A conclave of earth’s glitterati—the movers and shakers, the rich, the famous, the powerful, the beautiful, and even the pious—gathered in Glasgow, Scotland, at the climate summit for the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26), comprised of nations under the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Among those present, many arriving on private jets and wining and dining in luxury, included U.S. President Joe Biden and ex-president Barak Obama, as well as French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Queen Elizabeth, and Prince Charles.
Also attending was British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had once derided the climate change movement as “eco-doomsters” rambling on about “evil gases.” Now, however, he himself has become a so-called “eco-doomster” worried about these same “evil gases.” Even though he was caught napping at the conference, Johnson has warned that we have only “one minute to midnight” before disaster strikes. [1]
Interestingly, the president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and the general secretary of the Communist Party of China (the world’s worst climate change offender), Xi Jinping, didn’t attend. But Leonardo DiCaprio, ex-royalty Harry and Megan Markle, fashion designer Stella McCartney, and Matt Damon were among those who did.
The Culprit
The 12-day conference (October 31–November 12) was convened to forge agreements from attending nations to help stave off what many fear (others believe these fears to be overblown) is an inevitable environmental disaster, unless drastic measures are taken to reduce what humans are doing to the planet’s atmosphere.
Among those drastic measures would be a massive reduction in, if not a complete end to, the use of fossil fuels—coal, oil, gas—which have been the foundation of modern existence for more than a century. These fuels produce most of our electricity; they also power our cars, trucks, tractors, motorbikes, lawnmowers, and airplanes; they are used to manufacture iron, steel, cement, plastics, and clothes.
To meet what some experts say our continued existence demands would take a massive reordering of how the developed world functions. And the price tag for doing it would be staggering. According to Forbes: “While estimates vary on the cost of halting global warming and reducing net carbon emissions to zero, a new report from Morgan Stanley analysts finds that to do so by 2050 the world will need to spend $50 trillion in five key areas of zero-carbon technology.” [2]
“Blah, Blah, Blah”
The purpose of COP26 was to push the attending nations to start reaching these goals. However, even after a signed agreement and prolonged negotiations, the conference did not come anywhere close to what many think is needed.
It yielded some concessions, including pledges to reverse deforestation (another purported cause of climate change because cutting trees releases carbon); a deal to reduce methane levels (another contributor to global warming, but also caused by cows belching); and a new commitment to phase out coal power. And yet, if their computer modeling projections are correct, even the most optimistic estimates warn that what came out of the conference is nowhere near enough to prevent disaster.
Eighteen-year-old climate activist, Greta Thunberg, even before the conference ended, called COP26 a failure, a “two-week-long celebration of business as usual and blah, blah, blah.” [3]
Said the Guardian: “Governments have agreed a weak climate deal which gets us a smidgen closer to holding temperatures to a rise of 1.5C. But as regards all the most important pledges to phase out coal, reduce subsidies and protect forests, Glasgow failed.” [4]
If these conference naysayers are right, what will be the consequences? A devastating increase in heat waves; rising sea levels that will imperil millions along coastlines; killer famines, especially in Africa; massive flooding; more forest fires; and hurricanes and storms in general increasing in frequency and intensity. These are among the impending disasters that we have been warned about.
But they are not just impending. According to British charity Oxfam, “Last year alone has seen a series of devastating climate disasters in various parts of the world, such as Cyclone Idai, deadly heatwaves in India, Pakistan, and Europe, and flooding in south-east Asia. From Mozambique to Bangladesh millions of people have already lost their homes, livelihoods, and loved ones as a result of more dangerous and more frequent extreme weather events.” [5]
One climate group has said: “We hereby demand that our political leaders act today before it is too late to prevent untold suffering and even the extinction of much of humanity by as early as mid-century!” [6]
The Apocalypse?
The extinction of much of humanity? That’s serious business.
It’s quite apocalyptic, to use a biblical term about the end of the world. Bible prophecy teaches that, prior to the end (see 2 Peter 3:10–12), religious intolerance and persecution will sweep over the globe (see Revelation chapters 13, 14). And, indeed, something like the climate crisis, in which many—including the president of the United States and Pope Francis (two of the world’s most influential leaders)—believe humanity’s existence is at stake, could help incite this predicted persecution.
It should be obvious by now that whatever one’s personal view of COVID-19 mandates, this pandemic has shown how, overnight, the world can be brought to its knees and how governments, even the liberal Western democracies, can dominate its citizens in ways that just two years ago would have seemed out of some futuristic, dystopian novel. Imagine what they could do if they feared “the extinction of much of humanity” itself.
Between COVID, the climate crisis, the growing gap between the rich and the poor, and general political instability, including in the United States, something like the apocalyptic scenario depicted in the book of Revelation (see www.panoramaofprophecy.com) now suddenly seems more likely than ever. Even though many unanswered questions remain, and even though no one knows how much time is left—enough is happening, which includes COP26 and its dire warnings, that should make us more prayerful and watchful than ever before because, as the apostle Paul warned, “the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2).
[1] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/boris-johnson-used-to-mock-eco-doomsters-now-he-s-a-climate-champion/ar-AAQgq6x
[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2019/10/24/stopping-global-warming-will-cost-50-trillion-morgan-stanley-report/?sh=39f22fb51e23
[3] https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/05/greta-thunberg-says-cop26-climate-summit-is-a-failure-and-a-pr-event.html
[4] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/13/heres-the-truth-our-leaders-at-cop26-have-failed-us-the-rest-is-spin
[5] https://www.oxfam.org/en/5-natural-disasters-beg-climate-action
[6] https://www.joboneforhumanity.org/declare_a_global_warming_state_of_emergency?gclid=CjwKCAiAm7OMBhAQEiwArvGi3Pi3927KFc_jDexNXPpcgWS36eup4iojcDXsd59DvkDypR9wVV_JWRoCXjoQAvD_BwE