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COP26 – What Were the Key Outcomes?

COP26 – What Were the Key Outcomes?

COP26 has been all over the news in the past couple of weeks, as world leaders from across the globe gathered in Glasgow in the UK with the aim of tackling global warming and bringing climate change under control.

On the last day of the two-week long summit, an agreement had finally been reached by the world leaders, labelled as the Glasgow Climate Pact. This pact, signed off by 197 countries, asks nations to adjust their future plans on how they can reduce their emissions efficiently, with plans of solidifying dedicated targets for 2030, by the conclusion of 2022.

However, there were a number of other significant agreements that were made. We look at 5 of the other significant agreements that were reached during the summit.

U.S. and China

One of the more surprising agreements to come from the summit involved the United States and China, with both signing a joint declaration pledging to cooperate on climate-related issues during the next decade.

The agreement committed both to “enhanced climate actions that raise ambition”. A variety of issues were discussed and agreed upon such as de-carbonization and methane emissions.

U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, outlined that it was “imperative to cooperate”, while Xie Zhenhua, China’s top negotiator, stated that there was “more agreement between China and the U.S. than divergence”.

Renowned for being two of the biggest polluters in the world, pledging to cooperate is certainly a step in the right direction.

Coal and Fossil Fuels

In excess of 40 countries, which include Poland, Chile and Vietnam, have pledged to “accelerate efforts towards the phase down of unabated coal power” and quicken the disposal of “inefficient fossil fuel subsidies”.

Globalized nations have stated that they will gradually dispose of coal during the 2030s while poorer and less developed countries have pledged to phase coal out during the 2040s.

This agreement indicates the first time in history where fossil fuels have been explicitly mentioned in a UN climate agreement.

Coal is known for being the single largest contributor to climate change. Despite there already being reductions regarding use, it has still been in significant use during recent years. In 2019, coal produced approximately 37% of the world’s electricity.

Despite the number of nations signing up to this agreement, some of the world’s biggest users including the U.S. China and India, have not engaged with the agreement.

Finance

A significant number of financial organizations have agreed to back “clean” technology which includes renewable energy and divert the money out of reach from industries relying on fossil fuels.

The agreement, signed up by 450 organizations who control approximately 40% of the world assets, also states 2050 net-zero goals, such as limiting the rise of global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

In addition, five countries, including the U.S., as well as a number of global charities have pledged $1.7bn to support indigenous people’s conservation of forests and also solidify their land rights.

While others, such as Scotland, have promised £1m ($1.3m) to support those who have suffered from climate-related disasters.

Deforestation

Leaders from over 100 countries that represent around 85% of the world’s forests, including Canada, Brazil, Russia and Columbia, have pledged to end deforestation by 2030.

This is key towards tackling climate change as trees can absorb carbon dioxide, one of the key greenhouse gases which add to global warming. Therefore, putting an end to deforestation will become a key strategy.

Jair Bolsonaro, the president of Brazil, said: “Forests are important to me because they cover more than 60% of my country.”

“We are committed to eliminating illegal deforestation by 2030,” he continued.

Methane

The U.S. and the EU have begun and initiative to reduce current methane emissions by 2030. The agreement, signed by a total of more than 100 countries, aims to cut these emissions by 30%.

Methane is a prominent greenhouse gas and at present, it is accountable for a third of global warming that is generated by humans. Processes such as the disposal of waste and cattle production are a big part of the emissions.

Despite a large number of countries signing up the agreement, significant emitters such as Russia, China and India have not signed up, however it is desired that they will join the agreement in due course.

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Climate Change

12 Years to Halt Climate Change Catastrophe, Warns UN

A landmark report published on Monday by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that dramatic measures must be taken to keep global warming temperatures at a maximum of 1.5C within 12 years.

If global warming temperatures exceed just half a degree, the risk for major natural disasters such as floods, droughts and extreme heat will significantly increase. Maintaining 1.5C is essential in preventing the extinction of coral reefs, and will ease pressure on an already buckling Arctic, say researchers.

The world currently sits at 1C warmer than preindustrial levels. The IPCC sates that, with an increase in hurricanes in the Carolinas, flooding and record drought in South Africa’s Cape Town, global warming is already a very real threat. The study says that maintaining the 1.5C target will mean “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.”

Debra Roberts, co-chair of the IPCC’s working group on impacts said, “It’s a line in the sand and what it says to our species is that this is the moment and we must act now.

“This is the largest clarion bell from the science community and I hope it mobilises people and dents the mood of complacency.”

The report was commissioned by policymakers at the Paris Climate talks in 2016. The Paris Climate Agreement is an important agreement between member countries of the UNFCCC to combat climate change. Since then, however, president Donald Trump has pledged to withdraw the US from the Accord while Jair Bolsonaro—presidential candidate in Brazil—has pledged to follow suit, worryingly widening the gap between politics and science.

What’s next for climate change?

If global warming temperatures reach even 2C, the IPCC suggests that the global sea level will rise by approximately four inches, potentially exposing 10 million people to the risk of flooding.

Kaisa Kosonen at Greenpeace said, “We are already in the danger zone at one degree of warming.

“Both poles are melting at an accelerated rate; ancient trees that have been there for hundreds of years are suddenly dying; and the summer we’ve just experienced—basically, the whole world was on fire.”

Member of the IPCC, professor Jim Skea, said of the urgency of combatting climate change that, “They [world governments] really need to start work immediately. The report is clear that if governments just fulfil the pledges they made in the Paris agreement for 2030, it is not good enough.”

Further reading: Climate Change Fears as Arctic temperature Rises

Arctic Temperature Rise

Climate Change Fears as Arctic Temperature Rises

The Arctic experienced record warmth this month after a major heatwave. It is yet to be determined as a freak occurrence, yet climate experts warn that the Arctic temperature rise is unprecedented.

The primary concern among scientists is that global warming is damaging and eroding the polar vortex—winds that insulate the north pole.

“This is an anomaly among anomalies,” said Michael Mann, director of the Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University. “It is far enough outside the historical range that it is worrying—it is a suggestion that there are further surprises in store as we continue to poke the angry beast that is our climate.

“The Arctic has always been regarded as a bellwether because of the vicious circle that amplify human—caused warming in that particular region. And it is sending out a clear warning.”

Ruth Mottram of the Danish Meteorological Institute said “Spikes in temperature are part of the normal weather patterns—what is unusual about this event is that it has persisted for so long and that it has been so warm.

“Going back to the late 1950s at least we have never seen such high temperatures in the high Arctic.”

While it is normal for temperatures to fluctuate in the Arctic north as a result of the strength or weakness of the polar vortex that works to deflect warm air to keep the region cool, the recent heat peaks that the area has been experiencing have been lasting longer and longer.

Robert Rohde, lead scientist at Berkeley Earth, said “In 50 years of Arctic reconstructions, the current warming event is both the most intense and one of the longest-lived warming events ever observed during winter.”