Sustainability news

COP26 negotiations were like a football match that went into extra time. Not everyone was happy, but a global deal to tackle climate change remained intact.

Time will tell if the Glasgow Climate Pact was as, Greta Thunberg put it, “BLAH BLAH BLAH” or a stepping-stone to meaningful global progress.

The Open University hosted a unique event on 7^th November, as one of several initiatives to mark its commitment to responding to the climate crisis. Read more about this event through the lens of various media outlets.

Vanessa Nakane clearly expressed the distrust of local communities and civil society in the pledges made at the COP26. Her words of ‘please prove us wrong’.

The negotiations may run into the weekend, and however gloomy the press will be, COP26 has taken many steps forward.

Professor Graham Harvey, with colleagues at Border Crossings brought a totem pole from Mexico to the UK with a powerful message about climate change’s impact on Indigenous people.

Alok Sharma outlined progress so far, detailing negotiations that have taken place and the ministers charged with specific tasks. Time is running out, he said, urging all parties to work in a spirit of compromise to achieve the best outcomes.

Lack of funding commitments, weak language adopted in the text and a shift from ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’ towards ‘common and shared responsibilities’ were some of the concerns highlighted.

Perhaps when my house is flooded, when my land is stolen, when I have no shoes, no home, no food, perhaps then I’ll wish I’d stayed a little longer and thought a little harder about how to stop history repeating itself.

The Bangladeshi women found their voices on the climate crisis by taking photos of impacts and solutions on smartphones provided to them by the project.