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~~~ Issue 20, October 2021 ~~~
Hi <<First Name>> Welcome to the latest issue of the Gazette.
Well COP26 has come and gone and Glaswegians and Scots did an amazing job in warmly welcoming people to Glasgow for this extraordinary global event.
Throughout COP26 there was a lot of hot air, political posturing, corporate lobbying and greenwash (the blah, blah, blah) When it came down to it the negotiations and agreement - the Glasgow Climate Pact - ended up focused on a just a few words and phrases, a key one being 'unabated'.
To abate something means to reduce in degree or intensity. And that's what the Glasgow Climate Pact is - an abated agreement - a watered-down agreement. There was progress but not at the scale and level required. With rich countries ignoring the science and demands for justice the Glasgow Climate Pact failed to deliver what is needed.
However what was unabated during COP26 was what was happening outside of the official talks. In the streets, venues and homes across the city and across the world - the coalition of the people. If the final Glasgow Climate Pact lacked intensity then the COP26 Coalition, the Climate Fringe and wider civic society made up for it in barrel loads!
1000s of events took place across the city, many helping to give a voice to the Global South and indigenous peoples who had been sidelined. And with many events taking place online or being recorded this has creating an amazing resource for communities to use. And 1000s of people took to the streets of Glasgow for the Fridays for the Future and the Global Day of Action with a further 300 actions taking place across the globe.
And this is where the future lies - in people and communities coming together to hold our governments and corporations to account – and make them act.
In the words of Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
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Local Food for Everyone consultation - as part of the Glasgow Community Food Network 
