Let’s Pollute to End Pollution

By: Enjy Akram (Editor-in-Chief)

The Climate Conference in Sharm El Sheikh, also known as COP27, and I are a bit similar; it’s a tad older than me, and both of us are yet to accomplish something substantial. I mean, if we need 27+ iterations of it, it’s quite apparently not working.

 

Since COP is being held in Egypt this year, everyone is suddenly an environmentalist immensely concerned about global warming, the rise in sea temperatures, the extinction of species, etc. The number of people that are getting greenwashed, thinking that all they need is to use a paper straw while still smoking and cruising in gas guzzlers, is ridiculous.

 

Why? Because one of the things that COP hasn’t made clear is how to be more environmentally conscious and how to foster a tangible and global change of heart. 

 

COP hasn’t solved any problems to date. It’s been 27 years of countries offering crumbs of support in their speeches with no legal binding or enforcement. The world ends up in an unfair situation, where developed countries increase production (increased pollution) the way they want,while developing and underdeveloped countries bear the costs. 

 

Low-income countries should neither be held accountable for the negative externalities associated with climate change. Nor should they be responsible for closing the gap between developed countries or the world’s richest mass polluters camouflaged as climate-conscious billionaires.

 

COP should address climate justice – Western industrialized nations should pay more to assist struggling developing countries instead of enjoying the free ride they’ve assigned themselves.

 

So, what is COP really doing? I mean, we’ve read the agenda, but what is the real agenda of the conference? All I see is a retinue of politicians and businessmen hiding behind a global crisis in an attempt to greenwash their polluting.

 

Ultimately, their participation is a sickening “feel good” manifesto.

 

The joke’s on us for believing anything of essence can emerge from a conference calling for zero-emission vehicles sponsored by Coca-Cola, the top plastic polluter for five years in a row. 

 

To make matters worse, in 27 years of COP meetings, there has not been a single call to phase out fossil fuels, says the conversation.com, a website curating research from dozens of universities in Africa.

 

The only reference to such a brave and necessary move was in the agreement at COP26, which called for “the phasedown of unabated coal power and phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies”.

 

The joke becomes crude when one considers that those “concerned about the environment” used around 40 jets to reach the conference. According to the BBC, data from FlightRadar24 showed 36 private jets went straight to Sharm El-Sheikh, where an extra 64 flew into Cairo, 24 of which had come from Sharm El-Sheikh. What was it about zero emissions again?

 

The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit’s international lead told BBC that focusing on world leaders taking private jets to COP27 was “missing the point”. He explained that the emissions are negligible compared to the impact of decisions and commitments made at these summits. In other words, let’s pollute to stop pollution.

 

COP27 marks 27 years of hollow promises.