Cop26

Having witnessed the numbers of Police officers being drafted in to Glasgow from the rest of the UK for the Climate change meeting farce, I can only think that the name COP26 is a very appropriate name.

I suspect the name comes from this, that there will only be 26 Cops left to Police the rest of the UK.

May be if things are quiet then the Police could help Glasgow Council by using their dogs to reduce the rat population.

I wonder how big the carbon footprint for this meeting is, my guess is about size twelve !

;)

[QUOTE=Tom Bowler;1200837May be if things are quiet then the Police could help Glasgow Council by using their dogs to reduce the rat population.;)[/QUOTE]

Don't believe everything the Tories and Labour say at FMQs. Of the top 10 most rat infested cities in the UK the top 9 are in all in England. The worst Scottish city comes in at number 10 and it's Edinburgh. Glasgow doesn't even get a mention.

Article here.

[QUOTE=Corky Smeek;1200838]Don't believe everything the Tories and Labour say at FMQs. Of the top 10 most rat infested cities in the UK the top 9 are in all in England. The worst Scottish city comes in at number 10 and it's Edinburgh. Glasgow doesn't even get a mention.

I don't believe anything that is said at FMQ's which is usually just a opportunity for that lot to display their hatred and complete lack of respect for their opponents, a great example to set. Have given up watching it.

What I do know is that every city has a rat infestation but what I didn't know was that it had been mentioned at FMQ's by the opposition.

In all fairness, rats are everywhere and relating that to Cop 26 ( slightly!) or at least to climate change, I suspect they are one species that will continue to thrive come what may and will probably see us out.

Tom Bowler, I am sincerely interested in why you describe the Cop26 meeting as a farce?
My view is that is the most important thing that has happened in very many years. There is a lot of potential for good and meaningful change and actions and for governments to truly lead for once. I hope that the opportunity is taken and not squandered.

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Originally Posted by Fulmar

Tom Bowler, I am sincerely interested in why you describe the Cop26 meeting as a farce?
My view is that is the most important thing that has happened in very many years. There is a lot of potential for good and meaningful change and actions and for governments to truly lead for once. I hope that the opportunity is taken and not squandered.

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Fulmar, there is no doubt that this sorry planet is in one hell of a mess and that action must be taken. The problem is is that it has been left too late.


However, in my opinion Cop26 has already failed to secure the necessary commitments from some of the biggest polluters such as CHINA who have given the rest of the world the finger, INDIA who have made some commitment but too little/too late, RUSSIA who so far have been very quiet and the USA who suddenly make out they are very concerned.


Then you have the likes of Thunberg rallying her mob of activists/Eco terrorists and telling us what we should and shouldn't do and then being driven away in a diesel powered van - hypocrite ! I wonder how many of them are carrying a phone or use other devices that are made in China. May be they should think about their own actions and stop living on their phones - unlikely.


You hear so many people talking a good story about being green and then their next priority is to do the school run or jet off on a foreign holiday.


The truth is is that each of the leaders will agree to anything as long as it does not affect their economies. Hopefully I am wrong but I have been around long enough not to be taken in by emotional speeches and concerned looks on the faces of politicians. They have left it to the eleventh hour and now we are faced with a catastrophe that they are incapable of tackling and that is why it is a farce.


I sincerely hope I am wrong but the best we can hope for is to slow down global warming.
I hope the world makes it to Cop27.

Hi,
Thank you for explaining. I agree with much of what you have written and I could easily be as cynical as you and am of a similar age I suspect but I still feel that Cop 26 is worthwhile. While I think that it is up to governments to take a proper and meaningful lead, as it is only that which will bring about 'big change' it is also up to each and every one of us too, isn't it? I think it is hard for people though especially since, up until now, the governments haven't really taken enough of a lead or 'banged on' about it enough for the message to sink in. Even for individual people who are trying (and in my own family, we have been doing so for years), we know that there is more that we could and probably should do. However, I think that 'trying' and thinking about it is better than the reverse and in general, that should be promoted and encouraged. It is easier to ask people to make small changes rather than big ones (even though the big ones are needed) and, as a government, to carry people with you and get their support that way. When you started this thread, I hoped that some ideas might be forthcoming from folk- and maybe they still will be!

I hope that the CO26 leads to effective reduction in greenhouse gasses.

Some of the delegations have certainly produced quite an amount of carbon dioxide to get to and from COP26 in Glasgow, for example the US president is reported as having had a twenty one strong motorcade:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-59138273

I hope so too but to help bring that about, I/we personally should probably give up our car but so far we haven't done that, only tried to think about and limit its use and not make un-necessary journeys. That's exactly it though, isn't it in my view. It's not just up to 'them' it's up to me/us. At present, we can't see any way we would ever be able to afford an electric car- which is not green in its manufacture and only green if the power used to charge it up is renewable. Living in a very rural part of Caithness where we can't go anywhere without transport of some sort, it would help if there was a far more frequent and reliable bus service- then I could change a bit more. I do have a bike but I can't ride that in howling gales and strong winds along the A9 or the A99 as I'm scared to do so with so much traffic on them now- and that's not even addressing physical (or lack of) capability to do it! We can't turn the clock back but when I was growing up as a very young child, (not in Caithness but still in a rural village) hardly anyone owned a car. You walked or you got the bus or train (pre the line closures and Beeching). You walked about a mile or more to catch the bus for school. Things have changed out of all recognition in my life time and people's expectations along with it. Back then, a day out somewhere or a trip to town for the shops was not an every day occurrence but a treat. One or more foreign holiday to the sun was un-heard of- my Dad took us camping every summer whether we liked it or not! Now, we all think that we should just be able to do these things whenever and we can jump into our own easy and comfortable means of transport to do it or hop on a cheap flight somewhere. So, I think about all of that and pick my way through and do my best.

If you really think Boris cares then watch this if you missed it...

How Green Is the Government?

The momentum for change is building and will, I hope, become greater than any one government that is currently in power to not live up to.

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Originally Posted by Fulmar

The momentum for change is building and will, I hope, become greater than any one government that is currently in power to not live up to.

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I sincerely hope you are correct about that. My fear is that vested interests; ie big business and their influential major shareholders will do all they can to slow down, if not stop, any move to Green policies that are likely to hit profits. I think it is likely that business donations to governing political parties may increase in the coming months.

The reaction of the press has been interesting too. Take today's Sunday papers. Look at the headlines in the Scottish ones - here. Now compare them to the ones in the English press - here. COP 26 barely makes the front page of many English papers. I have also been checking the reaction of the foreign press. The New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, Le Figaro, Le Monde and La Stampa have all covered COP 26 but very often as a secondary story. That is despite climate change being the biggest issue ever to confront every living thing on this planet. It makes one wonder who might be making the editorial decisions and whether any pressure has been applied.

So, whilst the grass roots may be revolting it is big business whom we really need to change. To adapt a well-known quote:- "At times of change most of the available money goes on maintaining the status quo".

Yes I agree in very many ways and was also reading about reaction or lack of it in other parts of the World, especially China and Russia. But we have to stay hopeful- at least I do.