been able to see Obama. This has become a recurring theme at COP26 with important groups being omitted from key talks and it being labelled at the "most exclusionary" climate summit ever. Whether it's Obama or anyone else talking, this must be addressed. All youth must be included and welcomed in climate discussions.
https://twitter.com/AlexandriaV2005/status/1457636447398207496?s=20
https://twitter.com/Leahtommi/status/1457700807927762944?s=20
Obama's full speech is now available to watch which you can do so by pressing play on the video below!
The Fossil Fuel Industry's Huge Delegation
One big story that broke on Monday morning involved the fossil fuel industry. Unfortunately, it looks like they are up to no good, again. This time, it's been revealed that the fossil fuel industry has the biggest delegation present at COP26.
A report by Global Witness has calculated that if the fossil fuel industry were a country it would have the biggest delegation of 503 participants. This is an extremely worrying statistic, even more so when it's put into further perspective:
The fossil fuel delegation dwarves "the UNFCCC’s official indigenous constituency by around two to one".
The fossil fuel delegation is "larger than the combined total of the eight delegations from the countries worst affected by climate change in the last two decades - Puerto Rico, Myanmar, Haiti, Philippines, Mozambique, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Pakistan".
Further to this, 27 countries registered fossil fuel lobbyists. These countries included Canada, Russia and Brazil. The fact that the fossil fuel industry is represented as much as this is a concern. They are represented more than every single country. They have more representation than the youth who are desperate to be involved and have struggled to gain access.
However, if one thing can be taken from this it's that it shows the industry is worried. Worried about the inspiration and influence many of the events at COP26 have and will continue to have. Worried that their ability to make money through continuing to harm the planet may be under threat.
Saudi Arabia Accused of Hindering COP26 Efforts
Another news story breaking today involved Saudi Arabia. As all decisions at COP26 require a consensus across all 196 countries it's easy for specific countries to block progress. Greenpeace are reporting that Saudi Arabia have done just this, and have attempted to block key negotiations.
For example:
They attempted to block negotiations over the ‘cover decision’ for the final text. The cover decision is the main message that will come out of COP26. It signals what the final outcome means for the world.
They blocked efforts to achieve progress on adaptation - a key pillar of the Paris climate agreement.
With this occurring alongside the large fossil fuel delegation, hopes for a successful outcome at COP26 are dwindling. However, with the majority of the week to go, anything can happen!
Did you attend COP26 on Monday 8th November? What were your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!
