UK Prime Minister and host, Boris Johnson, opened COP26 with a warning that the world was “one minute from midnight” in the fight against global warming. But rather than look back at what COP26 could or should have achieved, instead we (myself and Alexis Haass, our Global Sustainability Officer) would like to share a few thoughts and anecdotes of what we heard and saw while in Glasgow last week – and how we felt when we left.
What did you do whilst you were in Glasgow at COP26?
Peter – The scale and magnitude of this event is something you only appreciate once you have been through it – and we didn’t even see everything in the four days we were in Glasgow! The variety is impressive, you’re ranging from small, intimate roundtables to large gatherings and events the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) leaders’ dinner that we sponsored focused on the role of nature in a positive climate recovery. I also had the privilege to meet with the UN Habitat Under Secretary General Maimunah Mohd Sharif at COP26 to celebrate our 10 year partnership where Arcadians have been deployed to over 120 missions over the last decade to provide technical assistance to the UN Habitat projects in post disaster recovery situations.
Alexis – The variety was impressive, from speaking at events like the one I took part in with the likes of Network Rail and Skanska, on board a hydrogen train, to engaging with clients and hearing about their sustainability needs, and then just attending the large activities like Barack Obama’s speech and going to the Bloomberg Live Green event under Glasgow Central train station and hearing from US Climate Envoy, John Kerry. I also really appreciated wearing sneakers with a suit with all the running back and forth!
Arcadis sponsored a WBCSD leaders’ dinner and encountered some demonstrators – what did you make of that?
Alexis - It was a unique experience! One thing is that I kept hearing all the CEOs in the room saying is, if only they knew that we are about to discuss how to try and solve the exact issues they want solved!
Peter – There are people here who, rightfully so, are making the point that they are unhappy about the speed of change – I appreciate that message too.
Alexis – Barack Obama brought this up in his speech, that young people should keep their voices going and ‘stay angry’ until we meet their needs and start delivering on the targets – and I agree with his sentiment.
Did anything surprise you about the topics being discussed?
Peter – Climate action was, rightly so, the number one topic – but what I enjoyed is the push around climate action, nature and biodiversity action and eliminating social inequality. The three are so closely connected and I don’t think you can solve one without the other. That was really clear.
Alexis – One of the things that was special about being at the WBCSD dinner was that we sponsored the event with Natura & Co, who were joined by Sebastião Salgado who showcased his brilliant Amazônia photographic exhibition, showing the preciousness of the Brazilian rainforest and celebrating the indigenous people. That was ‘a picture speaks a thousand words’ moment. And then people heard about how we at Arcadis help create those nature-based solutions to protect habitats in the work that we do – it all came together nicely.
How did you feel as you left Glasgow?
Peter – I would say I left Glasgow hopeful about the future of the planet. More hopeful than when I came – because of the many things which are already in motion. Yes, there are things that still need to happen, we still need carbon pricing, we need a common language around climate change and to fully phase out fossil fuels. At the same time, the momentum, particularly in the private sector, with lots of initiatives which can be scaled up to a global level, left me feeling hopeful.
Alexis – I had heard many people say ‘this is the business COP’, and it really was. The amount of business leaders that showed up here to make commitments and announcements, to forge partnerships, and who were very excited about collaboration – that stood out to me. And it made me think that no matter the declarations, the willingness of the private sector to now step up means that we’re creating the right conditions. When the private sector asks governments to do more, that’s when the snowball starts to go fast.
What’s next for Arcadis?
Peter – One thing became very clear. The fact that we are moving our operating model to deliver scalable sustainable solutions in a more global fashion without reinventing the wheel each time is what the world needs. We are already on this journey, we have come away with lots of momentum, and now we will accelerate.
Alexis – For me, it’s the next steps of what we laid out at our Sustainability Day event in September. We’ve taken a stance, we’ve been specific about our ambition to accelerate the transition to net zero, in a way that improves quality of life for all, we’ve set our own ambitious commitment to be net zero in our global operations by 2035, and we’ve made clear our intention to longer work with clients who do not support the Paris Agreement. Now it’s about running really fast towards that ambition, and putting more of the programs and commitments in place that will get us there and help our clients make net zero a reality. I really believe this moment is the right moment, it’s time.
For an overview of what was achieved at COP26 and what’s next for decarbonizing the global economy, you can read this blog from Simon Rawlinson, Head of Strategic Research and Insight.
