politics

Kishida leaves for one-day trip to COP26

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Strong leadership indeed. Show up, say hello, pledge a lot and then catch the red-eye back to Tokyo.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Just shows how much he cares about the climate. Xi did not even go.

11 ( +13 / -2 )

In fact, Kishida has another plane taking the same trip, as a backup.

It is questionable what impact Kishida will have in Glasgow, apart from the having the usual requisite photo-op.

The unmitigated waste on show is per usual the Japanese political class…

12 ( +15 / -3 )

Goodness knows why all these people feel they need to fly to Glasgow in their private jets. If they really cared about the planet, the COP26 could have been held online.

16 ( +18 / -2 )

Hey Kishida, so you're phasing out nuclear power?

...Well

Hey does that mean you'll invest in local solar?

...you see

How about wave technology?

...umm...

Nice to see you, have a safe trip home then

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Sounds like one big jet lag session.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

The carbon footprint of two large jets flying all the way to Glasgow for one man to smile, be photographed, achieve nothing, for just one day out of two weeks of probably the most important world meeting he will ever have a chance to attend just doesn’t seem worth it.

Whatever his domestic agenda he is so keen to get back to is nowhere near as important in the long run to Japan as what is being negotiated at COP26 in his absence. Demonstrating you obviously have no understanding of what is happening in the greater world around you is not a good look for a newly elected leader of a country and bodes ill for the Japanese people.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Kishida's missed a nice PR opportunity here, when he could have stated his green credentials by not taking the 12,000-miles trip, and left Japan's climate-negotiations in the capable hands of their delegates..... or he just could have emailed his intentions to the British PM, or Biden, or even sent them a fax.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

One-day trip, followed by 14-day quarantine?

11 ( +11 / -0 )

The carbon footprint is huge with this one.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Demonstrating you obviously have no understanding of what is happening in the greater world around you is not a good look for a newly elected leader of a country and bodes ill for the Japanese people.

Apart from the major Japan originated conglomerates and a few other companies the lack of understanding of the ‘greater world’ is evident.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

ChikuyokeiToday  06:41 pm JST

One-day trip, followed by 14-day quarantine?

You think? I won't be surprised if it was only 1.4 days.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Interesting information provided @zichi 6:07pm.

- “The event is expected to bring in between 20,000 and 25,000 attendees alongside global politicians and state leaders.” -

https://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/which-leaders-will-attend-cop26-full-list-of-country-heads-visiting-glasgow-for-climate-change-summit-3392176

Just to put in in some relative perspective, roughly 25% of the 90,000+ that attended the 2021 Olympics ?

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/07/tokyo-2020-olympics-numbers/

Do those COP26 numbers include “press?

Are the COP26 confined to a “bubble” or “bubbles” ?

”Thanks” in advance.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Zichi, with all due respect, it is a ridiculous message from the forum to say logistics are difficult to do online meetings, and in the same forum tell everyone humanity is at it's brink.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Why do this conference, negotiate beforehand, as they are doing anyway. No leader is coming to this conference and saying, "wow, you convinced me to do more, put my taxpayers down for a couple of hundred billion more." or "you know, your right my pledge to cut our emissions by half in a few years sailed through my legislature so easy that your smooth words and nice meals convinced me to make it zero!"

Oh, and how about a hell of a lot less hangers on attending.

Anyway, I feel that since we are talking about the end of humanity, more effort on something easy like a meeting could be made. If they can't work out the meeting logistics, how can they with a straight face act like they can change the energy supply of the world.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

It is impossible to hold a conference the size of this COP26 online with some kind of zoom meeting. There are over 100 world leaders. Besides the technical difficulties online there would be the many time differences.

I beg to differ. A conference this size, which is all about reducing CO2 emissions, is tailor made for an online event. Do you think the logistics of moving 100 world leaders and their entourage from all points on the planet to a single location is easier than stage managing an online event? Come on man! It would be a million times easier not to mention the total time savings dedicated to travel could be used for meetings. But then the upper class would miss out on their international travel experience on elegantly appointed tax payer funded mega-jets, fine food and drink, and perhaps an expensive escort or two. It’s much more fun having various servants at the hotels and banquets attending to your every need in person. I sure hope Kishida has a good time.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Zuchi

125 simultaneous Zoom meetings, 200 in each meeting, and furrhe breakout rooms as required. Could record the main sessions/plenary speakers and put up for on demand as well.

But actually one wouldn't have to cater for 25,000 since wouldn't need the entourages, security, cooks, escorts, etc and a lot of the fluff could be cut.

It's more than doable man. Been involved in several big ones and no issues at all.

Mate if we even can't organise this online, I have little hope that any progress will be made on solving the climate crisis.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

zichi

Just heard on the beeb that the main session hall for one of the big speeches was almost empty. So where are the 25 grand, or even a percentage of them? Sounds like a waste to me.

Do it online over a couple of months then. Why 11 days? Multiple languages using subtitles as necessary view on demand....

Time zones I will grant you, but as I said above many delegates don't seem to be attending anyway, so does it matter? On demand!

Voting / agreements can't be done online??

4 ( +4 / -0 )

@Chikuyokei.

Don't be silly. Politicians are far too important to go into quarantine. That's just for us proles.

COP is all over UK TV. Not watching any of it. It's all theatre.

All these people jetting to COP. If only these nations had ambassadors in the UK who could do this for them. No, wait...

It's PR. They will do nothing more than make promises on behalf of future regimes, a term or two down the line.

They overreacted to Covid as they were using it for their own ends, ending globalisation, reverting to the nation state model, taking back control from corporates and moving people to 'digital' - a surveillance state infrastructure based on digital money, vaccines passports and border controls.

The have underreacted to climate change for years as there is nothing in it for them.

Scientists haven't helped. A 2° increase in average temp? They think that will scare people? They are so useless at PR that they are reliant on a Scandanavian teenager to get their message across. Extreme weather caused by climate change will make it difficult for crops to grow to harvest, so there will be famines, which lead to political instability and war.

It is a lie to suggest that we can stop it. We may be able to slow it a bit, but the human population will never be 'net zero' (another lie). We need to switch to survival plans, managing water and agriculture better, improving global supply chains and optimising global labour use as crops move and life gets tougher. So with Covid, for political reasons, politicians have actually undone some of the things we will need to cope with climate change.

If you want something doing properly, do it yourself. Protect yourselves using information on the net to improve your own resilience to climate change. Grow more food, get another freezer and keep more supplies in stock, trade in your gas guzzler for an EV and support NGO groups who are actively engaged in projects that reduce emissions. Brexit in the UK is having a similar effect to how climate change will affect everyone, so watch what we are doing to try to cope with shortages and prepare to do the same. This stuff is too important to leave to politicians.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

@zichi

There are times when you make some fine comments on many varied subjects but in this case you are on a losing wicket.

It would be a technological feat to set up and run but not impossible and certainly much better than the vast resources involved jetting hundreds or thousands here and there…

3 ( +3 / -0 )

A conference this size, which is all about reducing CO2 emissions, is tailor made for an online event. 

No one who has done zoom meetings with more than 10 people is silly enough to think that. The idea is frankly ridiculous. Just an climate change denier trying to score points.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Zichi, the Prime Minister old plane is for sale for 28 million dollars, make them an offer Google Japan Air Force One For Sale

0 ( +1 / -1 )

People will reap what they sowed, by the wrath of Mother Nature,lots of these leaders, will not be around to see the climate plan implemented,most are in their 60 and 70 years of age, it will be the you the young have too live with the consequences,maybe they should have a national sale taxes to make all local train free

2 ( +2 / -0 )

He’s so concerned about the climate they sent a 777 to Scotland 2 weeks ago just to ‘practise’ landing at the airports there. Then he took two planes to Scotland yesterday, you couldn’t make it up! Will he be quarantining for 2 weeks alone or will the whole flight crew quarantine together?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

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