#053: Golden Hour

If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.

Image by Matheus Melo/Amazônia Vox. Brazil.

Hi friends,

This week you’ve probably caught some of the reports emerging from the COP30 summit in Belém. These annual gatherings of the UNFCCC bring together representatives from almost every country in order to collectively agree and implement policies which will limit our global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees, as stipulated by the Paris Climate Agreement. (That’s the theory, anyway).

But frustratingly, the main headline from this year’s COP is the failure of the final deal to include specific wording around fossil fuel phase out. It seems like oil-producing nations like Saudi Arabia are seizing on this moment of global instability to further their nation’s own economic interests at the cost of our climate. It’s this sort of behaviour which gives rise to the argument that COP is a dysfunctional forum which serves no longer serves a purpose.

Having worked with Pete Betts, the former EU and UK Chief Climate Negotiator, on the publication of his book The Climate Diplomat, in which he shares his inside account of the climate negotiations, I must confess that I take a slightly more philosophical perspective on the way COP is covered than most of our mainstream media publications.

It goes without saying that COP is an imperfect and deeply infuriating process which is badly in need of reform. But to dispense with it wholesale, in the way many actors would like, seems to ignore the fact that this is the only forum in the world tasked with thrashing out the existential challenges our planet is faced with. It would also send a message to bad actors that their lobbying and stymying of the process is an effective tack.

Now is not the time for us to give up. Now is the time for us to double down on our efforts to reduce global emissions and find creative ways of working with those who do and do not share our vision. To walk away is not only a betrayal of future generations, but our own generation, and particularly those in the global south who are already experiencing the worst impacts of global heating.

The key is finding ways and fora, and people willing to have open and trusting discussions: recognising differences is essential to finding compromises and even solutions, often win-win ones. As Christiana Figueres expressed it … it is about the art of the possible.

Peter Betts, The Climate Diplomat

Here’s what went right this week …

→ A new finance model to protect forests: One glimmer of hope amidst all the pessimism of COP30 was the launch of the TFFF, the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, a Brazil-led proposal which would compensate countries who conserve their rainforests. Ms Marina Silva, Brazil’s Minister for Environment and Climate Change said that ‘It is a new way of financing conservation, with shared responsibility and a vision for the future.’ [COP 30]

→ An FT Book of the Year! The Climate Diplomat was selected as a Book of the Year by the Financial Times this week.

→ Women’s rights vibe-shift? Speaking to Elle Magazine, Emily Maitlis stressed the significance of MAGA supporters vocally calling for the release of the Epstein Files. ‘That is a huge, huge change in culture; that even MAGA America is now saying, We have to believe the women, we have to believe the victims, even if this means turning our back on the president who never really wanted these files released.’ [Elle Magazine]

… And some things that didn't.

→ Gaza still needs our money: Thank you Pádraig Ó Tuama for flagging this article, which highlights the cliff edge dip in public donations for Palestine since the ‘ceasefire’ announcement. ‘The drop in donations is catastrophic. It feels like with the so-called ‘ceasefire’ the world thinks Palestinians don’t need our help any more’ [The Guardian]

→ The cult of free birthing: I feel like I’m always sharing Sirin Kale’s journalism! But this investigation (with Lucy Osborne) into the free birthing movement is utterly devastating to read. ‘Looking back at the person she was when she was pregnant, it’s sometimes hard for Lopez to recognise herself. Over the faint roar of a nearby highway, as Esau plays with his toys, Lopez tries to explain how she got caught up in FBS. “Nobody joins a cult willingly,” she says. “You think you’re joining a great movement.’ [The Guardian]

→ In Ukraine, the war continues: I was very moved listening to the Radio 4 documentary ‘I fought in Ukraine’ this week - in which Nick Garnett interviews some of the 2,000 British citizens who have decided to fight for a country which is not their own. He explores the varied psychological factors that have compelled foreign nationals to fight. [BBC Sounds]

→ Labour has lost/continues to lose the plot: The announcement that asylum seekers may be stripped of valuable possessions in order to pay for their accommodation is sickening, borderline fascist. [FT]

Words I’m carrying with me for the coming days …

→ ‘I kind of shuddered at the thought of painting birds. I didn’t want to be a Hallmark card artist. but these birds came to reveal themselves to me as intuitive messengers of hope and healing for a troubled world.’ I enjoyed hearing clergy woman-turned oil painter Ellie Harold Timestamp talk about her shift into the arts later in life and how her work helps her explore themes of healing and reconciliation in a fractured world. [Youtube]

→ ‘ARGHHH! I thought you were a bin walking towards me!’ - an elderly lady who confused my pram for a haunted refuse ghost.

→ ‘Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.’ John Lennon

What went right for you this week?

Let me know in the comments.

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