Sanitree at COP26
Issy, Frances (Co-project leaders), Martha (Co-Founder), Ellie (Sustainability Officer) and Sophie (Events Manager) represented Sanitree at the 26th Conference Of the Parties (COP26 to you and me!) at the Glasgow Science Centre. It was the perfect venue; a space to facilitate discussions around current climate-related socio-environmental issues and give voices to those on the frontline of the climate crisis. We met some incredible activists and organisations battling for climate justice which was a profoundly inspiring experience but the greenwashing and corporate tokenism present in the green zone was palpable.
Day 1
After a somewhat stressful train journey, we arrived in Glasgow on Thursday with excitement. It was fairly quiet at 9 am but it soon picked up throughout the day. Our first event Fast Forward in partnership with little sun energy was a series of film screenings that inspired a conversation by a diverse panel of artists and creatives, exploring their dreams for a regenerative world. The discussion was chaired by Alex McClure whose thought-provoking questions skillfully connected the panelists’ ideas and experiences. We were able to meet some of the panelists afterward and continue some of the conversations about the importance of comedy, empathy, and indigenous art.
Our favourite film was called Daregot by Naod Lemma which portrayed a family in rural Ethiopia which have lived their whole lives without access to electricity and therefore have had no exposure to the news. Their reaction to footage of world leaders talking about climate change politics demonstrates the alienation of vulnerable communities from the global rhetoric on climate change. 800 million people around the world live without electricity including 31 million Indian households (13% of the population). As a viewer, the disconnect between decision-makers and those most significantly impacted by their decision-making was blinding; a forceful reminder that conferences like COP are largely out of touch with everyday experiences and people who are unrepresented.
In stark contrast, we moved from discussions on art and creative solutions to our next event ‘Business and Climate Justice: Empowering Women Through a Just Transition’. The event opened with some stunning music by David Luhangah (we were his warm up act before playing for the President of Malawi) and then moved towards a panel. The panelists were clearly very experienced but we felt the discussion lacked depth and nuance. The main points they seemed to be making were that we should hire more women in businesses which seemed fairly obvious to us. The previous panel had been overwhelmingly comprised of people of colour but despite the fact that the discussion in the business panel revolved mostly around work in the global south, there was very little representation.
Then there was some time to quickly poke our head into the corporate zone where the eleven sponsors of the conference have set up a permanent base for its duration. As we wandered through the wishy-washy greenwashing of free seeds and fake plants, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of frustration that these companies were being given an unquestioned platform to promote a false image of climate morality. (e.g. Scotland power which was one of the largest polluters last year) The technique and skill of the sales reps in their ability to turn the focus onto their climate justice spiel was very impressive.
Day 2
After staying in Glasgow overnight, on Friday morning we walked through Glasgow, arriving at the Green zone running slightly late because of the busyness of the airport-like security. The talk we joined was on interfaith relationships with the aim of creating pathways to a more considerate and inclusive transition. This was led by faith leaders and organised by Islamic Relief Sweden in collaboration with Act Church of Sweden. The talk was expertly mediated by Shahin Ashraf MBE, the Head of Global Advocacy at Islamic Relief Worldwide. She concluded the conversation by highlighting the exceptionalism of the diversity of this panel within the wider climate conversation, proposing a Global South COP to help remedy this, the idea receiving enthusiastic applause. Additionally, the CEO of Islamic Relief, Waseem Ahmad, spoke, discussing the importance of centering women in local funding decisions, arguing that they are more likely than men to prioritise long-term, community-based solutions. Similarly, Dr Antjé Jackelén, the Archbishop of the Church of Sweden argued the crucial role of faith leaders and actors in the response to the climate crisis, highlighting the crucial role faith must play in supporting the scientific community and promoting gender justice, articulated the recently published, A Bishop's Letter About the Climate.
This talk was particularly interesting to us as an interfaith approach is a crucial aspect of Sanitree’s work, as we continually have to consider the different cultural and social impacts of the faith of the people we work with, especially in India where the faith communities are large and diverse. It was disappointing that the Panel did not involve a larger diversity of religions and regions. We felt the events generally lacked South Asian perspectives which has further emphasised the importance of Sanitree’s work.
At this talk we met with Sanitree alumni and founder, Martha, with whom we then left to get to the Fridays For Future climate strike in Kelvingrove Park, where we met with Ellie, and Sophie. The march was hectic but the atmosphere was so hopeful and inspiring, with over 25,000 young people (around three times the amount anticipated) attending to show leaders at COP the crucial significance of the climate crisis to young people.
The march ended in George Square where we heard a number of great speakers. The large group of speakers representing indigenous peoples from South and Central America were particularly powerful, arguing the importance of promoting indigenous voices and action, highlighting how they protect around 85% of global biodiversity but are systematically underrepresented and often oppressed by hostile governments, citing the devastating legacies of colonialism; they are “on the frontline but not front pages”.
The speeches were concluded by Greta Thunberg who condemned the ‘greening washing’, ego-fuelled and inadequate COP. Arguing that the conclusions being made showed the detachment of the leaders from the actual climate crisis, which our generation will have to face.
Day 3
On Tuesday, Issy, Ellie, and Sophie spent the day attending talks, promoting Sanitree, and exploring the COP26 Green Zone. The focus of the day was gender and so we thought it very fitting to try and spread the word of our work as a social enterprise whilst learning about other projects.
The first talk explored the link between gender justice and just transition and included examples from Latin and North America, Asia, and Africa. As women across the world experience the effects of the climate crisis, they all adopt different coping mechanisms. This begs the question of what a gender just transition would look like and how this could influence policy change and climate justice on a global level. Although very insightful, the direction of the debate was somewhat confusing and the speakers tried to cover too many topics. As time was already limited, the talk did not finish on a concrete ‘conclusion’ and so it seemed unclear as to what its main aim was. Despite this, we were hopeful for the rest of the day and excited for what was yet to come.
Following the first talk, we stopped for a lunch break and Issy began her instagram takeover. This gave us all an opportunity to wander around and speak to representatives from companies and organisations. One stall that grabbed our attention was Lush, which has been supporting many initiatives aiming to empower women during the climate crisis and who have been pushing the boundaries with the sustainability of their products. From short films to interactive virtual reality headsets, to a bouncy castle that removes CO2 from the air, there were lots of cool and interesting ways to engage visitors at the Green Zone!
The second talk- called African Women’s Grassroots Climate Action was both inspiring and insightful. Women from Sub-Saharan Africa provided insight into their experience of climate change and how they have helped lead the way in improving girls’ education. A speaker from CAMFED also participated in the discussion. CAMFED is an organisation that recognises and supports women taking climate action and won the UN Global Climate Action Award at COP25 in 2019. We heard the stories of women that had previously been treated unequally, now entrepreneurs and recognised as leaders of change. Since female education was a key component of this discussion, Issy was brave enough to stand up and ask a question regarding period poverty and if there were any current approaches to tackling this in Sub-Saharan Africa. To our surprise, there seemed to be very little being done about reducing the taboo surrounding menstruation despite most of the speakers agreeing that having a period is still considered something to be ashamed of and is looked down upon. This highlighted the need for period education to be integrated into teaching and normalised.
Before our final talk, Ellie and Issy took a wander outside to see what was going on and Ellie began filming her Instagram takeover. Just by chance as we left the building, we noticed crowds gathering around a large puppet figure. The 3.5m tall puppet was called Little Amal and represented a 9-year-old Syrian refugee. She had been traveling across Europe to raise awareness of young migrants and the plight that they currently face. We were very lucky to have seen her during her travels to Scotland! Shortly after, we learned about hydrogen and electric-powered public transport. It was promising to see companies showing innovation and diverging from fossil fuels- despite most of the technical information going over our heads! We can now only hope that many will follow and that this can be introduced across the world.
Looking forward to our final talk on local action and gender, we made our way to the lecture hall but swiftly got turned away because the event had already reached maximum capacity. Although a good sign that the event was very popular, we then formulated a backup plan and decided to go to the COP26 planetarium - a dome with a 180° cinema screen. Here, speakers from ‘We Make Our Future’ immersed us into the world of environmental engineering to highlight the role that it plays in creating a climate-conscious future.
Determined to catch the end of the talk, we managed to join the Q and A where Climate Action Network Europe, CARE International and PACJA panelists took to the stage. They spoke of grassroots initiatives introduced to take action on gender and climate, how this could be integrated into a gender action plan and how it could be used to inform international action. All speakers were clearly very passionate and filled every single word with emotion. This talk was a great way to draw the day to a close...or so we thought.
As a last-minute surprise, we heard that Jane Goodall - a legend in her field of animal behaviour studies, anthropology, and conservation - was speaking at the ClimateScience prize talk. ClimateScience funds groundbreaking projects that are crucial to sustainable development and the prize was allocated to a group of young people that created sustainable development proposals for various countries. Their vision is that climate change cannot and will not be reversed simply by “people avoiding the use of plastic bags”, but instead requires innovative ideas that will shape policies and systems. Dr. Goodall spoke about the need to halt deforestation, the transition towards a more plant-based diet, and engage local communities in climate action. Her organisation Roots and Shoots is a leading example of how people from nursery to university can get involved with conservation, environmental and humanitarian projects. Her words of wisdom provided a perfect end to our long day COP26 and gave us hope that humans do have the power to create a world that is sustainable, just and peaceful.