COP26 Glasgow – Climate Summit 2021 – Solving the Climate Crisis

World leaders meet in November to outline plans for countries, cities and industries to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Officially known as the “Conference of Parties” or COP, the twenty-sixth edition of this annual meeting will be held in an atmosphere of justified global vigilance. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently stated that changes caused by runaway carbon emissions, such as global sea level rise, increased wildfires and extreme heat, are already “undoing over centuries and millennia.” I can’t,” he warned. These dangers will accelerate if we don’t take immediate action. Therefore, even a single degree is important to limit global temperature rise, and it is important to reduce emissions from all major sources.

COP26 in Glasgow will see countries work on solutions to drastically reduce carbon emissions, expand renewable energy, modernize transport systems and invest in equity in low-income countries and communities. It’s the best opportunity in years for

Will leaders seize the opportunity, or will a year go by without taking appropriate action? It all depends on what is currently happening in negotiating rooms around the world. To understand this process, a little history is required.

decades behind

The United Nations held its first Conference of the Parties in 1995. COP1 ended with the Berlin Mandate, the predecessor of the Kyoto Protocol. The Berlin Mandate promised world leaders to continue talks but rejected plans to create legally-binding carbon emissions reduction targets and timetables. This decision was of great importance and was reflected in COP after COP in which large emitters, including the United States, consistently refused to commit to specific and responsible limits on their greenhouse gas emissions.

These ‘bad COPs’ continued until 2015 when we finally got a ‘good COP’. At COP21 in Paris, the international community agreed on a new process. By 2025 or 2030, every country in the world will announce concrete targets for reducing emissions over the decade. The goals are not legally enforceable and are largely the result of the political impasse in the United States and the success or failure of other countries. It becomes measurable and comparable, offering diplomatic and peer accountability for the first time.

Although the 2015 commitments were a strong foundation, it was clear that national emissions targets were still insufficient. Recent research suggests that current international commitments will lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions of around 16% by 2030 compared to 2010.

Importantly, the Paris Agreement incorporated a ratchet mechanism. All countries have pledged to increase their emissions commitments every five years, given technological advances and greater political will for solutions on the horizon.

Strengthening emissions targets has become a major test of countries’ commitment to tackling climate change. Several major emitters have either failed to raise their ambition or have stepped back. And according to international observers, the country is not on track to meet even that commitment. Russia is also a problem emitter. Russia’s carbon emissions (her fourth largest in the world) have been on the rise for decades, and the government falsely claims that carbon uptake by Russia’s forests and wetlands will offset these increases.

“COP26 should be the moment of acceleration to put us on track to keep warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius,” says Brendan Guy, NRDC’s principal strategist for international climate. “We need commitment and action for this decade, not decades to come.”

The improved target’s first major deadline was 2020, five years after COP21, but the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the schedule back to this year. That is why COP26 is such an important event.

tighten the target

But this year’s COP is nothing like the dramatic 2015 conference. The outcome in Paris was uncertain until the last moment. Diplomats, negotiators, civil society groups (including NRDC), industry leaders and others actively participated in practical discussions to hammer out the deal in real time.

The stakes for COP26 are similarly high, but most of the drama unfolds in advance of the conference. As you read this, while diplomats from the world’s major emitters are negotiating with representatives of the least emitting nations, environmentalists and other groups are working to reduce carbon pollution. We encourage you to make stronger commitments to reduce. By the time the delegation arrived in Glasgow on his 31st October, most of these goals had already been resolved, ready for a ceremonial announcement at the rostrum.

So what can we expect from COP26 and what can we expect from it? am.

coal

We must stop mining and burning coal, an indefensible and dirty energy source, as soon as possible. The US is on the right track, cutting coal consumption by about half over the last decade. And Britain, the host country of COP26 and the birthplace of the coal-fired industrial revolution in the 1800s, now sources less than 2% of her electricity from coal. But more progress is needed to avert catastrophic climate change, and civil society groups are urging wealthy countries to phase out coal entirely by 2030.

car

Vehicle emissions already account for about 15% of global carbon pollution, and emissions from transport are growing faster than any other sector. This is why phasing out the internal combustion engine and electrifying cars, buses, trucks and trains is essential to fighting climate change and promoting public health. While some markets have already begun the transition to zero-emission vehicles, saying goodbye to petrol cars by 2035 will require countries and cities to electrify their vehicles, encourage innovation among manufacturers, and drive consumer innovation. Strong policies will be needed to encourage savings.

cash

Carbon cuts create nasty equity problems. The industrial world has become rich over the past two centuries by releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These wealth put them in a stronger position to mitigate and adapt to the climate change they have caused. To address this issue, the largest emitter pledged in her 2009 to provide $100 billion annually from 2020 to help other countries meet their targets and adapt to climate impacts. doing. Unfortunately, donors are about $20 billion short and have not delivered on their promises. At COP26, wealthy countries will have to instill confidence that they will fully meet their long-term cash commitments each year through 2025.

wood

Fighting deforestation is a key part of the Paris Agreement, a landmark agreement that established financial incentives for countries to protect forests, which serve as important carbon sinks. However, in 2018, forest loss still accounted for 8% of total global carbon emissions. The Amazon rainforest is especially dangerous. In 2019, deforestation in Brazil reached his highest level in 11 years and rose another 25% the following year. The signatories of the Paris Agreement are now at a critical juncture. To make meaningful progress towards protecting the world’s most important carbon sinks, what will our signatories do to make their commitments more than just paper?

“A strong outcome is the 2030 target for all G20 countries to reduce their emissions and keep the door on 1.5 degrees Celsius, and concrete policies to reach those targets,” says Guy. . “Added a series of commitments and signals from key economic sectors. And remember, you need the money promised over 10 years ago.”

We’ve learned some interesting things about COP26, so stay tuned. The future of the world rests in balance.

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