reading time : 3 Minutes
[ENTREVUE EXPRESS]
Who is the :
Dominic Souris is the co-founder and general manager of Youth Climate Lab, a global non-profit organization that aims to support youth projects that fight climate change.
Context :
The International Conference on Climate Change (COP26) runs until November 12 in Glasgow, Scotland. It brings together the signatories to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (CCNUCC) And many environmental activists to discuss reducing the effects of global warming measures.
the challenge :
Canada, a signatory to the Paris Agreement in 2015, has committed, like most G-20 nations, to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, there is little international progress and Canada is among the bottom of the tier with an increase in this progress Greenhouse gas production From 730 megatons in 2019 compared to 728 in 2018. Secretary-General of the United Nations and urged those counterparts to act now “to save mankind.”
« What were your expectations when you went to COP26?
Personally, I have very low expectations from the conference. I expect that we will realize that we are very far from our goals and that concrete measures will be taken to achieve the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
We must acknowledge the continuing lack of funding and action on climate issues. It must also be recognized that real action and real leadership does not lie at the negotiating table, but on the ground. Young people and local communities are the drivers of this change.
Do you think this summit will remain a way to make good promises without concrete action?
I think words matter, but we’ve been talking about change for a long time without following actions. Some countries seem to have made progress. This is the case with Scotland, which has set up a fund to track losses and damages related to climate change. The country has demonstrated its leadership by being the first country to implement such a measure. The rest of the members seem negative about the situation.
I think that all the activists here and the rest of the environmental actors who are watching the summit from afar are tired of talking and looking for work.
What should countries do to achieve the goals set?
I can not repeat it enough, we have to follow the word work. Canada announced in June 2021 that international climate financing would double to $5.3 billion over five years. The Prime Minister also accepted the request of the COP President-designate to work with Germany to develop a specific implementation plan for the pledge to mobilize $100 billion for climate action. All this is fine in theory, but we are waiting for the procedures.
Canada is the only country in the Group of Seven, which failed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Doesn’t that contradict promises?
this is embarrassing. We cannot call ourselves models in the fight against global warming if we cannot reduce our emissions. It is true that it is very complex to implement environmental measures in the Canadian context due to the autonomy of the provinces, but we must make an effort.
China, Brazil and Russia, which are very big polluters, are absent from subscribers in Glasgow. Do you think this will have an impact on the strategy in place to protect the environment?
There will definitely be an effect. It is obviously very unfortunate that they are not here, but the industrialized countries have a lot to do to show their commitment. They bear historical responsibility for damage to industrialization, and even if China, Russia and Brazil are not present, that should not be a reason not to take action to save our environment. “