COP 26. One Week On & Another Week to Go
Let's talk about the new climate crisis activists: The self-aggrandizing fervor that comes from positioning yourself at the heart of a catastrophe is now addictive [just as with Covid] to media, journalists, and news reporters as they swarm the Glasgow COP26 stadium with its global guest list of billionaires, Royalty, Hollywood stars with something to say, and political leaders from across the globe, but critically excluding XI of China and Putin of Russia, although in fairness their delegates are in attendance.
While one trusts COP26 will not be a Super Spreader event as masks seemed optional, the other extraordinary irony is that many of the attendees arrived on Private Jets [400 it's been calculated] to either nearby Edinburgh or Prestwich airports. Jets that produce as much as ten times more carbon emission per passenger than a person taking a normal commercial aircraft. And many of them left within 48 hours after glad-handing and enjoying some minutes of fame with exhortations and photo ops.
If it all sounds like a 'Marie Antoinette' moment on her memorable 'Cake' quote, we will in this case, choose another analogy " You wouldn't start a conference on famine with an 8-course degustation feast at The Ritz".
Continuing with the food adage, many delegates are complaining that the Government organizers of COP26 have provided inappropriate menus. 60% of which proudly suggest Scottish produce featuring beef and dairy products which some commentators described was akin to serving cigarettes at a lung cancer conference.
But they ate anyway. Such is the doublespeak and hypocrisy of today's movers and shakers.
Both President Biden and his Climate Tsar John Kerry left in a cavalcade of limousines, including 2 Cadillac Beasts that consume fuel at 8 miles to the gallon [one as a decoy] after barely 48 hours. They both opined very publicly on how they felt huge progress was being made at COP26 and how everyone attending had 'finally' woken up to the seriousness of the imminent challenges ahead.
On the periphery of climate-related discussions, the consensus remains: We can't immediately rely on green technologies to solve and power us out of impending calamity.
Nonetheless, progress would seem to have been made in the first week on global deforestation, where Biden promised billions of dollars in a sweeping 'accord' to end it.
The agreed pact encompasses 85% of the Worlds rainforests and is backed by the delegates of Brazil, China, and Russia. This is an important accord and one that COP26 can be justifiably proud of, as the participants have been disinclined in the past to make such a firm commitment.
Despite the bias, Nuclear Energy would seem to be the black sheep returning to the fold after Fukushima. One only has to look at the record prices of Uranium to see that. We will follow the conclusions of the jamboree once they are concluded.