So, we’re here now. We made it through the Netherlands over the Channel to Eastern England and travelled up to Glasgow in a day and a half. Glasgow is a medium sized capital city of a district-like Country – it’s pretty much all about COP here. Including enormous amount of Cops literally everywhere.
The walk from Ellis to the venue is as beautiful as it gets in a big city; I can walk alongside the river Clyde for roughly 3km to get to the venue. As the Blue Zone (i.e. the “inner circle”) was pretty much closed today, I took the chance to check out the Green Zone, the publicly accessible area. Being roughly a 10th of the size compared to the Blue Zone, the Green Zone is pretty much an exhibition on green capitalism covered in the basics of environmental science.
But before one is able to see the most modern form of green capitalism, the security check compares to an international flight. One can bring more, but the rigidity of the check is comparable – as is the presence of law enforcement and with it, profiling. So, inside were predominantly classy, white people.
In front of the Glasgow Science Center, holding the Green Zone, is an exhibition of green mobility – in its most capitalist form. At least the Check-In is easy. The first floor is packed with people trying to sell you a certain idea within the capitalist framework. The second floor is an exhibition of beautiful scientific experiments and information, there is a Café and a networking space, a cinema, a planetarium, and two plenary halls, which are filled with mostly old white men from institutions or corporations telling one their story. And that’s pretty much it. Well, let’s not forget the list of sponsors. Basically, the whole thing looks like an advertisement show, selling ideas & concepts – again, the global north/west spinning around itself.
Fortunately, though, today also started the People’s Summit of the COP26 Coalition, which is basically an alternative, inclusive, climate-just and open COP26 event by the Climate Justice Movement. I heard a panel discussion about degrowth, including decolonial and feminist perspectives, “about a transformation towards a political-economic system that priorities equitable human well-being – i.e. well-being for everyone – and[/while] staying within environmental limits.” In a church.
Day 0 was long and mixed. But the end was nice. Looking forward to tomorrow, hoping everything goes alright. This is where I want to pass tomorrow – leaving Scotland, entering UN:
