How Does COP26 Relate to Environmental Health and Justice?

By Frankie Lloyd

In his moving speech at the opening ceremony of the 26th Conference of the Parties on November 1st 2021, Sir David Attenborough summarised environmental injustice in front of leaders from across the world. In regards to climate change, he stated: ‘Those who’ve done the least to cause this problem are being the hardest hit.’

On October 31st, Glasgow welcomed activists and leaders from around the world for COP26. However, some still feel as though frontline communities whose nations are threatened the most by climate change were still underrepresented during these early conversations at COP26. But what came of these significant discussions? Have the calls to action from vulnerable communities been heard?

The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, began COP26 with two pledges. Firstly, he announced the UN’s plan to establish a group of experts to propose clear standards to measure and analyse the net zero commitments from non-state actors. Secondly, he vowed to do more to protect vulnerable communities from the clear and present dangers of climate change. To do this, Guterres calls for an increased availability of grants for research into overseas climate adaptation and solutions.

The first day of the COP26 summit saw the development of further pledges to protect the environment. Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, announced plans for the country to become net zero by 2070. Whilst monumental for a country who has historically refused to announce any carbon neutrality efforts, many environmentalists still worry that 2070 may be too late — with most countries present at COP26 aiming for net zero by 2050 or 2060. However, Modi also announced plans for India to source 50% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030 which is an honourable first-step in achieving net zero.

Day two of COP26 saw world leaders focus on deforestation and methane emissions. The most poignant of these announcements saw 100 countries promise to end deforestation by 2030. Among these countries were Brazil and China, who plan to aid in restoring damaged land, tackling wildfires and supporting indigenous communities. This effort is backed by £14bn of climate finance and would help increase CO2 absorption from the atmosphere. However, Amazonian indigenous communities state that they were still not consulted in this decision.

The summit’s second day also saw Columbia promise to make 30% of its land protected with a wish to be net zero by 2050. This comes alongside an introduction of new proposed laws to make environmental crimes illegal. Additionally, Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos was present at the second day of the COP26 summit. He announced a $2bn pledge for restoring African land alongside his earlier 2021 Earth Fund pledge to commit $10bn into tackling all areas of climate change, including environmental injustice.

The final major commitment from Day 2 of the COP26 summit involved methane emissions. At the conference, it was stated that methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases and is responsible for a third of global warming. Hence, in an initiative led by the US and the EU, over 100 leaders agreed to commit to cutting methane emissions by 30% before 2030. Sadly, some of the top methane emitters, such as Russia and China, were not among these leaders.

During a panel exploring future green technologies, 15-year-old Vinisha Umashankar spoke before world leaders and entrepreneurs. Like many of the young activists present at COP26, Umashankar urged attendees to take immediate action to protect the future of younger generations. However, in a message of hope, she reminded the world that if our leaders do fail us, we still have the power to unite as people and tackle the climate and environmental issues our communities face. Umashankar was a winner of Prince William’s Earthshot prize for her creation of a solar powered ironing cart which, if implemented, could reduce the use of coal-powered ironing carts in India.

Umashankar’s reminder that we all have the power to innovate and tackle climate change together resonates with the Environment Care mission. We are proud to exist as a consortium of organisations from across the globe and we are eager for future collaborations in the benefit of those being the hardest hit by climate change and environmental pollution.

So far, COP26 has presented us with some reasons to be hopeful. There is still a long way to go, but the world is becoming increasingly aware of the extent of the climate crisis — understanding that global warming, natural disasters, pollution and injustice go hand-in-hand. With developing grants and funding pledges from Antόnio Guterres, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, it appears that there will be an increase in opportunities for environmental organisations to acquire the funding essential for their work. 

If the world leaders adhere to their commitments and successfully reduce global emissions and deforestation by mid-century, vulnerable communities may soon be breathing cleaner air, living within undisturbed habitats and drinking cleaner water. However, reaching this position of improved environmental health will be challenging and requires us to work together now more than ever. There is no climate action without climate justice. It is imperative that we listen to the voices of the communities living on the frontlines of the climate crisis and work collaboratively towards science- and nature-based solutions. We are hopeful that over the coming years, Environment Care will be involved in cutting-edge research and community-level solutions to take us one step closer to a world where nobody suffers sickness at the hands of environmental pollution.

Frankie Lloyd

Environment Care Project Officer

f.lloyd@bham.ac.uk

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