It’s too easy to criticise and dismiss COP 27 but I think momentum is building?

This is the first of a series of daily blog posts from 51toCarbonZero’s?Chairman, Neil Woodcock , who is attending #COP27 in Sharm El Shei

As I arrive in Sharm el Sheik for COP 27, I have a mixture of cynicism and excitement.? I’m not sure how the week will pan out, or how I will feel about COP at the end of it, but right now I’m hopeful.

Why the cynicism?? The COP process has been criticised by many commentators, particularly activists, as ‘a sham’ involving much political chest beating but resulting in a series of broken promises.? I have nothing but praise for (most) activists - we need them as the planet accelerates into a climate and ultimately, humanitarian disaster. ? We all need to become activists or at least evangelists, actively discussing and persuading others, changing behaviour and buying habits, voting for the politicians who stick to their promises.? The activists are right to be incensed: Forget 1.5degrees.?

Recent projections from? Climate Action Tracker have shown that even if every country keeps to its 2030 climate pledges made only a year ago at COP 26 (Glasgow) - and they won’t as only 24 of 194 countries have come forward with promised updated emissions-reduction targets (WRI, 2022) - the planet would still be on track to warm by 2.4℃. The WWF (2021) highlight the impact this would have on extreme weather events (170% increase in flood risk), increased desertification (410 million people exposed to severe drought), higher sea levels (10 cm higher vs 1.5℃), loss of biodiversity (extinction of all Arctic life and coral) and so on. The world will change as we know it.

But I’m excited too.? Why?? Two reasons.??

• The first: Not everyone knows what COP stands for but the C isn’t for Climate or Carbon as you might think, it’s for Collaboration.? ‘Collaboration Of the Parties’.? We have to collaborate; to explore and challenge the science, understand and persuade the cynics, discuss how we accelerate the most important climate tech and innovations, agree how carbon taxes can be practically applied globally, agree how the developed countries sponsor the less developed, discuss the legal implications such as whether we need a Nuremberg-type court for the worst Carbon culprits.? Collaboration gives us a common understanding, helps us understand the priorities, the big issues and the big challenges.? Collaboration is an essential prerequisite for action.??
• The second: When the world really needs to, it can respond positively and decisively.? Look at the Covid response.? Scientists first, then politicians, rapidly sought to collaborate across the world to understand the problem and accelerate solutions.? The last time the world saw such widespread collaboration was during the Second World War.? Imminent crises mobilise real people. We cannot rely on politicians and talking shops – but as the devastating effects of climate change permeates the consciousness of disbelievers and nay sayers, the opportunity to galvanise huge swathes of the world’s population becomes a reality. Differences are overcome by common enemies; never has there been a greater common enemy than climate change, and as more and more witness this first hand, the network of humanity will utilise its extraordinary capacity to facilitate rapid change. It is well-known that war accelerates change and development. We are at war.

We’re at war against both carbon emissions and apathy.? At 51-0, we’re working at speed with climate leaders both among our clients and in Government to simplify and accelerate carbon reductions.? We’re proud of the work we do and the impact we have.? We will meet like-minded souls at Sharm, and collaborate to make a bigger, faster impact, together. It’s not just about the world leaders; it’s about the thousands of smaller organisations coming together to share ideas, experiences and galvanise action.

Carbon emissions transparency: I travelled to/from Gatwick in a hybrid vehicle, economy air flight, staying at an eco-hotel (says it’s aiming for carbon neutrality by 2028), hired an electric scooter in Sharm, will eat vegetarian, have offset the flight and hotel.