COP26: recapping the conferences purpose and end result
Summary
To quote the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), the goal of the Paris Agreement was to “limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels”. And while many have taken solace in the very fact alone that climate change awareness has received so much publicity, the truth remains that COP26 has largely been considered an act of ‘greenwashing’ (wherein eco-friendly discussions are used as marketing tools more than as a viable approach to environmentalism). In fact, Greta Thunberg deemed the conference “a PR event, where leaders … [announce] fancy commitments and targets – while behind the curtains, governments of the Global North countries are still refusing to take any drastic climate action”. First and foremost, the reduction – rather than removal – of coal is a clear reflection of the fact that greenhouse gas emissions are set to remain indefinitely a part of our industries, from transport to energy generation. And, on top of this, the dangers of cobalt mining for rechargeable electronics’ (from smartphones to electric cars) lithium-ion batteries cause uncontrollable human and environmental damages, meaning that electrification proves to be once again a far-from-ideal solution.