All this week, the world's attention will be trained on Glasgow, Scotland for COP 26, the 26th Conference of Parties on climate Change.
The world's leaders meet as the planet's citizens are facing an existential emergency. To put it within the local context, climate change threatens to drive up sea levels making low lying areas like Belize City uninhabitable, and cause sea temperatures to rise - causing coral bleaching and eventually killing off vast swathes of Belize's precious barrier reef. Add to all this more extreme storms and floods - and you will know that Belize, and the rest of the world is in trouble. And the only way to mitigate it is to massively reduce carbon emissions of all nations,
So, COP 26 is seen as an important tipping point, "A minute to midnight" as one leader put it - the last chance to solidify the resolve to take climate action and address what has become humanity's crisis. As we told you, Belize has a delegation of almost 30 representatives, and our Cherisse Halsall is also in Glasgow to bring you extensive coverage of this important conference.
At today's opening event, which lasted for 5 hours, various world leaders, including Belize's Prime Minister, delivered remarks. We start our coverage tonight on an excerpt of the presentation made by Sir David Attenborough, the People's Advocate for COP 26. Here's how he placed this global crisis into historical context:
Sir David Attenborough - COP 26 People's Advocate
"For much of humanity's ancient history that number bounced wildly between 180-300 and so too did global temperatures. But just over 10,000 years ago that number suddenly stabilize and with it, earth's climate. We found ourselves in an unusually benign period with predictable seasons and reliable weather. For the first time civilization was possible and we wasted no time in taking advantage of that. Everything we've achieved in the last 10,000 years was enabled by the stability during this time. The global temperature has not waivered over this period by more than plus or minus one-degree Celsius, until now. Burning of fossil fuels or destruction of nature, our approach to industry construction and learning are releasing carbon into the atmosphere at an unprecedented paste and scale. We are already in trouble. The stability we all depend on is breaking. This story is one of equality as well as instability. Today, those whose done the least to cause this problem are being the hardest hit. Ultimately all of us will feel the impact, some of which are now unavoidable. We know how to stop the number rising and put it in reverse. We must have carbon emissions halt in this decade. We must recapture billion of tons of carbon from the air. We must fix our sights on keeping one and a half degrees within reach. In my life time I witnessed a terrible decline. In yours, you could and should with this wonderful recovery, that desperate hope ladies and gentlemen, is why the world is looking to you."
We turn now to some of the fiery comments made by Mia Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados. Here's what she had to say on behalf of the citizens of Caribbean nations and the Small Island Developing States who know all too well about the devastation that global warming has already caused:
Hon. Mia Amor Mottley - Prime Minister of Barbados
"We come to Glasgow with global ambition to save our people and to save our planet, but we now find 3 gaps on mitigation, climate pledges, or NDCs. Without more we will leave the world on a pathway to 2,7 degrees and with more we are still likely to get to 2 degrees. These commitments made by some are based on technology yet to be developed and this is at best reckless and at worst dangerous. On finance, we are 20 billion dollars short of the 100 billion and this commitment even then might only be met in 2023. On adaptation, adaptation finance remains only at 25%, not the 50/50 split that was promised nor needed given the warming that is already taken place on this earth. Climate finance to frontline to small islands developing states declined by 25% in 2019. Failure to provide the critical finance and that of loss and damage is measured my friends in lives and livelihoods in our communities. This is immoral and it is unjust. If Glasgow is to deliver on the promises on Paris, it must close these 3 gaps, so I ask to you what must we say to our people living on the frontline in the Caribbean, in Africa, in Latin America, in the Pacific - when both ambition and regrettably some of the needed faces at Glasgow are not present. What excuse should we give to the failure? In the words of that Caribbean icon Eddy Grant "will they mourned us on the frontline". Code red, code red to the G7 countries. Code red to the G20. Earth to COP, that's what it said. For those who have eyes to see. For those who have ears to listen."
Later on, in the opening event of COP 26, Prime Minister John Briceno was delivered his address. He focussed on that beloved Barrier Reef, which is under attack from coral bleaching, caused by global warming:
Hon. John Briceno - Prime Minister of Belize
"I'm here as a Belizean and as a global citizen to call for solidarity. As a member of AOSIS, Belize is here to demand urgent action to combat climate change."
"Belize is the proud custodian of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, the second-largest reef system in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But here is the sad reality. The reef is under siege."
"The reef is dying and may be beyond the point of full restoration. Its loss will be irreversible. For Belize, the Barrier Reef is more than a global beauty; it also underpins our culture and our tourism industry which contributes approximately 40 percent to our gross domestic product. Without the reefs, Belize's economy could crumble. Our people's lives will be forever changed."
"Excellencies, the threat to our Barrier Reef is a direct result of human-induced climate change."
"Mister President, Belize is proud of our record on conservation. But all will be lost, if the countries of the G20 obfuscate, and abdicate their responsibilities to act. With right on our side, we demand climate justice. We demand immediate action! Ambitious action to save our planet."
Our coverage of COP 26 will continue for the duration of the two week conference.
