COP26 It is time! Make no mistake. Now or Never! Act and save our beautiful world OR Create an inhospitable world in just over a decade I have been absent from this wonderful and proactive site for a considerable time, not through neglect or because I had lost hope, but as a result of my wife and I making a concerted decision to change our lifestyle to benefit the planet and the future of our children and grandchildren. We have been heavily committed with a project namely "Breezy Bank Nature Restoration Project", which consists of 34 acres of rough grazing and agricultural land. We purchased this with our savings (which no doubt the bank was using to invest in ecologically destructive projects), this project will be funded solely by us and hopefully will be completed in four years. We have already planted 60 semi mature native trees on a 5 acre paddock and approximately 80 saplings in different areas of the whole site. Next year a further 60 exotic semi mature trees(native to countries in the Northern hemisphere) will be planted on an adjoining 7 acre paddock. The trees will then be monitored throughout the year taking measurements, photographs and noting the weather conditions throughout the period in order to gauge what effect the changing climate is having if any on the different species of trees. A wetland area will be created bordering a natural stream, shrub and existing ancient coppiced woodland to increase biodiversity consisting of 8 acres. There will be an orchard consisting of native and European trees with areas set aside for fruit bearing fruit bushes, all on 4 acres. The final Paddock will be set aside for no dig beds, where upon completion local schools and colleges will be give the opportunity to use the facilities for the education of their pupils in natural history, plant propagation, permaculture and other subjects relating to land and climate. This area will have its own water supply, courtesy of the rain and an 8000 gallon tank. 12.9Kw of solar and wind turbine giving an AC supply, and a 10 meter by 3 meter poly tunnel. The entire site will have natural paths and areas to sit and relax, carry out experiments or study. We also decided to only have one vehicle, changing to 100% electric, only buy if we need not want. No flying until it becomes environmentally friendly or as a result of no choice due to unfortunate circumstances. Reduce plastic(this has been the hardest as our world seems to be addicted to it),buy locally, have a balanced diet, no takeaways and any meat local and pasture fed. As well as the small things too numerous to mention. We can honestly say that these changes have not made us worse off or less happy if anything it has enhanced our lives. So! back to the heading of this post. Having just witnessed what our politicians have announced in this years budget and COP26 being only four days away. It has become very obvious that our out of date political system of assumed consent and also the majority of the worlds political systems, are not going to act for the benefit of the planet and our species. They are set on the unwavering track of business as usual and the continuation of the growth economy, in the process plundering our planet and stealing the future of generations to come. This gives us no hope of saving our planet or ourselves. The science is clear we are not going to achieve the target of 2C let alone the 1.5C of the Paris agreement. The carbon budget remaining has already been used up, there never was a carbon budget to play with in the first place, it is already locked in the atmosphere and will take us above these figures unless we can find a way of drawing down and sequestering the gasses already in the atmosphere. It is getting ever more difficult to hide the changes from the public, as things are now changing at a phenomenal rate. Such as recent weather events, floods, droughts, bushfires, food-shortages, water shortages, environmental migration and the meandering jet stream to mention but a few. Nearly all, now affecting the developed countries far earlier than the models predicted and this at 1.2C, giving a clear warning of things to come but significantly worse. So COP26 is of the upmost importance, ambitious targets must be set. They need to be set in law immediately and there need to be severe penalties for breaches. Carbon trading must be replaced with a carbon tax and that tax must reflect the crisis we are in, the monies must then be directed towards mitigation and adaption of the climate impacts and research and development. All carbon emitters must be included no exempting air travel and shipping. The economic model needs to change from a growth economy to a circular economy focusing on greening initiatives and the cleaning up of our biosphere. Governments also need to lead the way and initiate social change encouraging less consumption. The wealth of the world needs to be distributed evenly which can be achieved by taxes, brain drain will not be possible if all countries agree on a universal tax percentage. These are only a few areas that need addressing to give us any hope, there are many more environment impacting issues that need addressing the list is depressing. Failing a definitive result at COP26, it will be imperative that the people take action as soon as possible. Collectively the people are an unstoppable force and have the power to change things. This wouldn't necessarily require mass demonstrations and protests. It can be achieved by striking at the heart of the problem. The economy and politics those are the driving forces causing the climate breakdown. As with 'Earth DAY' or Greta's 'School Strike', if the people got together and everyone for one day (Gaia Day) boycotted their work, shops, services, banks and everything related, just didn't turn up. Then take the roadmap for change to the Government outlining what needs to happen to save our planet. Giving the goverment a deadline to a respond. Failure to give a satisfactory response initiates another boycott and so on. This would cause the Governments to listen and act as it would strike at the very heart of their economy, everything would grind to a halt. We are at a crossroads of whether we survive or become extinct in the near future, time has run out we need to act and we need to act together. Especially if COP26 fails to set the required targets and legislation, as has been the case with all the previous Conferences of Parties. All the warnings have been given, the IPCC even issued a code red. The question is:-"Can we change", because if we don't the ability to change will be taken out of our hands.