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Glasgow, Scotland
CNN
—
About 120 world leaders gathered in Glasgow on Monday to tackle what scientists and health experts say is the world’s biggest crisis.
The meeting, which came on the heels of the G20 summit, saw the leaders of the world’s richest nations disagree on key goals such as a firm deadline to end coal-fired power, with mixed consequences on climate at best. rice field. But there is also a glimmer of hope.
Here are the key takeaways from the first full day of the UN’s COP26 climate summit:
The first major commitment announced at the conference was big. More than 100 of his leaders, representing more than 85% of the world’s forests, have agreed to end deforestation by 2030. The deal is expected to be formally announced on Tuesday, but a UK government statement confirmed the deal late Monday.
Countries participating in this pledge include Canada, Russia, Colombia, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which holds some of the world’s most important carbon sinks.
Importantly, Brazil also signed. In recent years, a deforestation crisis has devastated the Amazon, jeopardizing one of the world’s most important natural defenses against climate change, and the country’s President Jair Bolsonaro has called for a stronger response at home and abroad. It is
President Joe Biden has apologized to fellow world leaders for the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement under Trump.
“I don’t think we should apologize, but I do apologize for the fact that the last administration, the United States, withdrew from the Paris Agreement, putting us behind the 8-ball,” Biden said in Glasgow.
Biden again reached a deal just hours after taking office in January.
As world leaders delivered opening remarks, Biden sat in the back of the huge plenary room, following the tradition of alphabetical seating assignments.
In his opening remarks, the President said, “We will show the world that America is not only back at the table, but hopefully leading by the power of our example.”
But Biden struck an ambitious tone in his speech, telling attendees that “governments are taking time to show that our climate commitments are actions, not words.” But his climate agenda was overshadowed across the water in Washington.
Democrats are discussing an economic package that includes a $555 billion climate change clause, with no agreement so far.
The UK government, which is hosting the United Nations Climate Summit in Glasgow, has done its best to urge world leaders that now is the time to tackle the climate issue.
At the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told fellow government leaders that they could become like James Bond, the famous (fictional) 007 agent.
“We may not feel like James Bond. We don’t all necessarily look like James Bond, but we have an opportunity and hope this summit will bring humanity to the final stage.” We have an obligation to start with and start defusing that bomb,” he said. .
“The doomsday machine is real, clocks ticking to the furious rhythm of hundreds of billions of turbines and systems … covering the earth in a suffocating blanket of carbon dioxide,” he said. Told.
Both real-life and TV royals were also in attendance, with Prince Charles urging leaders to work together, and renowned naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough said future generations will have a great time at the conference. He said he would judge them by their actions.
Later in the day, Queen Elizabeth II welcomed world leaders with a video address played at the reception.
“Over the course of 70 years, I have been fortunate enough to meet and know many of the world’s greatest leaders, and I have probably come to understand a little bit about what makes them so special. “It has sometimes been observed that what leaders do for their people today is government and politics. ”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made headlines on Monday when he pledged to make India carbon neutral by 2070 and announced a net-zero emission target.
This was a big announcement, but India had yet to put a date on its net-zero ambition, so its 2070 target is a decade behind China, requiring the entire world to reach net-zero emissions. is 20 years later. This is to ensure that temperatures do not rise more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
However, Ulka Kelkar, climate program director at WRI India, an environmental research institute, said the target date should not be compared with that of the US or Europe because of India’s economic development and energy mix.
“It was more than we could have hoped for,” says Kelkar. “Net Zero was in the public eye just six months ago.This is very new for Indians.”
“If only this concept was understood in India, it would send a very strong signal to all sectors of the industry,” she added.
With India’s announcement, all of the world’s top 10 coal-fired power producers have committed to net zero, says climate think tank Ember.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison touted his country’s efforts to cut emissions, claiming Australia is on track to cut national emissions by 35% by 2030.
These figures would exceed the country’s Paris Agreement commitments. But the problem is that Australia’s target is dramatically lower than many other major economies to begin with.
Australia has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 26% to 28% from 2005 levels by 2030, ahead of the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, among other developed countries. Less than promised.
For example, US President Joe Biden in April stepped up the country’s pledge to cut emissions by 50% to 52% over the same period. The government-independent Australian Climate Council says a 75% reduction in emissions would be more appropriate.
Morrison’s bullish speech would have done little to improve Australia’s standing at the conference. Despite being devastated by wildfires in 2019 and 2020, the country’s government has turned to other developed nations with its rhetoric to tackle the climate crisis in recent weeks. .
Small country representatives have expressed disappointment with the actions (or lack thereof) of the world’s richest country.
Prime Minister Mia Motley of Barbados, an island already severely threatened by rising sea levels, has warned that the climate crisis her country faces is dangerous. She said it was “Code Red against China, the United States, Europe and India.”
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Brown told CNN he was “encouraged by the heightened ambition” set by world leaders at the COP26 summit, but the goals set were “a global goal.” We are not advanced enough to contain the expanding world,” he said, expressing his disappointment. Temperature of 1.5 degrees Celsius. ”
Panama’s President Laurentino Cortizo also said he was not optimistic about what the COP26 meeting could achieve.
“We’ve heard all this before. What we need is action,” said Cortizo. “I’m not optimistic that there will be enough of it.”
COP26 President and UK MP Alok Sharma said being able to negotiate directly despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is an important goal of the presidency.
“For me, it is very important to have a physical meeting where all the countries that are the biggest emitters can sit down at the table together with the smaller countries that are on the front lines of climate change. As part of this negotiation, other people are also looking,” he told reporters on Sunday.
But keeping the event Covid-free has been difficult.
All participants are required to wear masks and undergo daily coronavirus testing. Although the venue is huge (about 1 kilometer from end to end), the sheer number of people in the venue makes social distancing difficult.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is in charge of negotiations, has admitted that the pandemic is causing problems. For example, despite 193 parties attending the conference, due to social distancing measures, the largest room reserved for negotiations can only accommodate 144 seats.
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