Over the past two weeks it’s been difficult to spend a day without seeing a mention of COP26, the climate conference held in Glasgow. Sir David Attenborough kicked-off the event with a powerful speech, stating ‘If we don’t take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon.’ Many people agreed with Attenborough, leading to over 100,000 people taking to the streets in Glasgow to demand action against the climate crisis.
Friday was the last day of talks between the 197 attendee nations and a final deal has been confirmed. The prime minister, Boris Johnson, said he is “tinged with disappointment” at the outcome, leading us to ask, has COP26 done enough to tackle climate change?
As a first for COP, it was a positive to see that fossil fuels were introduced into the conversation. The final deal stated that ‘unabated’ coal power (coal burning without carbon capture and storage) should be ‘phased down’ – this was changed down from ‘phase out’ in a previous draft. This word alteration caused a lot of controversy between the nations, with Switzerland stating, \”We are disappointed both about the process and the last-minute change. This will not bring us closer to 1.5 but will make it more difficult to reach.\” The commitments made associated with coal power have been issued through the “Global Coal to Clean Power Transition Statement” which will support work groups and communities that rely on coal industries as part of their livelihood. However, no specific dates for targets were set for coal.
It was also a first for the mentioning of methane at COP, leading to over 100 nations committing to cutting methane emissions by 30% by 2030.
Deforestation was also a key topic with some positive outcomes too; 110 of the world leaders agreed to end and reverse deforestation by 2030. Brazil was one of the many signatories which was seen as an achievement as it holds around 497 million hectares of forest. $19.2bn has been committed to addressing restoration, wildfires and indigenous community support. If this is followed through, these restored forests will be excellent for carbon capture and ecological restoration. However, it is important to acknowledge that since 2014 these nations have failed to slow down deforestation at all, so will COP26 be their turning point?
It has become increasingly evident that climate change isn’t affecting the globe equally. In fact, it is the poorer countries, women and children who are being affected the worst by the crisis. COP26 addressed that aid and support needs to be given to poorer countries, with the UK committing to £290million – with the breakdown of the spending as follows;
- £274mil – Assist with preparation and planning, improved conservation and low-carbon development in Asian and Pacific nations.
- £15mil – Support developing countries prioritise areas climate response.
- £1mil – Support a fast delivery of effective global humanitarian action.
The question is, will this be enough? Some people argue that reparations should be paid as most of the effects on poorer countries are happening because of the actions of rich nations. Scotland, so far, is the only country donating to compensation fund for countries who have had their economies damaged by climate change.
According to the Energy Transitions Commission the pledges from COP26 gets us to 41.9Gt of greenhouse gas emissions in 2030. However, we need to be at 26.6Gt if we are to be in with a chance of keeping global warming below 1.5°C. Scientists have recognised this target since 2008, saying that this may help us curb the most dangerous impacts of climate change. Although, it must be noted that reaching 1.5°C still predicts a 70% loss of our coral reefs, major heatwaves and rising sea levels.
Although COP has addressed new topics and sparked a wave of discussions internationally on climate action, it has been calculated that our trajectory with the new implementations and targets reached would miss the mark at 1.8°C.
This is not to give up hope though as targets have been made, technology is advancing, and the dedication of climate activists is pushing governments to commit to more change. Moreover, it is not just the decisions of the governments that make a difference, we can all impact the future of this planet by making climate-conscious choices and raising awareness of the climate emergency.
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