From COP15 to Climate Action Day to COP26: October Musings

 The big deal in October 2021 includes two environmental conference of parties (COP) separated by the first ever Earthshot Prize ceremony and the International Day of Climate Action. 

Between the two avenues for rhetoric the finalists and winners of Earthshot Prize with their innovative solutions for the problems that plague our planet offer hope in this the first year of the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration. They are icons to be celebrated o f the Day of Climate Action and beyond in order to bridge the climate rhetoric-climate reality divide.

The first COP to occur in October was the first part of the Biodiversity COP15 that took place online between October 11th and 15th, online among the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. With China as chair, this was a forerunner to the second-part of the COP15 - the in-person session scheduled to happen in Kunming between April 25th and May 8th 2022. With the Chinese premiere giving the Climate COP in Glasgow beginning on Halloween 2021 a miss, this Biodiversity COP15 was where China flexed its environmental muscle. With the 6th Mass Extinction and immeasurable and irreplaceable biodiversity loss being part of our reality, made worse by the nightmare of the climate crisis manifesting the world over with particularly devastating effects in the poorer, island, coastal and tropical parts of the world, the need to act to protect biodiversity and address climate change is existentially vital. Thus it makes sense that in between the two COPs on October 19th, the million-pound Earthshot Prize ceremony to honor the 5 climate heroes - Eco-Oscars as it were, was hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Alexandra Palace, in London. This competition for the Royal Foundation's five million-pound prizes was launched mid-pandemic in 2020 by Prince William to give Earth a shot in the arm and address five critical issues and the five winners addressed these innovatively and effectively 

(1) 'the restoration and protection of nature' - Costa Rica, (2) 'air cleanliness' - Takachar, India (3)  'ocean revival' - CoralVita - Bahamas, (4) 'waste-free living' - The Food[Waste] Hubs of the City of Milan, Italy & (5) 'climate action' - Hydrogen producing Enapter's AEM electrolyser (Thailand, Germany, Italy).

Key takeaways from the Online UN Biodiversity COP15 include world leaders acknowledging certain facts but not taking much action: 

(1) As Nature's Decline Threatens Humanity, We Must Work to Reverse Biodiversity Loss; (2) Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework: Understanding the Scope and Scale of the Biodiversity Crisis; (3) Kunming Declaration - a commitment to protect 30% of land and sea area by 2030 [30-30] (4) Gap between promises of biodiversity protection and any real or effective climate action (5) Need for Global Biodiversity Fund. The difficulty in actually achieving the much needed 30-30 protection in the face of so-called "economic realities" - the pandemic-fuelled global economic slowdown and resultant domino of energy crises and economic crisis that put environmental crises on the back burner even though it costs nations billions of dollars they can't afford. 

Case in point, according to a World Meteorological Organization report, the natural disasters in 2020 cost India $87 billion, i.e., ₹65 Lakh Crores.

As I predicted in my article for the Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S) in September, not much can be expected from COP15 in the face of geopolitical and human security concerns. The main agenda of COP15 included positioning China as an environmental force to be reckoned with, showcase of Chinese success stories in biodiversity protection and its Red Line Plan as well as paving the way for a much-needed multi-billion dollar Global Biodiversity Fund even though it will take a long time for countries to make and honor these commitments. 

With these gaps in rhetoric and reality in mind, perhaps it becomes clear why the International Day for Climate Action 2021, October 24th, doesn't have the same prestige or reach of say Earth Day or Environment Day. The Fridays for Future movement is more impactful. and in a way as long as there is real climate action, it doesn't really matter if we celebrate the Day of Climate Action widely or not! And this is where it is hoped that the Climate COP26 to be held in Glasgow between October 31st and November 12th will make a dent in ensuring that world leaders and corporations commit to climate action and limiting carbon emissions. The real scary thing on Halloween 2021 will be the cost in emissions and money that the world is spending on what many believe is an eye-wash of a "greenwashing" conference hoping for a better outcome!

So ahead of COP26 here's a checklist to keep in mind while assessing the Climate COP26 that begins on Halloween: 

Now let's get into the specifics. @climate's set out the priorities for what to look out for at #COP26.

1. Higher commitments from countries
2. Rules for a global carbon market
3. $100 billion in finance for developing countries
4. Reducing coal use
5. Reducing methane emissions

— Akshat Rathi (@AkshatRathi) October 21, 2021

Showcasing KEDI on 2nd International Day of Education

My visit to Vadodara in December 2019 led to an introduction to KEDI (Kids for Environmental Development Initiatives) the innovative project founded by communications expert and environmentalist Hitarth Pandya. This Jan 24, 2020, is the apt time to showcase KEDI as the world celebrates the second ever International Day of Education with the theme

“Learning for people, planet, prosperity and peace”

Now KEDI, piloted in Sant Kabir Indian International School in Vadodara, Gujarat brings environmental studies out of textbooks and into the lives and the curriculum of the students. Now its apt that Sant Kabir is the first place to promote this initiative as the school's motto is

Nurturing Minds for Sustainable Development!

The students learn by doing and throughout their schooling are on track to becoming eco-friendly individuals promoting a sustainable living. In middle school itself they are en route to becoming experts in regenerative agriculture and a farm-to-table and homesteading way-of-life at least in school. The grow and harvest vegetables and help cook it for school meals and sell it to raise funds for the program and school. This year, in 2020, the KEDI fest - Kabir Krishi Mahotsav 2020 - will be held on Republic Day: January 26th.

In addition to organic farming, the students are involved in the study and appreciation of various aspects of nature, from bird watching, documentary film-making, soil analysis, renewable energy technology, lake clean-up, campaigning against Single-Use Plastics (SUPs) and even taxidermy! As they are actually practicing sustainability and are in touch with nature, they are very articulate and clear when talking about the various environmental challenges, climate change, climate action (SDG 13) and ecological footprint of their lives (SDG12). Through this immersive learning program incorporated into the school curriculum these school students are perhaps the best advocates for the environment, organic farming, and climate action that I have come across. By participating in lake restoration and clean-up as well as active bird watching and study of biodiversity in campus and in places they clean up, these school kids are  active citizens  a 100% behind Mother Nature. At a young age they are ace environmental communicators and naturalists. They have insights into a wide-range of careers all with a strong component of sustainable development making them well-equipped for adulthood and the 21st century's ever-changing job market and problematic economy.

According to KEDI's founder's Facebook post about the latest Kabir Krishi Mahotsav 2020 since its inception the project has grown 

From a humble beginning of 100 odd students and 100 kgs of vegetables to 3000 kgs and 2000 students...

We need more such initiatives and educational institutions that embody SDG 4 (Quality Education) and the theme of the International Day of Education 2020, "Learning for People, Planet, Prosperity and Peace."