COP26, also known as the Conference of the Parties, is the most recent United Nations Convention on climate change. The annual conference provides an opportunity for the global community to come together and confront the growing severity of climate change and its dangerous impacts on our welfare and the environment. World leaders from over 100 countries were present at this year’s Conference, which took place in Glasgow between 31 October and 13 November 2021. The Conference sought to shed more light on the increasing costs of climate change, and to propose necessary solutions to curb its impacts.

However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, one-third of Pacific countries and territories were not present at this year’s summit. As such, the presence of Pacific voices at COP significantly dropped from at least 70 delegates to about 30 representatives. At the same time, other countries were forced to grapple with the decision to send smaller delegations to the Conference. The implications of this are highlighted within this article.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MARGINALISED VOICES AT COP26

The Pacific Islands is a region that is severely impacted by climate change and environmental crises. Ecosystems in the region continuously suffer from pollution, overfishing, and unsustainable development. In addition to this, rising sea levels, inconsistent temperature changes, and unpredictable rainfall patterns have become common symptoms of the environmental crises present in the Islands. Given this reality, Pacific Islanders have consistently led efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate disasters, despite the pressing challenges they face in the battle against climate change. The aforementioned efforts have included “integrating their systems of knowledge with western science,” resulting in “locally relevant climate solutions”.

Mcleod et al. (2019) also highlight that Pacific Islanders have effectively shared their expertise and unique approach to environmental justice with global leaders and institutions at international gatherings such as the Paris Climate Agreement. Therefore, the global community’s journey towards effective climate justice may have been significantly impeded by the inadequate representation of Pacific Islanders’ voices at this year’s COP. 

In addition to the reduced representation of Pacific Islanders, the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN), and various civil society organisations emphasised the need for COP26 to be postponed because of the inadequate representation of voices from the Global South,  and from Indigenous communities. Without the presence of these voices at the conference, proposed solutions to climate disasters would fail to guarantee justice for communities most impacted by environmental crises.

This ultimately underscores that small and low to middle income countries, whose environmental welfare and sustainability are most at risk, do not get enough representation when it comes to significant discussions on decisions that they are disproportionately affected by.

Furthermore, the all-male team hosting Conference set the international community’s progress back in its efforts to provide inclusive solutions to resolve climate change. Women and girls are known to be “heavily affected” by environmental crises; therefore, to not have women, especially those from low-and-middle-income countries present at the convening, means ignoring how gender inequality exacerbates the severity of climate change for half of the world’s population.

IMPACT OF COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS AND ECONOMIC INEQUALITY ON GLOBAL REPRESENTATION AT COP26

It is worth noting that economic factors such as financial restraints and post-pandemic regulations have contributed to reducing the COP26 representation that is needed for the establishment of practical climate solutions.

The COVID-19 restrictions that barred delegates from Pacific countries from COP26 are far more pressing than simply undergoing mandatory quarantine sessions upon arrival and departure to and from COP. The strict quarantine rules hold high economic costs for delegates traveling from geographically strenuous countries. Representatives from the Pacific have to endure: long and expensive flights from mountainous terrain, the financial costs of paying for accommodation in Scotland, as well as taking time off of work to be present for the conference.

Lavetanalagi Seru, a Fijian leader from the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network (PICAN), could only attend the Summit mainly due to financial support from non-profits like Greenpeace, Oxfam, and Climate Justice Resilience Fund. However, many delegates were not afforded the opportunity to successfully outsource funds and receive financial backing from NGOs willing to support their presence at COP.

The financial costs experienced by delegates arriving from the Islands shed light on the economic factors that keep small states from having equal access to critical global resolutions. To a significant degree, these costs disproportionately affect low-and-middle-income countries and small states, gate-keeping and ultimately preventing marginalised communities from taking up space in international affairs. As a result, the strategies proposed at the summit reflect perspectives dominated by predominantly white and middle-class movements.

WAY FORWARD

Though prominent leaders present assured us that they would highlight small states at COP26, there’s still a significant gap in representation of voices, especially from the Global South. Advanced countries may, with good intentions, pledge support for the pacific and regions most affected by climate change, however, there’s still a veil of ignorance regarding how climate disasters are perceived by the West versus how they are experienced by regions most impacted. Moving forward, we ought to prioritize the presence of marginalised groups during international discussions, in order to create and implement policies that would effectively address the root factors behind the crises we face.

Chisom is a recent graduate with a B. A. in Political Science and International Relations from Truman State University in the United States. She is deeply passionate about international political and economic affairs, especially their influences and impacts on women and marginalized communities in the Global South.

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