The media noise of the climate summit will appease the hangover. Although COP26 was going to be a turning point, sadness has been reflected in the decisions taken or, rather, in the decisions not taken. Without roadmaps for the end of fossil fuels; without completing the normative development of the Paris agreement; without sufficient funding to deal with the emergency. The most painful thing is that the rich states refuse to set up a fund to alleviate the damage they are beginning to suffer in the global South. Glasgow had to clarify whether the Paris flame was still on, i.e. whether binding commitments would be made that could not exceed the 1.5 degree barrier. It has not succeeded.
Aware that the main goal was going to fail, the leading leaders in the early days launched their flowery speeches, left and let their delegations fight for the interests of strong states and fossil lobbyists. To avoid total disrepute, several countries have promoted sectoral agreements on methane emissions, deforestation, cars with thermal engines, etc., but each agreement has left us long lists of those they have not signed. Perhaps the most intolerable thing, that there is no binding commitment. In fact, this is the core of the international climate emergency response system. Volunteerism. So things get bigger, the gap gets bigger. Multiple gap: between what needs to be done and what is expressed; between what is expressed and signed; between what is signed and what is actually done. All of a sudden, we are in a hurry.
However, the finding that the United Nations framework has been plunged into climate cynicism does not alleviate the challenge we face. Quite the opposite. We are all forced to close and close the gap between what needs to be done and what it is doing. We are being closed the window of opportunity, and if it doesn't change very, very quickly, the clash that starts with the boundaries of the planet will have brute consequences for everyone. Moreover, the transformation of a damaging socio-economic system that acts as if there were no borders in an environment with limited resources is inevitable. In addition, we must do so in an increasingly reduced context of energy resources and essential raw materials. To the extent that the ecological failure of climate change is irreversible, rather than hopeful, we need a flourishing of environmentalism. Let's start.