Hope and Failure at COP 26 in Glasgow

Glasgow, 11 November. At the time of writing, rays of clarity and leadership have emerged, on the one hand, from the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, who has boldly presented a document that will make COP 26 a milestone in the history of the struggle against it. Global Warming. On the other hand, the United States and China were surprised by an important joint statement. I hope I’m not wrong. The texts are clear on emissions cuts consistent with the imperative that the planet’s temperature should not rise beyond 1.5–2.0°C, and reach net zero emissions by 2050. One of the tools suggests, among other things, abandoning the use of coal, and a rapid energy transition. carbon markets, channeling adequate financing to poor countries for mitigation and adaptation, most electric vehicles by 2035, and large-scale forest reform. All of this, according to COP26’s overall agenda, which revolves around greater ambition to reduce emissions through stricter commitments in the new Nationally Determined Contributions. Other substantive issues relate to climate change adaptation, technologies, and losses and damages (compensations for the poorest countries for the effects of global warming). When Mexico exercised leadership and commitment to the world’s climate, the Mexican delegation in Glasgow had incorporated a coherent agenda, and promoted it extensively in its negotiation and corridor processes. The Mexican delegation will be headed by a Foreign Minister of stature and knowledge, composed of competent staff from SENER, CONAFOR, CONAP, SEMARNAT, SADER and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, supported by experts in economics, technologies, public and multilateral policies. Negotiation.

Unfortunately this is not the case. The Mexican delegation was conspicuously lacking in commitment and leadership, had little hierarchical and technical level, and lacked a serious agenda to address the core issues of COP 26. In fact, the Mexican delegation eluded core issues, burdened by its own limitations and the unrepresentable and unrepresentative policies of its supreme leader, President López. It has even been the subject of official remarks by United Nations organizations (for example, in the presentation of the Emissions Gap Report) about the gap between the emissions reductions required to avoid catastrophic consequences for the planet’s climate, and the commitments made so far by different groups of countries. There, our country has been indicted as a transgressor and outcast, having deliberately taken an absurd path back to fossil fuels. Furthermore, Mexico has been stigmatized as a “fossil of the day” for these reasons.

The Mexican delegation assumes only marginal issues and does not promote an agenda with coherent content, such as in the case of its emphasis on human rights, girls’ rights, gender equality and indigenous peoples, which is unimportant, but that in the context of COP 26 they are just a smokescreen to hide the serious shortcomings of their integration and participation . It is curious that political correctness is their most important currency, and they consider even their greatest achievement, the fact that the Mexican delegation consists of about 80% of women, which in itself says nothing about competition, leadership and hierarchy. The late and hollow participation of the SEMARNAT secretary was also eloquent about the Mexican shortcomings. His participation in the COP 26 ministerial segment was truly disastrous, speaking with lies and delirium, and of course “waking up” in political terms. For example, he reaffirmed human rights, gender, girls, indigenous peoples, the unspeakable destructive clientelism program “Sembrando Vida”, glyphosate, corruption, and launched against genetically modified clean energy companies (“dirty contracts”).

Mexico’s performance at COP 26 is an honest reflection of the government of President López, who is famous here as backward and incompetent. It couldn’t be otherwise. There is no way for the Mexican delegation to sign a document that bypasses the seal of COP26. It would be an act higher than sorcery, irony, and hypocrisy. They would at least have political integrity if they refused to sign it.

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