World climate summit
Chaos at COP26: Long strikes, no ramps for wheelchairs and the fear of Corona
Participants of the climate conference in Glasgow have to queue for several hours a day to get to the conference site – apparently not always with success.
© Oli Scarff / AFP
Anger and discomfort increase. The organizers of the world climate summit are massively criticized. Obviously there are problems and stuck in every nook and cranny. And now there is also concern about Corona.
Imagine that you drive to the world climate summit and then you can only take part in the events online. Sounds absurd, but it happened on the first days of the world climate summit in Glasgow. Reason enough for the Climate Action Network (CAN) to award the presidency of COP26 its ridiculous “Fossil of the Day” award on the second day. The organizers of the UN climate conference have come under massive criticism because of the chaotic conditions.
Above all, the CAN criticized the fact that representatives of civil society who had traveled from far away were told that there was no space in the events and that they should watch them online. “We could have stayed at home right away – although: Then we would have missed the weather,” scoffed the network with a view of the bitter Scottish autumn. It is hoped that the negative price will be a “wake-up call” for the organizers.
World Climate Summit: The British Art of Queuing
“It is true,” said the US climate activist Alexandria Villasenor, shocked in a tweet, “there is a single entrance for 20,000 participants.” She queued for four hours on the first two days of the summit. “It’s a mess and a failure of the organizers,” said Villasenor. The Climate Action Network fell into bitter irony at the scenes in front of the entrance to the summit area. The promised inclusion of all interests and activists is currently shown primarily in what the British are best at: namely “in the art of standing in line,” it said.
Memories of the World Climate Conference in Copenhagen in 2009, which were considered to have failed, were even awakened. “I was surprised how many parallels there are between COP26 and the disastrous COP15 in Copenhagen,” wrote Asad Rehman of “War on Want”, a British organization for the fight against poverty, in a tweet. Not only that both peaks were (were) very cold and wet. Above all, he criticized the poor planning of basic things such as affordable accommodation, especially for participants from the global south.
Minister in a wheelchair fails to gain access
Barrier-free access to the conference events is also fundamental at a UN conference. But the lack of ramps for wheelchairs almost led to diplomatic resentment. According to her own statements, the Israeli energy minister Karine Elharrar was unable to take part in the world climate conference last Monday. Elharrar: “It is sad that the UN, which promotes accessibility for people with disabilities, will not take care of accessibility at its events in 2021.” She failed at several entrances and after two hours she had no choice but to return to her hotel.
To make matters worse, Britain’s Environment Secretary George Eustice showed little sensitivity. He regretted the incident, as did Prime Minister Boris Johnson. But he also blamed a lack of communication from the Israeli side. “What would normally happen in this situation is that Israel would have informed us of this particular requirement for their minister,” Eustice said on BBC radio. However, barrier-free access to conference rooms is mandatory for UN events. Ultimately, the organizers saw it that way: “COP26 must be inclusive and accessible to all, and the venue is designed to make this possible,” said a statement that also included an apology to Elharrar.
“It’s like going to a night club”
The promise that the summit must be “accessible to all” was broken time and again, according to reports from conference participants. “More people were accredited than allowed into the venue,” said activist Villasenor. “You can’t go to your event or your meeting after you’ve come all the way here? It’s a shame, but dial in from the hotel,” she causted. And Asha Rehman tweeted, “It’s like trying to get into a nightclub. ‘Sorry mate, it’s full, one out, one in'” The UK government should reimburse everyone who has come to Glasgow and is now in had to squat in their hotel rooms, said Rehman.
The long queues, the crowded crowds and the crowds at and in front of the conference center are now causing another concern: Could the world climate summit turn into a super-spreader event? “This is really worrying, I’m watching it all very anxiously because I know how fragile the situation is,” said researcher Devi Sridhar from the University of Edinburgh on Wednesday in a BBC interview. It was the “worst timing ever” for such a meeting in a pandemic, said Sridhar, but recognized the urgency given the impending climate catastrophe.
Doctors worried about a corona outbreak
A negative corona rapid test must be presented daily at the entrance to the center. The host had also recommended a full vaccination in advance. The Scottish Health Minister Humza Yousaf also admitted that the conference posed a Covid 19 risk. There is a risk that the virus could spread to the local population from the delegates. There are already the first signs that the numbers could rise again.
Activist Alexandria Villasenor criticized the corona tests themselves – for environmental reasons: “Did you know? Every day before we go to the summit, we have to do a rapid corona test,” tweeted the 16-year-old, “and that’s how it works a lot of garbage for each kit times 20,000 people … “