The need for action out of COP26, not more blah blah blah

The power of one should never be under-estimated. There has been much criticism of world leaders for their failure to seriously address the climate crisis. The young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg summarised it well when she accused world leaders of just coming up with “blah blah blah.” Greta is someone who really does show how powerful one person can be in working for transformation of the world. When one becomes millions we get change. So, the hope for COP26 is that political leaders hear the deafening cry to address the crisis and act. The British government’s role as chair in the process is not inspiring. To lead there needs to be moral authority and whilst Britain has done much to reduce carbon emissions, we are a country that can readily be accused of too much blah blah blah. What of the recent budget which encouraged internal air flight by cutting passenger duty by half, whilst fuel duty was frozen. Then there are the plans for new coal mines. Not exactly moral leadership. There are things, though, that everyone can do to improve the situation. Expressing concerns to elected representatives and becoming politically active is important. But there needs to be a personal conversion of the way in which we all live. The recent BBC1 series, “Shop Well for the Planet” has made for fascinating watching. A team of experts help different families address the carbon excesses in their lives. Notable, has been the areas that cut carbon emissions most. Switching to an electric car and flying less make a huge difference to emissions. Not eating meat or eating a lot less also makes a significant difference. All the families have been shocked at the cut in emissions made as a result of their changes in way of life. They have also pledged to stick with many of the changes. There are choices to be made every day that impact on the planet. So, there is plenty we can all do that will help in the effort to avert climate crisis.A personal conversion would see everyone driving and flying less, eating less meat and running their homes off sustainable energy sources. It would also be great to be able to grow as much of your own food as possible. And when buying food, the local sustainably produced varieties are best. We can all make a difference. There is a mountain to climb. It was somewhat disheartening in the run up to COP26 to hear that the past year has seen record levels reached for emissions. There has been little progress made since the last conference on climate back in Paris in 2015. We are heading for warming of way above the 1.5 degrees proscribed. So, there needs to be action at all levels now. The politicians must act (not just talk) to change the parameters of life but everyone has a role to play. It is not too late but there must be action now – not more blah blah blah.