When the UK took on the presidency of the Conference of Parties 26th meeting (COP26) in 2019, just 30% of the world economy was covered by net zero targets. Today, this has increased to 70%. COP26 started in 1995 and is a global United Nations summit focussed on addressing climate change. In recent years it has pushed for ‘net zero’ to limit global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees.
COP 26 will be in Glasgow from 1st to 12th November this year. This event brings together 197 nations to discuss the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC). The UNFCCC aim to ‘stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system’. The importance of COP26 and the urgency to address the climate crisis has been highlighted by the COVID pandemic. As we begin to recover from COVID-19 there is a great opportunity to build back greener & with inclusivity and the future of our planet in mind. In April, at The Leaders\’ Summit, President Biden stated ‘When people talk about climate, I think jobs’, recognising that with innovation comes job creation and economic opportunity.
As Sir David Attenborough said, “COP26 could be our last opportunity to make the necessary step-change. It is too late to avoid climate change, but if we act fast enough, we can reach a new stable state.”
However, although key topics have been addressed and ambitious targets have been set, the actions taken so far by the UK have been limited. The CCC (Climate Change Committee) announced that the UK Government are yet to provide evidence of its long-term net zero target by 2050. And, although Boris Johnson was confident that his actions weren’t ‘bunny-hugging’ (a term created by Boris to mean greenwashing) there has been evidence to suggest a lack of commitment to net zero 2050. For example, UK Government has granted new licences for oil and gas exploration in the North Sea, whilst other countries have been asked to forego their fossil fuel reserves. Moreover, the UK Government scrapped green incentives – notably the green homes grant and electric vehicles – with little explanation. Airport expansion has also been supported by the government, even with scientific evidence showing how the reduction of flying during the pandemic had reduced the aviation sectors CO2 emissions by 60% every day.
It is important to address that it isn’t all bad news. COP26 has sparked an awareness in scope 1,2 & 3 greenhouse gas emissions and conversation on how they can be reduced on the route to Net Zero. It has also introduced many companies to carbon offsetting as an opportunity to invest in projects that are sequestering carbon. In addition to offsetting, many companies are seeking to measure and proactively manage their greenhouse gas emissions through improvements in efficiency, procurement and changes to supply chains. Smaller companies are no exception too, they are also being asked to demonstrate their carbon footprint and display how they are managing their carbon emissions downwards. Furthermore, in a recent UK survey about climate change 80% of people were said to be concerned about climate change, increasing from the 76% in 2019. Awareness and discussion are important when it comes to climate change as individual differences can make significant long-term changes.
The COP26 Summit in November will be significant for the UK and other nations to prove that they are on track with the goals set by the 2015 Paris Agreement. Greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced in key sectors such as electricity generation, waste management and in the industrial sector but it is now the high-emitting sectors, that have not yet significantly decarbonised, that need to be addressed. With just 5 months before the summit, the UK needs to address the current concern that progress is being hindered by a selection of contradictory choices & shifting policies and prove that we are on track to reach our net zero 2050 target. Baroness Brown, Chair, Adaptation Committee, said: “The UK is leading in diagnosis but lagging in policy and action.”
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