With much anticipation after a year's postponement, COP26 kicks off in full today with the World Leaders Summit.

This summit consists of heads of state presenting their national statements to one another. These national statements are intended to give a summary of each leader's approach to the conference and the issues which will be discussed. But how useful are they? 

We've had decades of climate crisis statements and promises by world leaders. In 1992, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) established an international treaty in which developed countries agreed to return emissions levels to their 1990 state, before 2000. A bold target but one that world leaders seemed positive about. 

At COP1, Helmut Kohl, then Chancellor of Germany, ended his national statement by saying "we are ready for ground-breaking decisions and measures."

At COP3, Bill Clinton spoke of a "golden opportunity to conquer [climate change]", saying "we know what we have to do!". 

In spite of 'knowing what to do', the aggregate emissions of the global north have not decreased on 1990 levels. 

This gap between rhetoric and action is a symptom of the short-term nature of electoral politics. It's easy for leaders to make bold claims on the international stage, but they fail to back this up with domestic policy for fear of jeopardising re-election chances. Angela Merkel was famous for negotiating the Paris Agreement but German coal plants won't be shut off until 2038. Closer to home in the UK, we've seen Nicola Sturgeon and Boris Johnson style themselves as vocal climate change advocates, whilst either not fully condemning or indeed backing a new oil field respectively. Secretary-General António Guterres took the podium today with a blunt opening message: “The six years since the Paris Climate Agreement have been the six hottest years on record.  Our addiction to fossil fuels is pushing humanity to the brink”

“We face a start choice. Either we stop it - or it stops us”, he added, delivering five key messages to world leaders.

It is clear there is a need for international cooperation, treaties and summits to tackle the climate crisis. But I hope you'll forgive me if I take today's statements with a pinch of salt. 

Author - Jacob Price