Call to Arms! Scottish Borders COP26 Conference

Our thoughts after the conferences in Glasgow and a picture of just what we are facing across the world. Our own Borders TSI conference will look at the discussions that have taken place, just what the governments, big business and indeed all who attended have agreed around:,

What are the plans?, the timescales?, and just how much they have agreed to spend and how the plans will help to save our planet for our future now an then!

When: Tuesday 16th November 2021 – Entry from 10:00am for a 10:30am start

Where: The Great Tapestry of Scotland, Visitor Centre, Galashiels

Bookings: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/call-to-arms-scottish-borders-cop26-conference-tickets-207137813777

Agenda:

• Keynote Speaker – Dr Martin Valenti, Energy Transition and Green Enterprise Director, South of Scotland Enterprise.
• Scottish Borders Updates from Key Partners including Scottish Borders Council and the Third Sector.
• COP 26 Q&A Roundtable – Submit your Questions!
• Lunch
• Networking and Stalls – opportunity to raise awareness and showcase projects, marketing materials or products

We will begin by discussing just how in our own Scottish Borders, we can Communicate, Collaborate and look at opportunities to Coproduce everything that we can that will show the rest of Scotland that even though we are a Rural area, have little or no spare resources, we can come together and show just what can be achieved following our very own “Call to Arms”. I do hope that you will come along, it is the beginning of our discussions across the region but hopefully we will start our journey together.

COP 26 has to persuade the international community to act together. With so many agendas and so many different country ambitions it is difficult to see how this will happen. The world is a more angry place than it was a few years ago. China is looking to annex other land, and is increasing its military capability, and Russia has been belligerent. This has resulted in other nations stepping up their defences and flash points are becoming more numerous. With all this going on, there is no proper focus on climate change, which will become a greater threat to everyone all and we can’t lose sight of how important this agenda is.

So far, there have been a few floods, a few cities have been destroyed by hurricanes, a few thousand homes and a few million acres have been destroyed by fire and drought has been silently killing people in the “third world.” It has not been enough to make governments really want to act. They talk about it and set targets, but nothing really happens. COP26 seems to be a final push to actually get nations to realise that they have to act and act together in unity. No country should consider its own internal plans greater than those concerning the climate. They must do more than talk at COP 26 they must begin to take steps to put the climate right.

There is a negativity to conquer and much ill feeling to work around. if COP 26 does nothing else, it should be powerful enough to make everyone know that when things happening like now are really grim –that it has only began to recognise that for those in power it is starting to impact them as much as those who inhabit the planet,- and by then if we do nothing it is too late. Success at COP26 will mean an international road map and more than vague promises to keep to it.

Success at COP 26 will be an international movement that begins to oversee climate change and has the power to make it happen. Will it happen? Either it will or there will be a disaster unfolding which no nation can avoid. So we are now launching our own Scottish Borders “Call to Arms”