The beginning of November brought COP26, the United Nations conference on climate
change to the Glasgow area. As a self-proclaimed United Nations nerd, I have to admit I was incredibly excited about this conference. Throughout my life, I have been a firm believer in the mission of the UN and its ability to implement international change. Since its inception, the UN has been a route for diplomacy in often high-pressure global crises. Climate change is an almost notorious issue for the international community to handle. Largely due to the divide between countries of high and low economic statuses having differing historical responsibilities for the current carbon levels. Despite a series of failures in previous COPs, I was optimistic for a positive outcome as humanity has now seen the harbingers of climate change through seemingly endless wildfire seasons, devastating floods, and the pandemic arising from the increased interaction of humans and wildlife. Unfortunately, my optimism was met with growing frustration from the very beginning of the conference. The heads of state of notable polluters such as Xi Jinping, Jair Bolsonaro, and Vladimir Putin didn’t bother showing up. Meanwhile, those that did, made placating statements about their “desire” for change and while others simply fell asleep. Climate activists, such as Greta Thunberg, called out the inaction of these world leaders. After the end of the first week, these activists called for protests in the streets of Glasgow, which I joined.
This was my first time attending a protest. News outlets predicted over the span of the
weekend more than 100,000 people would attend a series of two protests. I chose to attend the Friday protest, which was the smaller of the two planned. The protest began in Kelvingrove Park with plans to walk to George’s Square. I met up with the protest further along the route as I wanted to see them approach from afar. The city blocked off streets and sent out their mounted police officers for security. Down the protest route, there was an excitement brewing in the spectators. Helicopters flew laps over the skyline, tracking the progress of the walking crowd. You could hear the sea of people before they were visible. A cacophony of shouting and various noisemakers echoed off the city buildings. It was truly incredible to see just how many people turned out. Cardboard signs rose nearly as high as the countless international flags. I stood up on a cement barricade as the front of the protest passed. I wanted to see the true scale of the event before I got pulled into the tide of people.
Once I finally joined in the protest, the energy was electric. There was very limited room on the streets, so most of the crowd was packed tightly together. Thankfully, a sizable portion wore masks even though it was not mandatory. Passionate chants rang out from all sides of the crowd. People’s frustration was evident through the climate change puns on their signs and the force in their voices. I heard languages from across the world, such as German and Portuguese. As we passed through the streets, people watched us from the windows of their office buildings and flats.
The protest took on a different energy once entering George’s Square. A franticness took the crowd as the mass of people rushed towards a small stage on the edge of the square. Everyone seemingly pushing and shoving their way to the front. I figured that this was largely due to the presence of Greta Thunberg, as she was set to speak later on. It didn’t help that the event had a poor sound system making it difficult for the crowd to hear.
I managed to find a spot near the side of the stage. Although I couldn’t see the speakers from my angle, I could actually hear their speeches. A notable through line was the targeting of polluters in the western world such as the United States and the United Kingdom. As an American, I have largely been insulated from how other countries view the United States and its climate policies. Prior to this, I thought that I consumed enough international media to think I had a grasp of America’s place in the world. Yet, I was taken aback by the topics discussed. Largely due to these concepts being absent in the American national dialogue on climate change. For example, the calling out of the American military’s global presence as a significant carbon admitter. Another topic that grabbed my attention was the over-the-top carbon admissions required for the usage of Air Force One. Especially, when the American president was only in Glasgow for a two-day visit. Notably, both these issues are funded by American taxpayer’s money, putting my community at home and myself at fault for these carbon admissions. Going into this protest, I thought I was protesting the failure of the government officials to make substantial moves towards stopping climate change. Yet, I left this event having to take a larger look at myself and the way that I unknowingly participate in systems that help to perpetuate the warming of the planet.
As of right now, it's hard to say whether COP26 was a success. The activists that I encountered propped this event up as a pointless sham, but I don’t agree. This event brought together leaders for a brief moment to focus on the threat of climate change. That is no small feat in itself. This type of large scale protest showed these leaders the desires of the international public for a safe future for both humanity and the planet. A significant breakthrough that came out of COP26 was the agreement for the United States and China to work together to create climate solutions. Though they didn’t agree to anything concrete, this is a move in the right direction given the growing hostility between the two superpowers. Additionally, I have hope from the global call for the transition away from coal power by the 2040s. Though this is hardly soon enough, these are small steps into building a sustainable future. Coming out of COP26, it's clear that it is up to us to apply pressure on the governments of the world to work towards the sustainable future that we want. Each of us participates in systems that keep these governments in power, therefore it comes down to us to make them change. If we don’t, then the future will be filled with more greenwashing without substantial action.
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