Thread by @DaveGormanUoE

I’ve not been at #COP26 physically yet but I have been watching, reading and reviewing so FWIW my take so far- make of it what you will #EdinUniCOP26

Firstly, it seems disappointing if not surprising that there are long queues- perhaps that will improve now the world leaders’ summit has finished and as the processes are tweaked. I do have some sympathy for the organisers given the complications introduced by COVID

What is less forgivable is lack of planning to ensure people with disabilities can easily access the venue including transport to and from it. That needs fixed right away

I also understand that space within events is limited, even for delegations and that plus a confusing, buggy app just isn’t good enough- please try and fix- lots of people have come along way, some at great personal trouble and cost

I’ve seen comments from civil society and NGOs that the negotiations area is far more off limits than it should be, and compared to previous conferences. Is that true and if so why?

You may not agree but I’ve been impressed with many of the speeches,particularly David Attenborough, Prime Minister of Barbados,many voices from developing nations including young African women.But I’ve also been impressed by the @BorisJohnson @AlokSharma_RDG @antonioguterres

I’ve also been struck by the positivity and insights of long standing change makers like @MarkJCarney @CFigueres and great analysis from many including @_richardblack @DrSimEvans @Mabeytweet @edking @Jesse_Burton @piersforster @GAViglione @James_BG @jbuckland13

On the substance, I’m fresh from reading the UK’s Net Zero strategy- one can question the extent to which it over relies on markets and there are lots of gaps-the food system and diet choices, behavioural nudges on flying and travel,the weak approach to local action to name a few

But the U.K. strategy bears the signs of the sterling work of @theCCCuk @GreenAllianceUK @ChiefExecCCC and many others and at least we now have a comprehensive plan!

The conference commitments on forests are very welcome- but we’ve been here before and not halted deforestation. But this time, I sense the combination of consumer pressure, company commitment, funding and investment pressures might move the dial….

Clearly there is a lack of trust of the richer nations by the developing world. Climate change clearly is a justice issue and developing countries are surely right to want better commitments and more funding- I just hope the gulf can be bridged so a strong agreement is reached

I’m not qualified to judge the net zero commitments overall but seeing for example Nepal, Nigeria, India, China, Thailand commit to net zero is encouraging

It’s hard to tell exactly what India has committed to but it seems very significant to me, especially the 2030 commitments, but we’ll need to await detail

Lots of positive developments on coal e.g. @BloombergDotOrg @MikeBloomberg commitments to keep accelerating the phase out of coal and the agreement to support South African action on coal

I know @CarbonBrief are showing the methane pledges are not enough but again a very positive short-term move I hope. I’ve not had time to absorb but some promising climate development finance commitments as well

I have noticed the ‘Twitter world’ contempt for the process so far and allegations of hypocrisy over leaders flying in and driving around. My view is that this is a tiresome, bad take- leaders need to be safe,the climate impacts of the conference are minor compared to the prize

On offer. And how else do people expect foreign leaders, who by definition live abroad, to arrive? Magic carpet? For me much of the criticism misses the point- these complex discussions need and require human interaction- not everything can or should be virtual and the real prize

Could be a deal that sets us on a path to net zero. Worth a try anyway.I also think it’s just too easy for some to point to suggested hypocrisy and say ‘See?That’s why I don’t need to change’.But I’d respectfully suggest that isn’t helpful- we need action and commitment from all

I have no doubt hugely simplified many issues, missed important news or misunderstood at least some of what’s going on. After all, I’m not a negotiator and I’ve not even been there in person yet! And some will strongly disagree….

Perhaps I’ll look back on this long thread in 10 days time and wince. But for now I’ll end on hope ….

Much of the U.K. reporting frames this as standard politics- Johnston and his chances of getting a deal, a zero sum game. But as @_richardblack has said, it’s much more nuanced than that

Plenty can still go wrong- no overall agreement, the collapse of the Article 6 talks, no action on cars, lack of trust winning out and many more …

But the first two days have given me hope that,agreement or not, there are serious commitments being made and coalitions forming ,serious money on the table. It feels like 1.5 deg could well ‘still be alive’ and that’s a good place to end this long thread on #COP26 #EdinUniCOP26