News COP26 Week 1 05.11.2021

While world leaders from 200 countries gathered in Glasgow for the start of COP26, the Sustainability Committee organised a fortnight of events on climate and sustainability to highlight why this summit is so important for the future of our planet.

We have been marking the first week of COP26 in a number of ways. Every morning our student and staff newsletter the Daily Dolphin has been providing students with fascinating articles – hand-picked by the Sustainability Committee – that dissect the climate crisis and shine a light on some of the communities on the frontline. Students have also been able to keep track of all the pledges set out by world leaders and all the highlights from the conference, including the thought-provoking and moving speeches of Sir David Attenborough and Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley. The Library has also been supporting and highlighting COP26 through creating a display of climate-focused books.

Using a special CO2 calculator, the catering staff at Godolphin have included the carbon content of each main meal on the menu for this week and next, helping us to make more sustainable, low carbon content, dietary choices. Lunchtimes have not just been spent eating ‘green’ meals as students have also been attending the COP26 Film Festival, which has been screening David Attenborough’s A Life on Planet Earth, and will show the film Kiss the Ground next week. A number of clubs and societies have also been running sessions focusing on issues surrounding climate change and sustainability. This week’s highlights have included Geography Society’s talk on environmental law and policy and SheClimate’s vision for tackling the climate crisis, Economic Society’s talk on whether climate change could trigger the next financial crisis, and Physics and Engineering Society’s session on answering the question; can carbon capture methods reverse climate change?

Next week there will be even more on the agenda including talks on the success of banning ozone-damaging CFC chemicals and Hammersmith and Fulham’s approach to tackling the climate emergency.

Click here to read the breakdown of Week 2 of our COP26 programme.