Countdown to COP26… it’s game on

The run-up to COP 26 UN Climate talks in Glasgow this November has triggered an avalanche of new demands, initiatives, proposals, protests and more… all designed to get big action happening on addressing the climate emergency.

With just over 3 months to go before the 2021 UN Climate Change conference (COP26) is held in Glasgow in November, the frenzied cries for action on social justice and climate change are getting louder and are coming from more varied sectors of society.

The bottom line is that no-one wants to watch this planet melt beneath our feet. Most people are now aware that the climate emergency is frighteningly real and, frankly, it’s an urgent situation. To use a dinosaur analogy – the climate emergency is the risk of mass extinction of the entire species while Covid19 is akin to a herd of triceratops getting a bad flu, from which some of them die.

So, as we start the countdown to COP26, the initiatives are being rolled out thick and fast, no doubt with many more to come by the end of the year.

Let’s take a look at some of the recent efforts:

BUSINESS

Getting attention for the climate emergency:

• The Planet Mark Zero Carbon Tour

A tour of the UK by electric bus, this is an initiative by sustainability certification organisation, Planet Mark. This is the UK’s first ‘Carbon Battle Bus’ and the first 100% electric bus to tour the UK. Starting in September 2021, the Zero Carbon Tour aims to illustrate the huge array of actions the business community is taking to address the climate crisis and take the net zero carbon message to communities around the world. Follow #ZeroCarbonTour on social media or follow its progress around the UK at https://tour.planetmark.com/

LEGISLATION

A look at what’s on the table in parliament:

• The Better Business Act

An initiative driven by the private sector, if passed, the Better Business Act would amend Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 so that companies are legally obligated to operate in a manner that benefits their stakeholders, including workers, customers, communities and the environment, while seeking to deliver profits for shareholders.

Currently, we have the insane situation where a company has by law to put the profits of its shareholders as a higher priority than its impact on social justice and the environment. The Better Business Act would transform the way we do business, so that every single company in the UK, whether big or small, takes ownership of its social and environmental impact.

So far (July 2021), the BBA coalition currently consists of over 650 businesses. The campaign concept and strategy were initiated by B Lab UK, which acts as Secretariat to the coalition.

https://betterbusinessact.org/

• The Climate & Ecological Emergency Bill (CEE Bill)

CEE Bill updates the existing Climate Change Act and fills in gaps to address the latest science on climate AND nature. Drafted by scientists, legal experts, ecological economists and environmentalists, the CEE Bill is designed specifically to reverse the climate and ecological breakdown.

The Bill requires the UK to take responsibility for its fair share of greenhouse gas emissions, to actively restore biodiverse habitats, and to stop damaging our natural world through the production, transportation and disposal of the goods we consume.

Tabled by Caroline Lucas MP (Green) as a private member’s bill in parliament, the CEE Bill now has support of 110 MPs across 8 political parties, representing England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

https://www.ceebill.uk/

COMMUNITY ACTIVISM

Expect a lot more from climate activists in the coming months and mass mobilisations for climate justice:

• COP26 Coalition

The COP26 Coalition is a civil society coalition made of groups and individuals from a range of constituencies in Scotland and the rest of the UK. The Coalition is coordinating two days of action for climate justice on Friday 5th and Saturday 6th November with protests happening globally. On 6th November, the COP26 Coalition is organising to bring thousands of people on to the streets of Glasgow to demand climate justice be at the centre of negotiations. https://cop26coalition.org/

• Extinction Rebellion

Extinction Rebellion are organising a UK-wide protest to take place over two weeks from 23 August 2021. For more information: https://extinctionrebellion.uk/event/rebellion/

ABOUT COP26

26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties

The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on 31 October – 12 November 2021. The COP26 summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

COP26 explained