Climate Change

Charles Ian McNeill PhD

This meeting was held, in-person, at Artisan Eats Café, 539 Artisan Lane, Bowen Island. The meeting began at 7:30 PM. The audio of the talk by Charles Ian McNeill, PhD, was recorded and combined with his Powerpoint presentation to create the following video.

Dr. McNeill participated in the Glasgow Climate Conference, October–November 2021. As a result of the conference, and from his position with the United Nations, his talk focused on the following topics:

1. Climate Change Impacts in British Columbia: What Have You Seen?
2. Significant Outcomes from Glasgow Climate Conference
3. Insights from the New Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
   Change Report
4. Implications of the Ukraine War: Time to Pivot Away From, Not Deepen, Our Addiction to Fossil Fuels
5. Environmentally Harmful Subsidies: The Dirty Little Secret
6. Critical Role of Food System Transformation in Addressing Climate Crisis
7. What Can We Do?

Some of the significant issues arising from the Glasgow Climate Conference include:

• Most powerful mobilization of civil society, business, youth, women, indigenous peoples ever
• Governments recommitted to keep warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels (although total of national promises takes us to a 2.4 degree C rise)
• Agreement on “Net-Zero Emissions by 2050” as necessary to reach 1.5 C limit
• First-ever COP decision to ‘phase down’ Coal power and phasing out Oil and Gas subsidies
• Annual reporting back on climate plans instead of every 5 years
• Canada and other countries, companies and investors announced major plans to shift from Coal, cut Methane emissions, and align $ trillions of investments to net-zero emissions
• Glasgow Leaders Pledge on Forests and Land Use by Canada & 140 countries to ‘Halt and Reverse Deforestation and Land Degradation by 2030’, with $19 billion, covers 90% of world’s forests
• Urgent focus now needed on follow-through on Glasgow agreements

Charles Ian McNeill’s views are also informed by a lifetime living on Bowen Island.