REPORTING FROM COP26: CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE COMMONWEALTH
scrutiny. These tools will utilise data to drive public and parliamentary opinion; determining whether our jurisdictions, and others, are doing enough to meet the global standards set out at COP26. As legislators, we have the ability to set the agenda, to amplify voices that need to be heard. We all need to look, listen, feel, think and speak. Our words matter. Our silence and inactivity also has meaning. Sovereign nations have the ability in many global forums to use that voice to fight that battle on the world stage. Smaller jurisdictions who are not sovereign nations, like the Isle of Man, can still have real impact as good global citizens. I am writing this article as I ride the bus from my constituency to Parliament. We can all show leadership at an individual level as well as using our influence to get others talking about this issue. Our small jurisdictions may be limited by the resources that we have, but we can match the energy and passion that we are willing to devote to the cause. The action we can take can be neatly summarised as: • Collaborate individually, regionally, nationally and internationally
• • • •
Own the problem Measure what matters and benchmark Monitor progress Outreach to community groups, young people and listen to what they want • Non-proliferation. Stop planning to extract new fossil fuels now • Work out the cost of doing nothing – it will be more expensive to adapt and mitigate in the long-term • Educate yourself, your colleagues, and your constituents. Build it into induction programmes for new Parliamentarians • Allocate time and resources to give meaning to your commitments • Legislate for the change you want to see • Try new things: don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good • Health is a unifying lens to view climate change through – look at its effects on morbidity and mortality No matter how big other countries are, remember: ‘It’s hard to ignore the mosquito in the room’.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26 was held in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November, to bring together leaders, negotiators, climate experts, civil society, companies and people on the frontline of climate change to adopt harmonised action for tackling the global climate crisis. The summit was the first COP meeting to be held since the Coronavirus pandemic began, and one of the largest gatherings of world leaders ever hosted by the United Kingdom. Many Commonwealth nations were represented at the conference, with a particular focus on small island states.
Image credit: UK Government/COP26
UNITED NATIONS COP26 GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE SUMMIT IN SCOTLAND
The Parliamentarian | 2021: Issue Four | 100 years of publishing | 397
