COP26: In conversation with Young Leaders
As COP26 draws to a close in Glasgow, we took the opportunity to speak to three Young Leaders in Scotland about what they want from COP26 and what the future may hold. We have taken excerpts from each person's beautifully curated answers and aim to provide an insight into what our young leaders want for the future. We would like to thank Robert Bough, Isla Cowan and Wasseem Emam for their unique points of view.
Firstly, we spoke with Robert Bough. He is currently on our YLDP programme and is progressing through the graduate entry law student at the University of Edinburgh. He is also a part-time Projects Assistant at Brodies LLP.
What is the biggest change your organisation/industry want to see from COP26 Leaders?
I cannot speak for either Brodies or the Edinburgh Law School but I can certainly pass comment about changes I would like to see in the legal industry on the back of COP26. Principally, I hope COP26 leads to serious conversations in the legal industry about where we are currently falling short and what things we need to introduce to improve the impact we have on climate change in this country.
Progress is being made in the sector – The Chancery Lane Project’s draft clauses, which aim to align all legal contracts with net zero targets, and the recent establishment of the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland constitute examples of this progress – but I hope the legal industry can step into the spotlight and use this momentous period to ask what more it can do.
Additionally, I think that the legally binding status of some of the targets and commitments that may come out of the summit will be intriguing and, if incorporated well into legal processes, could help move Scotland and the UK towards its own goals.
What do you expect the headline takeaways to be from Scottish leaders at COP26?
Having heard Nicola Sturgeon’s appearance on the excellent podcast series Outrage and Optimism, I am expecting an optimistic but cautious tone from Scottish leaders at COP26. Nicola Sturgeon was keen to stress Scotland’s leadership on climate change in recent years, citing strong diplomatic work, improvements in wind power and other renewables, and a concomitant green revolution in the electricity sector.
However, I also expect to see Scottish leaders sound a note of caution about the feasibility and energy security issues of a rapid transition to renewable energy, evidenced I believe by their reluctance to come out against developments surrounding the Cambo oil field.
In my more pessimistic moments I fear that we may not see a display of the required ambition that we so desperately crave from our country’s leaders, but I hope that these worries will be proven wrong at the summit.
Are you familiar with the term Just transition? What does a Just Transition look like to you?
At its base level it is a term that is synonymous with creating a fairer and greener future for the planet. There are international disparities in the levels of extant inequality across regions but here in Scotland there is much that needs to be done both on a social level as well as an environmental one and the Just Transition aims to tackle both of these fundamental issues.
It aligns itself with principles such as a regenerative economy, fairer distribution of wealth and resources both nationally and internationally, and opportunities for increased employment in green industries like renewables and active travel infrastructure.
We then spoke with Wasseem Emam. He is a Consultant on fish welfare at the Aquatic Life Institute; Doctoral researcher at the Institute of Aquaculture within the University of Stirling in Scotland; Director at Ethical Seafood Research Consultancy; Member of Young Seafood Leaders Network Steering Group and Local Coordinator (Volunteer) for Compassion in World Farming Glasgow.
What is the biggest change your organisation/industry want to see from COP26 leaders?
We would like to see much greater recognition of the immense potential that transforming our food systems can have on reducing carbon emissions and even reversing climate change. We need food systems that encourage lower consumption of red meats in favour of balanced consumption of seafood which has numerous health benefits as well as a much lower carbon footprint than other forms of protein. Such food systems should also have sustainability at their core including the ending of intensive (factory) farming and improving the welfare of the farmed animals.
We would also like to place greater emphasis on the tight-knit relationship between the health of the oceans and the health of the climate which suggests that actions to end overfishing, tackle the loss of marine biodiversity and protect aquatic habitats (which contribute to carbon sequestration) have a crucial role to play in tackling climate change.
What are you doing for COP this year?
Given that I am lucky enough to be based in Glasgow, I will be joining a number of climate marches and rallies organised by animal rights campaigners. I will also be promoting my organisation’s report on the contribution of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture to reducing carbon emissions at a joint side event with other campaigners. I’ll also be attending and supporting various initiatives by partner organisations at The Green Zone, EXTREME at The Ferry and taking part in a dive in the cold waters of the Clyde with Our.Fish to raise awareness of the plight of our water bodies.
What do you want from your leaders/policy makers who will be present at COP26 in Glasgow?
Above all else, I’d like to see major ambition that recognises the gravity of the climate situation and that we are seriously out of time. I would also like clear recognition of the lessons we learned from the COVID-19 pandemic that we are capable of taking the necessary drastic concerted global action in order to successfully tackle huge crises such as the one presented to us by climate change.
We took the opportunity to speak with Isla Cowan. She is a playwright, performer and director, currently based in Edinburgh. She describes herself as an ecofeminist theatre-maker, as she foregrounds women and the environment in her work.
Credit: Giedrius Kartanovič
What are you/your organisation doing for COP this year?
I have been working with the Scottish Youth Theatre in delivering the VOICEMAIL project, as part of ‘Phone Call to the World’. ‘Phone Call to the World’ is supported by the British Council as part of the Creative Commissions programme. Scottish Youth Theatre have been working in collaboration with partner organisations in England, South Africa, India and Palestine ( Al-Harah Theater, ARROWSA , Gorse Hill Studios , South Roots International , Study Hall Educational Foundation ) to devise and develop a programme of digital and audio work that foregrounds young voices engaging with issues of climate crisis, with a particular focus on local level impacts. As part of the VOICEMAIL project, I led workshops for youth theatre groups across Scotland, including Aberdeen Performing Arts , Borders Youth Theatre , Eden Court , hidden route , Mull Youth Theatre and Theatre Royal Dumfries. The participants (aged 14-17) engaged with scientific material provided by Explorathon and I led a workshop which encouraged them to think more deeply about their ecological entanglements. This included de-centring the human and exploring ideas of place, climate crisis and connection. After the workshop, the young people phoned a virtual ‘hotline’ and recorded the voice message they had written.
Alongside a physical installation/exhibition for ‘Phone Call to the World’ running at COP26 in Glasgow, there is also a digital exhibition available as an interactive map via the Phone Call to the World website: phonecalltotheworld.org
What is the biggest change your organisation/industry want to see from COP26 leaders?
Speaking for myself, I want to see commitments to action now, not far off promises and pledges. We need real, urgent change, and that is not achieved in setting targets but in taking action.
In terms of my work with the youth theatre sector, I think there is a desire for politicians and media outlets to stop fetishizing the ‘youth’ in relation to the climate crisis and environmental activism. We need to stop objectifying young people as beacons of hope, as symbols, and actually listen to what they have to say. One of the most important ideas behind VOICEMAIL and Phone Call to the World was about giving the young participants time and space to speak, to record their own message for the world, to give airtime to their ideas and opinions. Leaders at COP26 need to listen to these messages. They need to listen to what young people today actually have to say.
What is your message for the peers in your industry, and for young people?
It’s really exciting to see companies like The Greenhouse and Pigfoot leading the way in sustainable and zero-waste theatre. But, by and large, theatres and theatre companies need to work harder to put the environment at the heart of their work – and I don’t necessarily mean thematically but in terms of their production means and methods. Considerations of environmental impact and carbon footprint need to be fundamental to making the work, not implemented as a half-hearted after-thought. This will include things like innovative set and costume design which makes use of recycled sets and materials, efficient and effective lighting and sound design, and alternative touring models.
We are so grateful to our young leaders for speaking with us and providing a great read. We hope you enjoyed reading as much as we did!