'It's lacked a bit of substance' - Reseller and distributor bosses react to COP26 so far

The bosses of three firms operating in the channel say more urgency and co-operation is needed as COP26 conference nears its end

Three channel firm bosses have criticised policymakers for a lack of urgency and co-operation at the COP26 climate conference, but say a full conclusion cannot be drawn until the conference comes to an end.

COP26 began on Sunday, 31 October and continues until Friday, 12 November.

The event has seen leaders from across the world meet to discuss climate action targets, and last week saw the announcement of the Breakthrough Agenda.

The new declaration outlines plans to accelerate the development and deployment of clean technologies and sustainable solutions in order to meet the previously agreed 2016 Paris Agreement goals.

A draft deal urging countries to strengthen their carbon-cutting targets by the end of 2022, and to go further in pursuing the target of keeping global warming below 1.5 °C has also been released.

Talks over a final agreement are however, still ongoing.

But based on what has been announced thus far, the view from some of the channel's big names has been one of disillusionment.

Alastair Wynn, operations director at Softcat, said the conference has so far lacked "critical action and alignment".

"I'd probably describe it as quite flat at the moment," he told CRN.

"I just think it's lacked a bit of substance and a bit of a punch. It seems like there's a lack of alignment between countries across the globe.

He added: "There doesn't seem to have been much that's come out of it in the world of tech and what's most relevant to us. There's been lots of focus on finance and forestation and transport, but I'm pretty surprised there's not been much talk about e-waste, which we believe is quite key, especially in our industry.

"The good thing with this is that people definitely recognise that there is a need for action and that something needs to be done. They can't ignore the science.

"But there's really been a lack of emphasis on the need for partnership, alignment and collaboration."

Meanwhile, Dave Stevinson, the CEO of distributor QBS Software - which claims it is the first UK distributor to be independently verified as net carbon neutral - agreed with the sentiment that there has not been enough global co-operation from key states.

And he stressed the need for the tech industry to step up and play its part in establishing a greener future.

"Many political leaders don't seem to have a good enough grasp of risk and the risk attribution. Too many countries and groups from the developing world are not represented at COP 26," he said.

"We have all the capability we need to deal with this but we can't seem to grasp the nettle and work towards a better, fairer, healthier future.

"I am a mixture of optimism and frustration about COP26 and the situation in general. At QBS we have carbon footprinted our entire business and our industry has all the capability we need to be leaders. It's just a question of getting on with it."

Meanwhile, Roger Whittle, CEO of Jigsaw24, believes it is still "too early to tell" whether the conference can be deemed a success but said he has so far been "disappointed" with its "lack of urgency".

"There seems to be some promising ingredients," he said.

"But it's too early to judge. On the whole, I think the momentum, the pace and the urgency is very disappointing.

"On the face of it, I think if you were critical, you'd give it four out of ten. If you're optimistic you'd give it six out of ten."

He added: "There are some interesting agreements on Australia, India, capital transfers, trees, methane standards, and clean energy. And there's some stuff about coal and some green shifting corridors and global aviation initiatives.

"But we're judging the quality of a meal and it's not been fully cooked yet so we can't reach a conclusion."