One notable absentee was Australia’s Prime Minister, Tony Abbott. Abbott skipped the meeting even though he was in New York only one day later, drawing criticism from climate campaigners and other global leaders.
Abbott deserves this criticism. Yet, at the same time, I for one, am happy he missed the meeting. It is certain he would only have been a blocker - making any positive shift that more difficult. It’s better he stayed home. It removed one element of resistance we simply don’t need.
More than this however, I cannot help but feel refreshed by Abbott’s honesty in his position. Of course, his position is deplorable. As the world heats up our Prime Minister is putting his head in the sand. But at the same time he is also more honest than most other leaders about his real willingness to take the action we need - an honesty we desperately need.
Take a look at the G20 for example - where Abbott recently dropped climate change off the agenda for the next meeting. While he has rightfully received criticism for his move, it seems unlikely to change the outcome of the meeting. Climate change has been on top of the G20 agenda for years now, with little to no action. In 2009 for example the group pledged to abolish inefficient fossil fuel subsidies - subsidies that five years later are largely still in tact. The same goes for much of the UN process. Despite the bold talk of world leaders these meetings often amount to little. While of course it is important we push for results in these forums, we should also be realistic. Our international processes are all talk, no action - an opportunity for global leaders to spruik their concern about climate change without actually doing anything about it.
It’s not like we should be surprised. World leaders do not have the commitment required to solve this problem at an international scale. Our political system is not built to deal with the issue. As Naomi Klein argues:
"We are stuck, because the actions that would give us the best chance of averting catastrophe – and benefit the vast majority – are threatening to an elite minority with a stranglehold over our economy, political process and media.”
Big business - the elite - have become completely and embedded within our politics, being “part of the nexus of power that creates policy.” And this role is holding us back. From the business-focused solutions such as emissions trading schemes or geo-technological fixes, to the influence the mining industry has on emissions policy, it is the corporate world - the fossil fuel industry - that dictates our policy. And they have done so to ensure that climate change is swept under the carpet. The state is designed to maintain corporate interests, and that means largely ignoring the significant shift we need on climate change.
Abbott is just different because he has the guts to be open and honest about this. While other leaders greenwash their lack of action through phony statements and weak policies, Abbott is skipping over the charade. He is making it very clear where he stands - in the pockets of the fossil fuel industry. It is something I wish more Governments would do.
Of course it would have been great for him to go to the UN meeting and take this international process seriously. Of course we should want climate change on the G20 agenda, and that real action be agreed to. But we should be honest with ourselves. In our current political system - one heavily influenced by corporate interests - these outcomes are unlikely.
Abbott has just opened us up to the reality of the situation. He has shown us that we cannot rely on Governments to save us anymore. Governments have, and continue to fail, meaning we can only rely on ourselves to solve this problem.
Luckily, while world leaders talked at the UN, people have shown we can do it. In the People’s Climate March hundreds of thousands of people took the direct action we need to solve this crisis. The march has been followed by events such as Flood Wall Street, targeting the power nexus that is holding back real international movement. Whether it is through the direct action we are seeing in places like Maules Creek or through divestment campaigns, it is people power we need to solve the problem.
Abbott skipping the UN meeting has sent a subtle but powerful message. We cannot rely on our Governments to solve the climate crisis. His position is deplorable, but at least unlike other leaders, he has the guts to be honest about it. It’s an honesty we need, and one that highlights that we can only rely on ourselves to solve this problem. It will only be a ‘people’s climate movement’ that will give us the results we need.
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