If you talk to political leaders the answer is yes, if you talk to scientists, no. And both would be right.

Glasgow reminds me of a time when I was asked to chair the Governor’s Council on Solid Waste. Forty people from the trash hauling, landfill, and incinerator industry showed up for the meetings. Each was there to defend their interests, not to create new policy. Similarly, the largest delegation in Glasgow was comprised of oil and gas people—over 500 of them. With such a strong oil and gas presence, the fact that any progress was made is a miracle.

And there was progress—on many fronts. Over all, the Glasgow summit sent a global message that business as usual is not sustainable, and that major changes have to be made. Below are some key takeaways. Most of them would not have happened without the strong support of President Biden and Climate Envoy John Kerry, each of whom took a strong leadership role at the conference. Every issue below deserves an entire column of explanation, which I will provide in upcoming newsletters.

Key Takeaways

  • Methane: 105 countries pledged reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030. Methane can warm the atmospheres 80 times faster than CO2.
  • Deforestation: More than 100 countries pledged to end deforestation by 2030, which if implemented, would protect 85% of the world’s forests.
  • The US and China announced that they would cooperate to reduce methane and coal emissions. This is a major breakthrough, which wouldn’t have happened without strong pressure from President Biden.
  • Coal: Over 40 countries agreed to phase out coal, and 23 promised to stop permitting new coal plants. But the three biggest coal users (India, China, and the US) agreed only to “phase down” coal, a much weaker position.
  • Carbon Credits: An agreement was finally made in the international rules to create a global market for carbon credits.

Scientists Respond

Most scientists will tell you that all the above actions, even if fully implemented, are not enough to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. Scientists agree that 1.5 degrees is the benchmark above which storms, fires, droughts and extinctions become exponentially worse, and many areas of the globe will be unable to sustain life. Added to this is the fact that pledges made in Glasgow are voluntary and nonbinding, with implementation in the hands of each country. Scientists are right to be worried.

So What Needs to Happen?

We cannot rely on political leaders to work quickly enough to avert climate disaster. There are too many conflicting interests for governments to move forward as the sole actors. Citizens, the business sector, faith communities, and the courts all need to play an active role in transitioning to a sustainable economy.

Decision makers—both corporate and political—need pressure from organized citizen groups to do the right thing and take a stand for the environment. The era of “profit before all else” has to end. Instead of investing in new oil leases and pipelines, companies need to invest in renewables. Corporations need to be held accountable for the damage they cause. Both organized groups and individuals need to focus like never before on these themes, and communicate their views to decision makers.

Many business leaders are waking up to the fact that their companies need to change. They need to move promptly to replace polluting operations with sustainable technologies. Investors, particularly large institutional investors, are putting pressure on corporations to do this. Still, many of the largest oil and gas producers are running pro-environment campaigns intended to hide the fact that their extraction and emissions continue to sharply increase.

On the court side, there are some very encouraging trends. In a landmark case, the international court in the Hague found Shell Oil responsible for carbon emissions and the climate crisis. The court found Shell responsible for emissions not just from their own operations, but also from the manufacture of products derived from their products (think plastics), and also from end users burning their products. Never before have oil and gas companies been held responsible for pollution downstream of their own operations. This opens a whole new frontier for legal decisions that will hold companies responsible for all of the damage they cause. A bit more on this extraordinary development can be found in the blog post below….stay tuned.

Sources:
Killmer, Richard and Rauh-Bieri, Was the Climate Conference in Glasgow a Success?, Portland Sunday Telegram, Nov. 14, 2021
Shankleman, Jess and Rathi, Akshot, India’s Last-Minute Coal Defense at COP 26 Hid Role of China, US
Bloomberg Green, Nov. 13, 2021
Jim Tankersley, Katie Rogers, and Lisa Friedman, With Methane and Forest Deals, Climate Summit Offers Hope After Gloomy Start, New York Times, Nov 4, 2021Rathi Akshot and Emma Ross Thomas, COP Scorecard, Here’s What You Need to Know. Bloomberg, Nov. 13, 2021.