COP 26 opens

Josianne

vegansrock

Are the world leaders really up to the task? Or is it all a blah blah blah exercise?

No they're not up to the task because most of them have exceeded their shelf-life and not just because they are elderly. They just keep churning out the same old platitudes.

I fear that you are correct Josianne

Wasn’t midnight supposed to be the apocalypse Alegrias? In which case if it’s ten past we are dust.

Urmstongran

Wasn’t midnight supposed to be the apocalypse Alegrias? In which case if it’s ten past we are dust.

Yep.

People have been saying for 40 years that we don't have the evidence yet, and its not urgent, and so nothing adequate has been done. So now we're past the tipping point.

What we need is radical infrastructure change, not schemes to recycle yogurt pots. We can still limit the temperature change, but not enough to prevent the disasters we're already seeing round the globe. What they need to be talking about as well is the mitigation strategies we need.

We do have to bear in mind though that some of these disasters are not through global warming. Many of the forest fires in Spain this summer was the result of arsonists - it was reported about in their newspapers. The same thing happened in California apparently. We do need in my opinion to keep a sense of perspective whilst rinsing out our yoghurt pots. What else can we do? Those on high will doubtless coerce us into buying heat pumps, eating less meat, making us pay bigger bills. Mind you most of this won’t faze the well off. I know this is true.

There's always been forest fires. The extent and density of the fires is the proof of Global Warming. No more excuses.

Rinse out your yogurt pots, be all means. I do, it's not a waste of time. We'll not be coerced into buying heart pumps because they are fundamentally unsuited to our house and make minimal difference to the actual carbon footprint of the country.

A bigger focus on renewable energy, changing the infrastructure to support electric vehicles, plans for how we'll deal with the huge numbers of climate refugees that will be caused when the low-lying or hot countries become uninhabitable. That's what we need. Unfortunately I didn't get invited to COP

"The great and the good" are only taking any action at all as they have been forced to do so as a result of the evidence provided by almost every brilliant mind and institution in science across the entire world.

Please do not let your mistrust or lack of faith in our leaders distract from the urgency and importance of the unfolding crisis.

From the filth in our rives to the catastrophic fires in Australia this is happening now.

I have read on here recently that someone didn't want to hear about another disaster straight after Covid. Feeling queasy about hearing more bad news and burying your head in the sand doesn't mean it's not happening. Not believing the truth doesn't mean that it's not coming to ruin your grandchildren's world.

Also, this isn't something coming next right after Covid - it's been coming at us hard since we were young and we have mostly been busy ignoring it.

This

But worrying myself sick about it won’t do anyone any good whilst we await orders from those on high. I’m really not burying my head. I’m self preserving whilst waiting for directions from those in charge.

Nobody's asking you to worry yourself sick, although a bit of awareness would be welcome.

Its just as well that we didn't all await orders from on high or we'd be up to our ankles in seawater by now.

Posts trying to say its not happening aren't on. And you definitely don't get to diss Sir David

Well I think some of the already anxious young (from covid lockdowns) are getting quite scared by it all.

That's interesting Urmstongran. I hadn't noticed that but I take your point. Obviously there are a lot of very angry young people around. I expect they are scared because they have an awareness that things will be very different in the future, and we have to start doing something about it right now.

The BBC must have literally hundreds of people going to Glasgow. Even the bluddy One Show just had to come from Glasgow. Pure virtue signalling - at what cost?

Granny23

Marks out of ten

Attenborough = 10
Johnson = 0

Actually I thought that they were both good speeches.

Different in style, but both good.

LINK Speech by The Prime Minister

LINK Speech by Sir David Attenborough

Granny23

Marks out of ten

Attenborough = 10
Johnson = 0

Maybe Johnson said some of the right things about the danger of climate change and how we must all take action now. He seems to have changed his mind about renewables since he wrote "wind turbines couldn't blow the skin off a rice pudding" when he was a Telegraph journalist.

But actions count more than words. His government has just reduced the cost of demestic flights, is considering opening a new mine in Cumbria and a new oilfied in the North Sea.

His most important policy is to make trading with our nearest neighbours as difficult as possible and try to trade more with countries on the other side of the world.

He has taken more private flights than any Prime Minister ever and is just about to welcome his seventh or eight child into the world. How responsible is that?

Oh varian I think they are all at it! Which is why those of us not in the upper echelons of power feel ‘got at’. This will get worse but it won’t affect the rich. Never does.

An analysis by the Telegraph reveals the EU’s top official ordered “air taxis” for 18 out of her 34 official trips since taking up the role in December 2019, on a pledge to turn the bloc carbon-neutral by 2050.

The shortest of the journeys was a 31-mile hop between Vienna and Bratislava, as part of Mrs von der Leyen’s tour of European capitals to sign off on their coronavirus recovery plans, according to a senior Commission official.

* and she too has 7 children. Like many.

Jamie Oliver
The Yorkshire Shepherdess
Gordon Ramsey
et al.

Boris Johnson...

Yes, him too. See varian’s post above mine.
I totally agreed.

Just makes me think (as they’re ALL at it) ....Do they know something we are not been told about climate change??

If these are the people with all the facts then they don’t seem too bothered about it.

Strangely similar to Covid.
Masks and social distancing in public, rubbing shoulders and no masks when they think the cameras aren't there.

Urmstongran
I hate to disagree with you this won’t affect the rich but sooner or later it will.
They think they’re immune, but they’re not. It will take a little longer, but as sure as eggs are eggs it will affect them.

Yes, sorry UG, I realised you were already making that point after I posted.

As for them knowing something we don't, they're not part of a conspiracy, they're just not very good at joined up thinking.

I'm quite bemused by the fact that people think that the faces we see on the TV having a jolly good time at the Kelvingrove Gallery and so on are actually the important people at the summit. The important people are the ones most of us have never heard of; Archie Young, Xie Zhenhua, Teresa Ribera. Not, I'm afraid, Boris, Biden or even the Queen. Biden et all will have to agree to stump up the money, but they don't do the work.

Not quite sure what the Queen's role is. Encourager, maybe?

Maybe MerylStreep. Maybe.
In the meantime we cant heat our homes with gas but they can keep their private jets ....

Alegrias ?

I suppose Bezo ‘s private jet emits less CO2 than his spaceship - so he is cutting back.

"We do have to bear in mind though that some of these disasters are not through global warming. " but without the global warming, those natural disasters on their own would have been the same as they ever are. Like steady rain falling on the crew as they go about their business, they would be horrible at the time, but not sink the ship as a tsunami would.