They consider it “impossible” to hold a “fair and inclusive” meeting. Some 1,500 NGOs, including Greenpeace and WWF, on September 7 called for the postponement of COP26, the international climate conference organized by the United Nations.
COP26 is supposed to be held in Glasgow (Scotland) from October 31 to November 12. It is to bring together around 200 heads of state and thousands of delegates, activists and journalists to discuss policies to combat climate change. Problem: the UK has placed a number of countries on its “red list”. This identifies countries with little vaccination, where the epidemic situation is tense, and whose nationals are – with some exceptions – not allowed to enter British territory.
Between the cost of the emergency vaccination and the stay in quarantine, the song fear that “a COP in person at the beginning of November” will lead to the “de facto” exclusion of many representatives. And in particular, “Southern countries, many of which are on the UK’s Covid Red List”.
These, including Somalia, Haiti, Peru and Thailand, are nevertheless on the front line in the face of global warming. “The climate talks are important. But in this context of vaccine apartheid, they simply cannot take place by blocking the voices of those who particularly need to be heard at this time, ”denounced Tasneem Essop, director of the Climate Action Network, which brings together 1,500 NGOs in question.
A “tireless” work
The appeal of the NGOs did not really delight the United Nations. “COP26 has already been postponed for a year,” remarked Alok Sharma, the conference chair. “And we know very well that climate change does not take a vacation.”
Alok Sharma assured that the UN was working “tirelessly” to allow a meeting accessible to all. This goodwill had already been questioned: if the British government promised in June an emergency vaccination to certain participants in the COP, the first doses will not be injected until this week. Those concerned should nevertheless be fully vaccinated by the start of the summit.
As for the quarantine costs, the UK has just announced that it will cover them. Nationals of countries on the Red List will have to remain isolated for ten days if they are not vaccinated and five days if they are.