Who is going to COP26? And who wouldn’t join the UN climate negotiations?

GLASGOW, Scotland — The COP26 climate summit kicked off on Sunday, with world leaders from more than 100 countries seeing it as humanity’s last and best chance to secure a livable future amid dramatic climate change. I plan to participate in whatever is available.

It’s a huge job. That’s why the postponed summit in Glasgow, Scotland is one of the most important diplomatic conferences in history.

For a chance to prevent the worst that the climate crisis could bring, policy makers are looking for ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions by almost half over the next eight years and reach net zero emissions by 2050. must be outlined.

A successful summit could come down to a number of key win-win issues, including mitigation plans, climate finance targets, and fossil fuel phase-outs.

What makes COP26 considered the last chance to make the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement fully operational is a series of extreme weather events occurring around the world. The Paris Agreement aims to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

Those expected to attend the event in person include:

The UK will host the 26th United Nations Conference of the Parties to Climate Change (COP26) from Sunday to 12 November, with heads of state, delegates and activists all negotiating a coordinated response to the climate emergency. Getting ready.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on world leaders to make “bold commitments on coal, cars, cash and trees” at COP26, saying “too many countries haven’t done anything yet”. rice field.

Mr Johnson, who has previously expressed skepticism about the climate crisis, outlined the UK’s net-zero strategy in October. It will serve as an example for countries to rebuild more environmentally friendly.”

The Net Zero plan was seen as an important test for countries to prepare for the COP26 presidency. Critics suggest it is not enough to meet the demands of the climate emergency.

US President Joe Biden has brought the US, the world’s largest economy and second-largest emitter, back into the Paris Agreement in one of his administration’s first actions, but US climate leadership in Glasgow has failed. Overcoming skeptics faces considerable challenges.

It comes after a bruising period in which his domestic climate agenda was whittled away by centrist lawmakers, and the president’s actions underscore his repeated claim that climate change constitutes an “existential threat.” It’s amidst a barrage of criticism that it still doesn’t live up to its claims.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was initially reluctant to visit Scotland, but agreed to attend earlier this month after intense pressure from allies.

Morrison said Australia has plans to reach net zero by 2050, but the government has not announced any new policies on its roadmap. Critics say it neglects details and relies too heavily on “further technological breakthroughs.”

The country is the world’s second-largest coal exporter, and the Morrison administration has pledged to mine more fossil fuels well beyond 2030.

The EU negotiates as a bloc in UN-brokered negotiations and sees itself as a global leader in combating climate change.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calls on other countries to align with the European Union’s ambition to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050, and take immediate action ahead of the summit in Glasgow. He said it was essential to wake up.

“The longer we wait, the higher the costs, so it is important to act now,” Chancellor von der Leyen said at a press conference on Thursday.

“Africa is tired of waiting,” Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said in an editorial published in the Financial Times on October 25.

The current President of the African Union, the regional body of the 55 member states that make up the continent, called on the international community to recognize African countries as a priority for COP26.

“For the sake of the continent and the planet, it is time for Africa to be compensated. We have waited long enough,” Tshisekedi was quoted as saying.

Alongside high-profile politicians expected to attend COP26, former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney will play an influential role at the meeting.

The United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance told CNBC this month that it was essential to “rewire the plumbing” of global markets because financial markets alone cannot reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

As Chairman of the United Nations Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), Carney is leading efforts to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.

But he has previously said that fossil fuels still have a future. Carney has argued that carbon capture and storage technologies can be used by governments and private companies to continue mining, mining and burning fossil fuels. Climate researchers, campaigners and environmental advocates argue that the process is not the climate solution.

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived in Scotland’s largest city on Sunday. An 18-year-old girl is at Glasgow Central Station as she holds a cardboard placard that reads ‘Fridays For Future’, the name of the global youth movement started by her school strike in 2018. was seen.

Speaking at the Youth4Climate summit in Milan, Italy, in late September, Thunberg said: Listen to our so-called leaders. Sounds great, but so far it hasn’t translated into action. Our hopes and dreams are drowning in their empty words and promises. ”

Thunberg plans to join a climate strike on Friday.

Most countries will be represented in some way at the UN conference, and around 25,000 delegates are expected to arrive in British cities.

However, it is expected that there will be some notable absentees.

Some world leaders will not attend the summit in person, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi are also not planning to go to Glasgow.

In addition to world leaders, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth has withdrawn from attending COP26 in person after doctors advised her to rest. Buckingham Palace said the Queen will address her representatives via a recorded video message.