How Relevant are Environmental Summits?

Every year a large number of environmental summits are being held to express concern and to find new ways to combat adverse impact of climate change on humanity and biodiversity at large. Unfortunately, even after such an intense high level discussions and negotiations most of these summits, conclude with utter disappointment and note of failure. Most of these summits conclude with commitment to meet next time for conclusive discussions. In this series, the most noteworthy is Conference of Parties i.e. COP which is being held every year in some or other nation for last 29 years. The recent one which concluded in Baku also did not yield desired outcome even though it was expected to reach at some legally binding agreements. Similarly Intergovernmental Negotiations on Legally Binding Plastic Treaty has also concluded with the failure note. Continuous series of failures and increasing number of conference, summit, ?negotiations etc. on environment related issues raises eyebrows on their ?relevance.

At times it reminds of strategic game plan of oil and aeroplane companies in the United States to disrupt train services and manage to build distrust on surface transport in particular on Railways. At that time oil and aeroplane companies considered railroads services as the most potent threat to their market growth. Hence, all possible efforts were made in direction to create apathy amongst citizens towards Railroads or Amtrak services. Similarly, though United States is considered as the most developed country in the world but in terms of urban transport, it stands far behind countries like Europe and Asia.

Taking clue from this relevance and outcome of these environmental summits should also be analysed. The biggest question over these summits is if ?these doing anything good to the environment or instrumental in Creating just Pollution and Global warming. Another big question is on impact on sustainability? Fact remains that Amtrak's carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per passenger were 0.116?kg per km. For comparison, this is similar to a car with two people, and about two thirds of the raw CO2-equivalent emissions of a long-distance domestic flight.

In this context, it is worth mentioning that every environmental summit attracts thousands of people to participate, claimed to be stakeholders. In events like COP attendance recorded as high as 100,000 in Dubai, 50,000 in Baku and likewise. Similarly, ?the number of participants to any environmental summit or negotiation does not count less than 2000 being environment is the favourite subject to express concern towards mother earth.

If emissions and expenditure on account of travelling to these summits alone is considered, it has been so huge. Instead, If such amount could be invested to handle any of root cause to Environmental Crisis, at least some tangible outcome can be seen to replicate. In such Summits discussions revolve around fossil and jet fuel. But on the contrary, it is not realised that to attend such summits long distance aircrafts consume minimum 50 millilitres per person per mile of jet fuel and if aircraft of 182 to 200 passenger load capacity is considered, consumption goes as high as almost 7 times then the bigger widebody aircrafts. Each litre of jet fuel emits almost 3 kilogram of CO2 which is a greenhouse gas and a major contributor to global warming. Considering average 20,000 participants to COP which has become synonym of Climate Change Tourism, participation is on increasing trend except recent Baku event due to limitations. Participation has increased tremendously over last 5 summits. Emission due to travel alone remains disproportionately higher than saving efforts discussed at the summit. In terms of money not less than ?50,00,00,000 expenditure is only on travel to COP summits. Even if opportunity cost of stakeholders attending these conferences is not considered, the amount spent on lodging, boarding and travel in itself is good enough to correct environmental crisis in many of small islands. ?Large gatherings like COP also create disruptions into the daily life of citizens for the period the event is being organised.

Thinking analytically COP for 29 years, Plastic Treaty for 3 years, Ocean and Small Island Conference for over 5 years and likewise many others similar environmental summits have created sensations, negativism and also distrust amongst stakeholders. It has also been noticed that summits are largely governed or ruled by Developed and Oil Producing Countries. Sufferer developing, marginal, small island countries hardly have any voice on these platforms. Countries like India have spearheaded dialogue on initiatives like loss and damage fund, legal binding to Reduce Plastic Production along with redefining single use plastic within local context. But at the end of summits assurances do not convert to commitment. Unless there is a legal binding over the polluting nations to compensate the sin of pollution, nothing much can be achieved. Summits will remain ritual and another avenue of tourism. Firm action like phasing out of fossil fuel, limiting deforestation and responsible consumption need to be enforced in legal terms with an aim to maintain temperature at 1.5 degrees Celsius. During last 5 years, more number and widespread wildfires have been noticed impacting biodiversity yielding another major challenge to the survival. These environment summits are continuously loosing their shine. Fact remains that Senior Leadership of the Countries do not consider it as priority to attend. Earlier, these used to be attended by Head of the Nations. It was in Paris United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21)? when commitment was expressed by Head of the Nations to act towards legally binding document but since 2017, after Donald Trump decided to keep United States out of Paris Agreement, delegations are not represented by senior leadership to take a decisive action. Every passing year level of delegations has been on decrease.

It is high time when all stakeholder should seriously think about changing format of these summits from discussion or negotiation to direct action, focussed direct action may create an environment to replicate the same with local modifications and requirement. Otherwise during time to come such environmental summits will not find any serious takers.

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