Greetings from Glasgow
I’m writing from COP26 in Glasgow, which feels a bit like the center of the world at the moment. Yesterday marked the start of the second week of COP. Some quick takes:
The protestors outside are, perhaps to their surprise, being very clearly heard inside. The sense of urgency is quite high. The shift in ambitions and commitment feels very positive, with national commitments on carbon emissions/sequestration making very significant progress.
I’ve never seen so much emphasis on adaptation and resilience at COP. Even in Madrid, the balance of mitigation to adaptation was about 90:10. Here’s it feels like 70:30, perhaps even 60:40. That’s a radical change! And by extension, water is everywhere, even in the mitigation sessions. Nature-based solutions must be right behind water as an issue and topic. Kudos to the UK on facilitating these shifts, with strong support from the Netherlands as well. No one is saying, “Why water?” Many people are saying, “How can we do better with water?”
It is not that long ago that we would be excited about three sessions at COP on water. There must have been 20 or 25 in Madrid two years ago. This year, the Water Pavilion is essentially a water & climate TV channel, with eight to 10 hours of programming every day. Given Covid and the use of remote access and participation for the first time in COP meetings, global participation, especially from the global South, has never been higher on water issues. Broader participation also means that many water groups are learning about COP and climate issues even as they engage with the climate community on water issues.
Water and mitigation are a big winner here as a topic. The thirst of our energy systems in particular has been a very consistent issue.
In terms of disappointments or missed cues, I don’t see a lot to criticize, even though many of us can also see how we can do better at COP27, which will be led by Egypt — hopefully in one year.
Egypt’s priorities are already emerging. Their chief of party here, Ms. Yasmine Fouad, has been really passionate about priorities around water, resilience, and NbS. The integration of these issues feels like a second step in the pivot that the UK initiated here, to move water — and the water community — to the center of practice and policy.
Trust that we’re here, with and for you.
John Matthews
Glasgow, Scotland, UK