Why 2021 is a decisive year for the environment

TSSA Organiser Kerry Abel looks at the decisive year ahead.

While investing in rail, freight on rail and mass public transport is part of the solution to the climate change disaster, we know that climate change events will get more frequent in the next decade and will effect future technology and operational planning.  

April 2021

Why is 2021 a decisive year for the environment?

This November, the UK is hosting a major climate conference, COP26, in Glasgow.The US and China have recently made significant and unprecedented commitments to achieve net-zero emissions in line with the science, so COP26 has now become even more important.

Scientifically and politically, 2021 is being described as humanity’s “last chance” to do something meaningful about climate change. Global emissions are at an all-time high and none of the big countries are on track to meet their obligations under the Paris Agreement. COP26 will be the biggest international summit the UK has ever hosted; bringing together over 30,000 delegates including heads of state, climate experts and campaigners.

There is a lot of pressure on the talks to deliver meaningful commitments to action with UN Secretary-General António Guterres saying: “I am more determined than ever to work for this to be the year in which all countries commit to do what science tells us is necessary.”

TSSA’s General Secretary, Manuel Cortes has described the British government’s response as rhetoric at odds with the reality on climate change. To borrow the phrase from the suffragettes, we need deeds not words.

We want to see the UK listening to the citizen’s assemblies convened to find solutions and trade-offs that we can all live with, as the Scottish Parliament is doing.