Let’s not forget zero hunger is as important as zero emissions

Ahead of the COP26 Climate Change Conference, a photo of world leaders tossing a coin into Rome’s famous Trevi Fountain went viral.

It started with a post on Twitter by Portuguese politician Bruno Maçães, which was captioned: “World leaders toss a coin at Trevi for good luck fighting the climate emergency.” Naturally, the Internet did its thing and ran amok with memes, sarcastic comments and quick-witted criticisms.

On Reddit, one user wrote: “You know what’s better than luck? Effort.” Another wondered why US President Joe Biden was missing from the picture. “Where’s Joe? Taking a nap?” The ridicule and ensuing controversy may have been warranted if the narrative for the picture had been true.

But world leaders weren’t tossing coins into the Trevi for good luck fighting the climate emergency; they were participating in a photo-op to mark a centuries-old Roman tradition. Throwing a coin into the fountain — with your right hand over your left shoulder — means you will return to Rome, according to ancient legend.

Yet, underlining how fake news and misguided narratives are born, the Internet was quick to associate it with a false climate change narrative instead.

Then again, that’s understandable. Everywhere you turn, one statement is clamouring for attention, blaring louder than others — world leaders aren’t doing enough. Other variations, inspired largely by climate activist Greta Thunberg’s spirited protests, are also commonplace.

They’ve turned a blind eye to climate change for decades. They would rather profit from environmental destruction than leave behind a habitable Earth for the next generation. They — with their private jets and premium leather Oxford shoes — simply don’t care. In other words, everything they’ve spewed thus far is just a spate of “blah, blah, blahs.”

Thunberg and other activists are far from off-base; climate change is indiscriminately wreaking havoc all over the world.

Satellite images show that wildfires around Lake Baikal in southern Siberia have left burn scars that can be seen from space. Coastal cities in the Gulf could drown as sea levels rise. The Maldives, a tourism hotspot, is predicted to disappear by the end of the century. Just last year, the UK recorded some of the highest temperatures and rainfall. Of course, the time to take action is now, but no one — rich, poor, empathetic or tactical — was going to be able to trounce the crisis in two weeks.

Long before the summit ended, Thunberg declared COP26 a failure. For the most part, it was, especially because emerging economies didn’t get the funding they deserved. But even if COP26 fell short in many ways, we can’t forget that it was a spark that ignited global action.

The world has known about the climate crisis for decades. In 1988, Nasa scientist James Hansen told the US Congress that the greenhouse effect had arrived. His words marked the beginning of the end of the world as we know it, spurring the US to become a founding member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. But more than 30 years went by and world powers showed little interest in tackling the climate emergency. At least we can say with some confidence that things have changed since then. COP26 brought climate change to the forefront — thanks, in part, to activists such as Thunberg. Some of the efforts may be too little, too late, but the summit did make a few waves.

For the first time, the Glasgow Climate Pact struck a deal to “phase down” coal, which contributes to about 40 per cent of annual carbon dioxide emissions. The very mention of fossil fuels in a climate agreement is a win for the COP26 presidency, even if the spirit had to be watered down.

gopika@khaleejtimes.com