Adapt Now! Film launch and panel Q&A – After The Pandemic at COP26
In the second week of COP26 – the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow – OnePlanet partnered with Nick Breeze from ClimateGENN to host an event on the day of ‘Adaptation, Loss and Damage’. The event was to promote the launch of our co-produced film Adapt Now! and to hold a Q&A session with the speakers that feature in the film.
Albeit a sobering morning with some stark statistics from Kevin Anderson who is a leading climate scientist. Kevin is not afraid to challenge the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the UN body responsible for assessing the science on climate science) and point at the fossil fuel corporations for their role in the crisis. Kevin pointed out to us that 1% of total emitters account for 50% of global emissions, showing us how starkly unequal the climate crisis is.
Jakapita Kandanga, a young African activist from Fridays for Future Namibia later on reminded us that it doesn’t matter how much money gets sent or what policies are put in place in the poorer countries, much of it gets lost when there are so many corrupt politicians remaining in charge.
Other highlights included Dr Alice Hill’s remarks around how engaged and informed communities can lead adaptation and prepare our communities to plan t for the future in a way that will respond to the climate crisis. When speaking about individual behaviors, Sir David King urged the middle class in richer countries to be do better to set an example for all in society. Sir David also commended the work of coalitions such as the C40 cities, though a member of the audience and Kevin questioned whether they still are really doing enough. As Kevin, suggests, should we be preparing for a 4 degree world?
Our CEO, Pooran Desai, rounded up the discussion by calling for us to cooperate and adapt in a way which creates resilient communities and regenerates the living systems on which we depend.
Watch the full recording here to hear much more from the speakers and scientists themselves.