Animal instinct, part two: Nim Njuguna offers further polemic on the wolves at COP26

‘Genuine attempts to save the earth require an open dialogue.’

‘A series of seemingly endless wars, waged in the name of peace and security, lead to greater instability.’

If I were a delegate at the twenty-sixth UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), there are six types of wolves I would be looking out for.

Capitalist wolves

In the absence of a level playing field, countries with the most power and wealth will send the most delegates to argue their viewpoint. Without shame, they will sit at the high table repeating that pious lie of solidarity: ‘We are all in this together.’ They actually have protective nationalistic tendencies – for example, they continue to hoard Covid vaccines, and the raw materials needed to make them. The pandemic has revealed disturbing limits in global solidarity. Economic inequality exacerbates environmental damage; the two issues are intrinsically linked. Profits are made in ‘developing countries’, but not by the people who live there.

You need to login to read subscriber-only content and/or comment on articles.