Informal dispatches from COP 26

DAY 1 — A Member of the Carbon Generation Goes to Glasgow

By Thomas Vonier
FAIA RIBA
Immediate Past President, International Union of Architects
Former President, American Institute of Architects

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With youngsters in the Glasgow streets outside of the huge COP 26 compound shouting “no more blah blah blah,” it rankles a times to sit inside the UN Climate Conference compound and listen to . . . well, if not exactly blah blah blah, then more talk. But some of all this talk gives cause for hope, and even optimism.

You often hear good news in the dozens of seminars and events staged by various national delegations and activist groups—from Pakistan and its massive tree-planting efforts to the joked-about “Methane Moment” booth, where you learn about substantial global efforts under way to curb the production and release of this potent greenhouse gas.

President Biden’s methane-reducing initiative has received a positive reception, from all I can discern. His climate emissary, John Kerry, has been omnipresent delivering strong messages about steps the US will take, and is urging others to take. People seem to listen and believe.

So, even if the dire warnings never cease to grow in urgency and scope, and even if the sense is here that we are not doing enough, we do seem to have made progress since COP 21 in Paris—a climate conference to which I walked and where architects made many promises.

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Tom is sending DesignIntelligence daily dispatches from COP 26 and offering his seasoned insights and observations along the way.