Sustainability
You’ve probably heard of COP26 by now, but what does it mean?! Considering it’s something with such high stakes, many of us know little about it, so we hope to shed some light.
‘COP’ refers to Conference of Parties – a governing body consisting of representatives from over 200 countries. ‘26’ signifies it’s the 26th conference. The Conference will last 12 days, from the 1st to the 12th November.
The conference takes place yearly but this year’s conference, held in Glasgow, is particularly important; it marks the end of the 5-year cycle proposed by the Paris Climate Conference, held in 2015.
At the Paris conference, countries agreed to keep global warning ‘well below’ 2C, with a target of 1.5C. To achieve this goal, countries hope to stabilise greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible to achieve a climate neutral world by 2050 (1) to avoid the devastating impact of climate change. A goal of this magnitude requires social and economic transformation, and COP26 will hold representatives accountable for the actions they have taken thus far by reporting back on progress since the Paris Agreement. Each representative will also be asked to declare how they’ll help cut emissions going forward.
Decisions made at COP26 could change the way we live. It’ll determine the direction in which we’re guided to fight climate change, be it our cars, how we power our homes, our holiday habits – even how we eat. One way in which emissions can be reduced is through our food choices; something we’re particularly passionate about.
It’s easy to feel helpless as an individual in all this buzz, but there are many things you can do. For example, BBC are posting useful and relevant resources and updates here, one of which is a quiz to test your knowledge of how to lower emissions.
There are plenty of other ways you can make your everyday a little more sustainable, without waiting for policies and mandates to filter down from the government. Click here to read some of our top tips.
As a business and as individuals, we’ll be closely following COP26 and hope you do too. We encourage you to reach out to us on social media or at [email protected] if you fancy a chat about all things COP26, climate change and sustainability. Alternatively, if you know of any other useful resources, we’d love to hear about them.
