Uploaded November 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
Summary of my message in this 10 minute talk:
A key reason why it is time for business to step up is that the COP next year is going to fail. I mean: either it will deliver a deal that is grossly insufficient, or it will deliver no deal at all.
This situation is not substantively changed by the Biden victory. Because Biden’s stance on climate is nowhere near radical enough. And because other major countries (e.g. Brazil) can sabotage a proper deal perfectly well, post-Trump.
There will be at best (!) a yawning gap between any deal that is achieved and what is actually needed to prevent climate- and eco-nemesis.
No-one is saying this, because everyone wants to preserve the illusion of conventional hope. But actually conventional hope is preventing us from facing climate reality.
When we face the terrible reality that the COP is going to fail, a number of things change:
- Rage and grief grow. These are mighty powers. They can be used to fuel:
- A far bigger mass mobilisation than thus far achieved. Across the whole of civil society. Including civil disobedience.
- Adaptation becomes more important.
Talk privately to most savvy diplomats, seasoned climate activists who are veterans of COPs, and environmental scientists who are in the loop, and they will admit what I am saying here. But no-one says it publicly.
I broke that silence at the Brewdog event. The consequences may be emotionally difficult; but this truth-telling and an ability to harness those emotions are in fact our best shot at avoiding a more massive disappointment down the line.
You can watch the full video of the Alt-COP here: youtube.com/watch?v=QKWTNW_uHRg
Summary of my message in this 10 minute talk:
A key reason why it is time for business to step up is that the COP next year is going to fail. I mean: either it will deliver a deal that is grossly insufficient, or it will deliver no deal at all.
This situation is not substantively changed by the Biden victory. Because Biden’s stance on climate is nowhere near radical enough. And because other major countries (e.g. Brazil) can sabotage a proper deal perfectly well, post-Trump.
There will be at best (!) a yawning gap between any deal that is achieved and what is actually needed to prevent climate- and eco-nemesis.
No-one is saying this, because everyone wants to preserve the illusion of conventional hope. But actually conventional hope is preventing us from facing climate reality.
When we face the terrible reality that the COP is going to fail, a number of things change:
- Rage and grief grow. These are mighty powers. They can be used to fuel:
- A far bigger mass mobilisation than thus far achieved. Across the whole of civil society. Including civil disobedience.
- Adaptation becomes more important.
Talk privately to most savvy diplomats, seasoned climate activists who are veterans of COPs, and environmental scientists who are in the loop, and they will admit what I am saying here. But no-one says it publicly.
I broke that silence at the Brewdog event. The consequences may be emotionally difficult; but this truth-telling and an ability to harness those emotions are in fact our best shot at avoiding a more massive disappointment down the line.
You can watch the full video of the Alt-COP here: youtube.com/watch?v=QKWTNW_uHRg
