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Madrid COP25 Meeting an Unmitigated Disaster. We Are Running Out of Time

By paulgibson51 on December 17, 2019 • ( 1 )

We feature video clips from Greta Thunberg at the COP25 and another from Democracy Now! on the implications of the COP25 disaster. Any question about why we need bold new leadership? The gas & oil barons & their legislators are killing us.

Retake Our Democracy on KSFR 101.1 FM, 8:30 Saturday, December 21, with Lyla June Johnston, newly announced challenger to NM State Speaker of the House Brian Egolf. Retake has tremendous respect for Speaker Egolf. He has skillfully pushed dozens of good bills through his chamber and while many of those bills died in a less responsible NM State Senate, that is not his fault. He has been doing his job on all fronts– except in relation to the looming climate catastrophe. He talks of leading the way on the Energy Transition Act and on the Produced Water Act, but many activists do not see this as progress. What’s more, with HB 398, which would have increased gas and oil royalties for the first time in our lifetimes, he assigned the bill to three House committees. There is no clearer indicator of a Speaker wanting to kill a bill than to assign it to three committees. And so it died.

We need more from our political leadership, as the remainder of this report will make clear. We feel that Lyla June’s candidacy will force a debate that is long overdue, and in perhaps the most progressive district in the entire state, where better to have that debate? So, listen in on Saturday and let the debates begin.

The Disaster That Was COP25

Following our report on COP25 are four short videos, one featuring Greta, one from Democracy Now interviewing COP25 participants, and ending with some needed humor with Jimmy Kimmel’s view on Trump’s childish mocking of Greta, followed by Colbert.

The COP25 was first booted out of Brazil by President Bolsonaro. It was moved to Chile, run by another oppressive regime, and booted from there as well before ultimately landing in Madrid. And so, one of the most important international meetings in world history was being booted around like a worn soccer ball.

But not even that treatment could have prepared us for the unmitigated disaster that transpired. If ever there were evidence of the need for a total change in political leadership, this is it. From here forward, you are with us or you are the enemy of our future. It is getting that simple.

Despite having alerted the world of its withdrawal from the Paris Accord, according to multiple reports, the US participated in one breakout session after another, bullying participants and undermining any kind of meaningful progress. In the end, participants and advocates were united in calling the meeting a total disaster.

“From the Amazon to the Arctic, our world is on fire. Allowing expansion of coal, oil and gas production at this moment of history is throwing gasoline on the fire.”
Joint Statement From 70+ Civil Society Organizations

The statement went on to describe the consequences of the failed COP25, stating that the results would:

“condemn those on the front lines of the climate crisis, while hiding the crimes of polluters,” said the groups. “And it would lead to increased inequality with no increase in ambition, no real emissions reductions, and no pathway to 1.5 [degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.]”
Joint Statement From 70+ Civil Society Organizations

Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists went on to state:

“I’ve been attending these climate negotiations since they first started in 1991. But never have I seen the almost total disconnect we’ve seen here at COP25 in Madrid between what the science requires and the people of the world demand, and what the climate negotiations are delivering in terms of meaningful action.”
Alden Mayer, Union of Concerned Scientists

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted:

An utter failure.#COP25 & conferences like it are intended to be actual negotiations to urgently draw down global carbon emissions – not cocktail parties to make politicians feel better about themselves as they squash dissent & sell off our futures to fossil fuel interests.”

Below, we close today’s post with four short videos. The first two from Democracy Now! summarize their full 20-minute report on COP25, with excerpts from extraordinary speeches on behalf of sanity and full remarks delivered by Greta Thunberg. It is truly inspiring to listen to these voices. We need voices like this here in NM.

We then give you a humor break with comments from Jimmy Kimmel and then from Colbert….I particularly recommend Colbert, but please do watch the first two videos.