Copping Out on Cop26
There’s mounting evidence that man does not belong on this planet that he so willingly destructs. At this rate, he’s bound not to last more than another century or two and the end-game is going to be very unpleasant.
If you want a ‘preview of coming attractions,’ dial up a copy of Blade Runner.
The Planet will be fine
Don’t fret about the planet, it will shrug us off like a flea off a dog’s back and won’t even have to lift a leg to scratch.
I think George Carlin was on to something when he suggested we were only placed here because the planet didn’t know how to make plastics. Now that our job is done, we—and mother earth—can move along to other things.
Bezos and Musk want us to infect other planets. Well, why not, the show’s over here on Earth folks.
So, let’s call a conference
We’re good at conferences. Conferences make humans comfortable. They bring us all together so we can discuss stuff and you only need a nod toward our government to see how well that works.
Take our national budget as an example. It’s a winner for either party. If your party happens to be in power, deficits don’t matter a bit. But as soon as you’re out of power, it’s time for fiscal responsibility and those other guys were just wild spenders that are sure to bankrupt our children.
A good metaphor is Willie Nelson’s ranch in Austin, Texas. He named it Luck Ranch, because he says when you’re there you’re in luck and when you are away, you’re simply out of luck.
Cop 26 is the UN’s most recent stab at a conference
COP means Conference of Parties. I’ll bet you didn’t know that. I didn’t know that, yet the United Nations has been throwing these elegant little parties since 1994 and you can see just how well they have worked.
The air is dirtier, the water more polluted, wildfires more intense around the world, mudslides, floods, hurricanes and droughts more prevalent, as well as species leaving this planet we share at a rate of 150 per day. I’ve jotted a few thoughts on the matter on climate roadmaps, Texas power outages and the Green New Deal, but the sludge that was once around our ankles is now up to our knees.
Even so, the food is good
And what the hell, the UN has to do something.
(Wikipedia) The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26 and as the Glasgow Conference, is the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference. It is scheduled to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, between 31 October and 12 November 2021, under the co-presidency of the United Kingdom and Italy.
Well, that’s hopeful. Great Britain has just shed itself of the European Union and Italy is enjoying its 70th government since WWII. So, in all probability this will be a watershed conference, finally bringing agreement and forward motion on long-needed progress. And for cheeses and wines, you just can’t beat the Brits and Italians.
Declaring our intent
Sometimes, when we get our courage up and feel we ought to actually do something, we declare.
Most often those declarations are wars and wars haven’t worked out all that well when we take them on as do-it-yourself projects. WWII worked out okay, but that was a war declared on us by Japan and Germany. Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, not so much. It seems, perhaps, that ideological purity does indeed count for something after all.
What really smokes my shorts is that the Afghan War cost the U.S. $10 trillion and yet the $3 trillion Biden asks for is too much by twice. Smirky Mitch (McConnell) only has eyes for tax cuts for the rich and judicial appointments that suit his ideology. Our other declarations include the war on drugs, war on poverty, war on cancer and nearly any other cultural issue you might find uncomfortable. Thus far, none of those wars have shown progress other than huge expenditures and vast sums transferred from the public to the private pocket.
So far, the score is 0 wins and 26 losses. But the canapes will be delicious, Boris will promise, the U.S. delegation will dither and everyone will go home empty after holding a press-conference outlining special relationships accomplished and particularly credible progress being made.
Declaring our actual contributions
If you have a scorecard handy, here are the results:
Critically Insufficient Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand
Highly Insufficient Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea, UAE, Ukraine, Vietnam
Insufficient Chile, EU, Germany, Japan, Norway, Peru, South Africa, Switzerland, USA
Almost Sufficient Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria, UK
1.5° C Paris Agreement Compatible Gambia
Another statistic How many nations will be underwater by 2050?
Image Credit: France 24