By Raphael Polintan

Despite hurdles, young Filipino activists represented the country’s youth sector at COP26 (26th Conference of the Parties), a United Nations (UN) climate summit held in Glasgow, UK that began on October 31, 2021, and ended on November 13, 2021.

Among the climate advocates present in COP26 were Jon Bonifacio, Jefferson Estela, Mitzi Jonelle Tan, Marinel Ubaldo, and Val Vestil.

In unison with activists from other countries, they urged leaders and corporations to start acting and stop promising to veer away from a climate catastrophe—the brunt of the impacts of which would be faced by the global south.

“What we want from COP is not for world leaders just talking there in the conferences, making empty promises. What we want is clear action,” Bonifacio, convenor and education coordinator for Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines (YACAP), told Rappler.

More than 130 heads of state and thousands of diplomats met in the two-week conference to set targets and formulate strategies to address the worsening climate condition.

The Philippines sent its own delegation to the UN conference, composed of 19 government officials primarily dominated by the Department of Finance, noticeably lacking representatives from civil society groups including the youth sector.

Although the summit was held annually, scientists said that COP26, originally scheduled in 2020 but was postponed by the pandemic, would be critical as nations, now more than ever, need to stop their reliance on fossil fuel to avoid the harsh impacts of the climate crisis.

On November 5, thousands of young campaigners gathered for a climate march in the streets of Glasgow and demanded that governments worldwide should make concrete actions to avoid the catastrophic impacts of the climate crisis.

Meanwhile, Swedish activist Greta Thunberg slammed COP26 for the absence of sincerity from global leaders, calling the conference a failure and stating that it was merely a “two-week-long celebration of business as usual and blah, blah, blah.”

Disappointment at COP26

Uncertainty and shortcomings left many groups and countries disappointed at the end of the UN’s conference, especially after COP26 was criticized after coal-reliant countries such as India and China intervened last minute and lobbied to change the “phase out” of unabated coal to “phase down” in the Glasgow Climate Pact.

“I don’t think there’s a really promising thing that happened here … there are a lot of countries that want to block progress on some things,” said Jefferson Estela, lead convenor for Youth Strike for Climate Philippines and a delegate from Loss and Damage Youth Coalition, in an interview with Hi-Lites.

Projections from Climate Action Tracker also suggest that temperatures would rise 2.4℃ by 2100 if all COP26 pledges are met, far beyond the limit agreed to years prior by nations in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

“Many countries already are being submerged in water because of the sea level rise, and if yung target natin na temperature for the earth ay hindi up until 1.5℃, isipin niyo nalang kung gaano kalakas ang magiging next na typhoon sa Philippines. Mas malakas sa Yolanda, so that’s very problematic,” Estela added.

Despite the announcement of the Glasgow Climate Pact at the conclusion of COP26, Estela said that he is “not convinced that this is the real action that we need,” expressing his frustration after leaders failed to give developing countries climate penance and deliver on their promises to stop burning coal and fossil fuels.

“It’s not what we hoped for because, for me, malaki ‘yung expectations ko for COP26 kasi na-postpone na siya ng one year,” Sophia Caralde, a research specialist and youth coordinator for Parabukas, told Hi-Lites. While not present at COP26, she has been keeping tabs on the events occurring at the summit. 

Although countries made proposals and reached agreements, Bonifacio remained skeptical if leaders would actually implement their promises and said, “At the end of the day, that’s the whole problem with COP. None of this is legally binding; it’s all just countries saying that ‘Hey we’re gonna do action by this year or that year.’”

Exclusion and little parity

Activists and critics threw flak at COP26, dubbing it exclusionary because of its ticketing systems, faulty online streaming, and a notable absence of attendees from the global south.

Vaccines, finances, documents, and political harassment served as barriers to many, preventing other observers from attending the summit and leaving marginalized sectors unrepresented.

“Many more of the global south activists I’ve been working with have experienced even worse, so even from the onset there’s exclusion happening,” Bonifacio narrated.

The challenge of financing became more apparent when Estela, although hesitant at first, turned to crowdfunding to fund his attendance in Glasgow after being ignored by politicians.

“I already felt bad na hindi ako pinansin ng mga politicians, and it sucks because you can’t do anything; you feel helpless,” Estela stated.

According to Bonifacio and Estela, the exclusion also occurs within the venue as individuals are frequently not permitted to engage with the previously ongoing negotiations.

Estela also added that, despite the goal of building solidarity, the Philippine delegation did not interact with them during the event.

Organizers, meanwhile, blamed the pandemic for the inconveniences that have occurred during the summit.

Averting a climate disaster

For Bonifacio, COP26 and other similar conferences only signify the beginning of battling climate change. According to him, the climate crisis is not only a global problem, but also a problem for those on the local level.

“[COP is] not where all climate actions end, but in a lot of ways, it is where it actually begins,” he said.

He also mentioned the importance of having local or national platforms to project concrete plans and actions globally. He reasoned that frontline communities are the worst impacted, hence necessitating the need for programs to penetrate locally to empower them.

Bonifacio further argued that the current system needs to be reformed to one that “does not value or prestige economic growth” but is instead “needs-based,” a system that is sustainable and values the quality of life.

When asked for possible solutions to resolve the climate crisis, Estela responded, “You know, it’s very very easy. Just stop burning fossil fuel, coal, and to really make bold actions for [the] climate, that’s the only thing! But these leaders won’t act on it.”

Developed countries, according to Estela, have the resources, power, and technology to avoid or mitigate the climate crisis. He emphasized that they just need to act on and maintain the pledges they make because the world does not need more tragic stories about the lives and properties lost to typhoons and other calamities.

Meanwhile, Caralde suggested that fossil fuels should be phased out while ensuring that developing and vulnerable countries are adapting by giving them the resources and technology. 

She added that the Paris Agreement and the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), plans that highlight a nation’s climate action based on national resources, could be used by countries worldwide to implement the changes.

She also encouraged the youth to act, stating that the accountability for climate change should not be shifted to individuals but instead to big corporations and rich countries.

Bonifacio and Estela also advised the Filipino youth to engage, organize, mobilize, and act through collective action instead of simply raising awareness because environmental problems are deeply intertwined with social issues.

“You shouldn’t limit the discussion of activism through just simply raising awareness because that’s not activism; activism is speaking to change sight,” stressed Bonifacio.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on November 13 declared that it is time to go “into emergency mode” following the conclusion of COP26. Despite mixed reactions, some countries and organizations remained hopeful that climate goals would be met. Others, meanwhile, expressed that hope by continuing to make and amplify demands toward the achievement of climate justice. 

References:

Cabico, G. K. (2021, November 16). Glasgow climate pact leaves Filipino activists disappointed. The Philippine Star. Retrieved from https://www.philstar.com/headlines/climate-and-environment/2021/11/16/2141682/glasgow-climate-pact-leaves-filipino-activists-disappointed

Friedman, L. (2021, November 3). Organizers blame the pandemic as frustrations grow over long waits and other glitches at the climate conference. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/03/world/europe/cop26-summit-lines.html

Friedman, L. (2021, November 13). What Is COP26? And other questions about the big U.N. climate summit. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-cop26-climate-change-summit.html

Meredith, S. (2021, November 5). COP26 sharply criticized as the ‘most exclusionary’ climate summit ever. CNBC. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/05/cop26-sharply-criticized-as-the-most-exclusionary-climate-summit-ever.html

Piper, E., Marks, L., & Thomas N. (2021, November 5). ‘It’s our lives on the line’, young marchers tell UN climate talks. Reuters. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/young-activists-take-spotlight-day-un-climate-talks-2021-11-05/

Quiñones, L. (2021, November 13). COP26 closes with ‘compromise’ deal on climate, but it’s not enough, says UN chief. UN News. Retrieved from https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1105792

Ranada, P. (2021, October 28). Who’s who in the Philippine delegation to Glasgow UN climate summit. Rappler. Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/names-philippine-delegation-cop26-glasgow-united-nations-climate-summit-2021

Ranada P. (2021, November 7). ‘Activists assemble’: Glasgow march spotlights vulnerable countries’ call for climate justice. Rappler. Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/world/global-affairs/glasgow-march-spotlights-vulnerable-countries-call-climate-justice

Rannard, G. (2021, November 9). COP26: World headed for 2.4C warming despite climate summit – report. BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-59220687

Volcovici, V., Abnett, K., & James, W. (2021, November 14). U.N. climate agreement clinched after late drama over coal. Reuters. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/un-climate-negotiators-go-into-overtime-save-15-celsius-goal-2021-11-13/

Youth Strike 4 Climate Philippines. [@youth4climatePH]. (2021, November 2).  MEET OUR GHOSTBUSTERS! Kilalanin ang mga matatapang na kumakatawan sa ating mga kabataang Pilipino sa COP26 sa [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/youth4climatePH/status/1455546034575355918