COP in or COP out?

We started with hope, the hope of this COP to be of implementation
What flowed, were talks of persuasion, discussion and collaboration

With commitments and promises galore
What remains to be seen, are actions coming to the fore

We moved a step forward, yet have miles and miles to go
From the Just Transition Platform, social protection will flow
An agreement on “Loss and Damage”, our need to repair was never more
Always heartening to see such ambition, when will outcomes show?
Our world, is still, constantly running from the responsibility to act
Trying to decipher a contribution formula, that is balanced and apt
Our developed friends, polluting heartily, mitigating slowly
Our vulnerable friends, thirsty to adapt, might disappear quickly

What lies ahead, is like nothing we have seen

Climate migration, extreme weather, and financial loss will be a routine

With the 1.5 degree target, looking out of sight

Now, we accelerate mitigation and adaptation to alleviate our plight
With countries absorbed in diplomacy, corporations must take the lead

For their license to operate, lies at risk to be seized
Having motive to innovate, muscle to transition, and money to scale
Just fill this gap of implementation, and this time, our efforts won’t be frail

Driven by quick profits, investors are failing to see
Without a climate transition, our money will have no place to be
Now, we embed sustainability in our strategy
Moving to secure and clean our food, water, and energy
On this journey to net zero, India is leveraging its global primacy
Formalizing credits and transition maps into policy
Driven by its youth, pushing to alter lifestyles

Charting a course of growth, decoupled from emissions and the likes
The words of our young Ghanaian friend at the COP, will continue to reverberate

“The fate of the most vulnerable will be the fate of the world”.
“Have a heart and do the math, it’s an emergency”, she pleaded.

“Because a payment is overdue”, she said.