Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right

I see that the delegates and organisers, the makers and shakers, at COP26 are saying that they can sort out the climate by throwing money at it. No commitment to just stop using fossil fuels, no promises to banish single use plastics, nothing concrete. No, it’s always the same. Promise lots of money to appease the masses.

Balance the fact that people are seemingly concerned with the state of the planet with the motorcade of 20 cars, the president of the United States has brought with him to Scotland. The fact that he is being driven back and forth from Edinburgh to Glasgow and back again, every day, is appallingly typical. Why do we believe these jokers?

Of course, the COP26 motorcade is miles better (or less) than the 85 cars he had in Rome for the G20 chat and back patting exercise that regularly diminishes the planet bit by bit. I remember the traffic around the Coliseum when I visited Rome with Dawn a number of years ago, and I hate to think about how long you’d have to wait to cross the street while this US wankfest of black cars trundled by. Obviously you’d get shot if you tried to walk between them.

Then, this morning, I heard about the people in southern Madagascar who are already suffering from climate change. There has been a drought. Rain has not fallen in four years. No rain. Nothing. People who depend on growing their food in order to eat are now scrabbling in the dirt to find roots. But, as long as the president of the United States can have his protection, these poor people can be safely ignored.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that the Prime Minister of this country, having given a speech about how we all have to make a commitment to solving the climate issue, jumped into a plane and flew back to London. This followed his private flight to and from Rome a few days earlier. He is the clown in this particular pointless circus, particularly given he could even bother to stay awake when other people were speaking.

Then there’s the plethora of climate change deniers who have suddenly sprung out from under dusty floorboards everywhere. They pounce on anyone who dares to denounce their precious limited resources. They reserve the majority of their vitriol for Greta Thunberg who, I’m glad to say, gives as good as she gets.

The effects of climate change are already being felt, with millions starving in Madagascar and places like the Torres Strait Islands where the highest point was a metre and a half above sea level but is gradually getting lower. Soon there’ll be no islands, just wet feet.

The thing is, it’s all too exhausting and, it seems to me, a bit of a waste of time. So, on a more positive note, here’s a snow sprayed reindeer that has appeared on the side window of my optician in the Lion and Lamb Yard.

I imagine that in the not too distant future, a young child will look at this and say, “Mummy, what is that white stuff?“