The new pledges made at the COP26 lead us to a reduced number of greenhouse gas emissions from 52,4 gigatonnes to 41,9. Sounds good right? Well we must reach 26,6 by 2030 which is now dangerously close as we're only 8 years away from that terrifying deadline. A deadline which applies for multiple different criteria. Is this going to be enough for OUR leaders to take responsibility for yesterday's actions or are we going to continue this stigma that this climate chaos is a next generation's issue?
There's two obvious paths towards fighting this battle: as individuals we must do our best to be eco-friendly but will that ever be enough? No. Without a determined group of world leaders who are aware of the eminent danger the past generations have placed us in. After most world leaders and delegates flew to Glasgow in over 100 private jets. The effects of this were dreadful, showcasing to an extreme how hypocritical this summit was. But in the middle of this almost corrupted present we live in, there was an inspiring speech by the Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Mottley. Shining a light on how neglected the developing communities of the Caribbean, Africa, South Asia, and South America are by those who make the decisive calls (USA, Europe, China, etc.) and how they are the ones who are first-handily experiencing this chaos, finishing her speech with a powerful sentence "The leaders of today, not 2030, not 2050, must make this choice (to fight climate change)".
That's how politicians must face this issue. As a today issue, as our issue because it's not going to affect our grandkids, it's affecting us now. And we shouldn't treat it as if it's the planet that's at danger as the planet will simply regenerate again, we won't. We'll go extinct. Forever.