This weekend I’ve been attending @COP26_Coalition conference that brought together NGOs, trade unions & activists from around the world. Well done to the organisers!! I’ve learnt so much and want to share a few takeaways:

1. The biggest obstacles to #climateaction now are fatalism, cynicism & resignation, ie ‘It’s too late, the biggest polluters won’t change, I can't change everything, so I might as well do nothing'

2. #Climatejustice!! It was so powerful to hear from countries & communities least responsible but most affected by the climate crisis. We export most of our environmental destruction & pollution. Strong moral grounds for climate reparations!

3. Radical reduction & change of consumption (flights, cars, clothes, meat & dairy, energy, etc) of the Global North is essential! Reviewing where our banks and pension funds invest our money is part of that.

4. Be wary of false solutions & #Greenwashing, eg zero-carbon targets that rely on offsets; hydrogen power projects that are destroying indigenous environments; recycling being shipped off to countries in the Global South

5. Many causes & solutions for the climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis, human rights issues & global inequalities are the same. Great to see these all linked at this conference!

6. We don’t have time to wait for the perfect movement, the perfect organisation or the perfect government. The problems we grapple with are too complex, too urgent - let’s support the most effective actors we have right now.

7. So many amazing organisations, movements & trade unions advocate for #climateaction & hold governments, investors & corporations to account – let’s support them and use the information they provide for us.

8. This horrendous pandemic has shown us that we are not invincible, how interconnected the world is and that our destruction of nature is a threat to us all #zoonoticdiseases. Let's learn from this.