Milborne Port Climate and Nature Action group
COP 28 did not achieve enough. Will you?
Alok Sharma, former COP president made clear that failure to agree fossil fuel phase-out at COP 28 “will push the world into climate breakdown”. Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary General, renewed his “urgent appeal to leaders to recommit to the 1.50 C warming limit, end the fossil fuel age and deliver climate justice because we are on the brink of climate disaster and this conference must mark a turning point”. Tragically, the deal finally agreed was cause for celebration amongst oil producers, the wording merely an incremental improvement that should not have taken 28 years and COPs to achieve.
The headline COP28 agreement to “transition away” from fossil fuels for energy was the first time that fossil fuels have been mentioned in COP decisions. “We didn’t turn the page on the fossil fuel era in Dubai but this outcome is the beginning of the end” said the UN Climate Chief. But it is a shuffle rather than a step; according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the terms of the agreement provide only about 30% of what’s needed to reach the 1.5C target. Simply slowing down the rate at which your house burns down is not a win: we need to take the steep downhill path shown in the graphic below, now.
Meanwhile a “staggering acceleration of global warming is underway, driven by a huge planetary energy imbalance”; the rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in the last 12 months is the largest ever recorded, more than double the last ten-year annual average. Insulating homes and installing heat pumps could boost the economy by £7 billion a year and create 140,000 new jobs by 2030. The government is currently spending £78 billion in subsidising people’s energy bills… but for £8 billion it could insulate the 8 million homes most in need; greatly cutting bills AND cutting our emissions. We need politicians that will heed the science and invest in green solutions that bring our energy bills down and sustain life on our planet.
Remember that the idea that nations are the only or even the primary actors when it comes to climate action is just not true. There is so much that can be done at every level and every voice counts. We have to act now because later is too late. Lobby and vote for strong climate policies (the climate underpins everything we need and care about); spend, save & invest your money ethically; walk, cycle, travel less & use public transport; insulate your house; eat a lot less meat and dairy. Refuse, refrain, repair, reuse, recycle.
It’s time to decide.
Which side of history will
you choose to be on?
Because #LaterIsTooLate
Here’s One Thing To Do: Decide which side of history you want to be on and make your New Year’s Resolution to get your own footprint and your money on that steep downhill course.
Next meeting: Friday 12 January, 7.30 pm Town Hall. Upstairs.