Mia Mottley alerta que os riscos que sua nação já corre são um “código vermelho” para as potências (Kiara Worth/UNFCCC)

 

Graziella Albuquerque, for NINJA Collaborative Coverage at COP26

On the third day of COP26, dissatisfaction began to emerge, mainly among representatives of the smaller nations, with the direction the conference has taken. They are suspicious of some of the talks given by and goals set by richer countries, which they say do not inspire confidence. They are referring to the announcement made by the richer countries that they would commit to increase the target of greenhouse gas reduction, but some measures were considered insufficient by the nations threatened by climate change.

Mia Mottley, the prime minister of Barbados island, which is already suffering from the impacts of rising sea levels, warned of the dangers of the climate crisis for her country. In an interview with CNN, she that stated, “Code red for China, the US, Europe and India.”

The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, also reported some disappointment to CNN, affirming that the targets set did not go “far enough to contain global temperature rises of 1.5 degrees Celsius.”

Additionally, Panamanian President LaurentinoCortizoconfessed he is not optimistic about what the COP26 conference can achieve. “We’ve heard it all before. What we need is action,” said Cortizo. “I’m not optimistic that it will be enough.”

China and Russia have made it clear that they do not intend to accompany the United States and European countries in the goal of zeroing all fossil fuel pollution by 2050. Their constant refusals, as well as those by India, threaten the hopes of reaching the established goals, since these are among the five largest emitters of polluting gases in the world.

Scientists see this situation as a problem, as rapid cuts in the production of this type of fuel are essential to keep the hope alive of limiting global warming to increases as low as 1.5°C.

Green Marketing

From the perspective of visitors and activists in Glasgow, one of the biggest criticisms regards the excessive “green marketing” that surrounds the event’s corridors.

COP26 is a meeting to discuss global interests, a political conference, and one that affects everyone’s lives. However, especially in the outdoors green zone, which is open to the general public, most of the narrative that we see is that of a “green market” transition, with little clarification on how the climate crisis has affected the lives of thousands of people around of the world. Everything acquires a milder tone.

The climate crisis is already visible in the world: floods, volatile climate, droughts, and forest fires are unmistakable signs that the global economy needs to reinvent itself to stop the catastrophes that are to come. COP 26 is a meeting to express and portray the urgent global crisis that could lead the human species to probable extinction.
Translated by: Adriana Kauffmann – Catálogo de Tradutores