Rishi Sunak went to COP, but don’t be fooled – political apathy will still kill COP27

Last week we witnessed multiple climate victories – first, the ousting of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, or "the Trump of the tropics", followed by Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's U-turn, which saw him attend COP.

Yet do not be fooled. We are not on the right track: contagious political apathy towards climate action will still kill ongoing COP27 negotiations.

The global economy is steadily approaching the worst financial crisis since the Second World War. Citizens are – understandably – less concerned about the climate and more focused on their short-term survival.

For example, this COP, we have been watching this as the UN's secretary general, António Guterres, has been using ever more urgent language to plead with member states to pursue the drastic climate action we need to make any real difference.

But it continues to fall on deaf ears.

See, the public opinion crucially needed to sway politicians towards climate action simply isn't there anymore. And this is a deadly combination during the most prominent climate summit of the year.

A trust deficit in politicians is fuelling the rise of moral leaders

The climate crisis is already here: only days ago, the UN announced that the window for climate action is rapidly closing. But politics, as usual, won't solve what's to come – because the climate battle won't be won with facts and figures – we already all know these figures.

Instead, we need a radical paradigm shift in our thinking. After all, emotions cannot be removed from the political sphere. Just consider how support for right-wing populist parties in Europe and beyond has surged precisely because they follow this logic.

And as populism has gained a vicious foothold globally, so has climate apathy.

Our best – perhaps the only – hope for COP27 to succeed is to fill this void of moral leadership on the world stage.

But what is the solution?

See, people crave moral leadership at a time of unprecedented global crisis and uncertainty. This leadership could be embodied by moral figures and religious leaders alike but also by intergovernmental organizations such as the UN.

After all, there is a historic trust deficit in politicians – mainly because of a view that politicians are guided by self-interest. This is no more apparent than climate change – at its core, a story of historical grievances and injustice, a moral challenge that plenty of politicians have never lived up to address.

This is why we have seen the power of moral leaders – divorced from politics – who are capable of guiding public opinion. Just consider Greta Thunberg, who single handily became the face of climate change for the world's younger generations, helping them undergo profound behavioural changes and pressure policymakers in unprecedented ways.

Our best – perhaps the only – hope for COP27 to succeed is to fill this void of moral leadership on the world stage.

One overlooked solution is the power of religious leadership. Almost 90% of the world identifies with a religion, especially across the Global South, where religious leaders are relied on to solve challenges that communities face.

And as climate change becomes more pressing, these leaders will have to be involved at the grassroots – inspiring billions to pursue climate action.

Indeed for the first time last week, religious leaders gathered at R20 – an official part of the G20 – in Bali to discuss just that.

The co-organizers, the Secretary-General for the Muslim World League – the foremost Islamic NGO in the world – Dr Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, and the Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) – Indonesia's largest Muslim organization – Yahya Cholil Staquf both jointly declared to pursue a new age of climate moral leadership that would resonate with their hundreds of millions of followers – many who are living on the frontlines of climate change.

Ethics and human values must be at the heart of the struggle

But this is only the beginning.

To sway public opinion and place undue pressure on policymakers, we must continue to seek readily available moral leaders who can fill the ever-widening moral void – speaking to the concerns of ordinary people and kickstarting the culture shift we need to save the planet.

We must see the need to generate new energy and the daunting challenges of climate change and sustainable development as an impetus to place ethics and human values at the heart of the struggle.

Because the only certain thing is that we are running out of time.