COP26

More than one hundred leaders around the world, including the country’s Prime Minister Philip Davis, gathered in Glasglow, Scotland to fight climate change and address the increase in greenhouse gases which according to experts, are having an adverse effect on small island nations like the Bahamas, Barbados and Jamaica, where hurricanes are intensifying in frequency and strength.

Leaders like US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson are agitating for countries to decrease their greenhouse gas emissions. However, one cannot help but notice that these leaders and dignitaries are increasing the usage of these gases and can be accused of not practicing what they preach.

Fox News has dubbed the conference, “gas-guzzling get-together.”

Biden arrived in Glasgow in a 21-vehicle motorcade, including 4 planes and a Marine One helicopter, leaving behind his carbon footprint, which contributes to climate change. His arrival in Scotland follows his stay in Rome where an 85-vehicle motorcade accompanied him while releasing tonnes of fumes in the air.

Yet, he preached from the stage in Glasglow, “…No more time to hang back or sit on the fence or argue among ourselves.”

The British press counted more than 400 private jets that are not climate-friendly which huddled on the runway carrying dignitaries and celebrities to Glasgow. Some used limousines, using tonnes of carbon dioxide.

“Conservative predictions suggest the fleet of private jets arriving for COP26 will blast out 13,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide in total — equivalent to the amount consumed by more than 1,600 Britons in a year,” the British newspaper the Daily Mail reported.

One individual uses only 8 tonnes of carbon dioxide in one year.

The British Royal Family was also present preaching for countries to do more to combat climate change and Queen Elizabeth delivered a speech by video, “Time for words, have moved to a time for action,” she said.

But her family burns 3,810 tonnes per year, according to reports. This indicates that they are a part of the problem.

The world’s richest man, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was also present advocating that “we must all stand together to protect our world.”

Critics have lambasted him for failing to implement green policies at Amazon, and his journey into space this year, has chalked up a significant amount of fossil fuels.

World leaders have failed to deliver on climate change as the summit has had 25 other summits without solutions to the climate change problem.

They seem not to have the solution to keep the planet from heating up above 1.5 degrees Celsius.

China, was not present at the summit even though it produces the greatest amount of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.

At the summit, leaders are praised for their lofty statements and rhetoric but if climate change is real, the small island nations will continue to suffer at the hands of richer nations until concrete proposals are presented and world leaders practice what they preach.

Small island nations like the Bahamas are “out of time” in battling climate change and Prime Minister Philip Davis urged rich countries to take urgent action.

Speaking at the climate change summit, COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland, Davis reminded developed countries that the Bahamas, like other island nations, is threatened with hurricanes that are increasing with intensity and frequency.

He reminded attendants of Hurricane Dorian’s devastating effect on the Bahamas, requesting funding and technology to rebuild “resiliently.”

“Our hurricanes are your fires and floods. Our hurricanes are your landslides and droughts.

“Please do what is needed, not what you can get away with. Turn promises and agreements into action,” he said.

“Don’t hide behind buzz words and hazy promises.

“Don’t let the failures of the past limit our ambitions for the present. Failure today can lead to destruction tomorrow.”

G20 leaders met in Rome lastweek to discuss climate change and agreed that 1.5 degrees celsius will be their target by 2030.

On Monday, Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley urged delegates that a 2-degree Celsius rise in global temperature would be a “death sentence” for island and coastal countries.

“We do not want that dreaded death sentence, and we have come here today to say, ‘Try harder.’ ”

Mottley warned that failure to provide enough funding to small island nations on the frontlines of climate change is “measured in lives and livelihoods.”

“This is immoral, and it is unjust,” she said.

Countries like China, the United States of America, India, and Germany are the biggest contributors of greenhouse gases, accounting for 80% of gas emissions.

Prime Minister Philip Davis said he will ensure developed countries pay for the calamitous effect of climate change on the Bahamas.

After his arrival on Sunday, Davis said that the country’s voice will be heard at the COP26 Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, in what has been called a make-or-break opportunity to save the planet.

“I want them to see what yesterday was for us and what tomorrow could be like for them, and to motivate them to do more for Small Island Developing States like us, because the cost to adapt and to mitigate in respect to the consequence of climate change is humongous and beyond our means in many, many respects.

“We want to be able to sensitize them to that and we need our voices heard to ensure that they pay for what has happened to small island states like us.

“We are not going to leave here without having a clear understanding of what we will get for what they would have done to us.”

Why it matters

Small Island States like the Bahamas, have suffered due to global warming. The intensity of storms throughout the years, like Hurricane Dorian in 2019, has been worsened by global warming, according to experts.

Scientists say storms draw their energy from ocean heat and more than 90 percent of the heat is trapped by greenhouse gas emissions, stored in the ocean. Storms then intensify quickly and become powerful.

The big picture

Countries like China, the United States of America, India and Germany are the biggest contributors of greenhouse gases, accounting for 80% of gas emissions.

World leaders met in Rome over the weekend for the G20 meeting with a goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. However, no date was set.

State of Play

US Congress is wrangling over how to finance its climate change pledge and whether or not the US can regulate greenhouse gas emissions.