COP 26
COP26 has been described as the world’s best last chance to get runaway climate change under control - but what is it all about and why does it matter to you?
Every day, all around us, we see signs that things are not as they should be. Changes in weather patterns, failed harvests, floods, wildfires are all becoming more common and reported more prominently in the news. Talk of a ‘Climate and Environmental Emergency’ has become increasingly frequent. Until now we have largely left it to scientists and politicians to find the solutions to these problems but to tackle them effectively the world, as a whole, will need to come together and implement some significant changes to the way we all live our lives. Change can be a disturbing prospect and lead to feelings of fear and even denial but if we are well informed and feel included in the decisions then change can be empowering and reveal opportunities to not just do things differently but to do them better. Better for us and for future generations to come.
From the 1st-12th November 2021 Glasgow will host the 26th Conference of Parties on Climate Change - COP26. Representatives from 197 of the world's nations will come together to discuss a path forward for the planet. They will build on the goals agreed at the Paris COP in 2015 which stated the need to limit global warming to 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial temperatures and set out the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) which defined the levels by which each country would reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases in order to achieve that limit.
What do we mean by global warming? What are greenhouse gases and how are they produced?
When we have a fever, we become ill. In the same way when the planet becomes too warm the global systems start to break down, the planet becomes sick. We can think of the planet’s atmosphere as acting like a quilt, the more greenhouse gases we have in the atmosphere the higher the tog of the quilt and the warmer the planet gets. The principal greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane these are emitted into the atmosphere from natural and manmade sources and are removed from the atmosphere by (mainly) natural processes called sinks. Currently the manmade emissions are too high for the natural sinks to cope with.
The best scientific evidence is clear - the goal of limiting global temperature rises to less than 1.5°C is necessary to avoid significant (and possibly irreversible) changes to the planetary climate which could make our planet barely habitable. It is also clear that time is short and bold actions will be required if we are to stabilise the climate by the end of the century. Manmade emissions of greenhouse gases need to be halved by 2030 and reduced to almost zero by 2050 if we are to achieve the Paris goals.
Aloc Sharma - UK Minister, President of COP26 - "This is definitely harder than Paris on lots of levels but what we have going for us is that there is an understanding that we need to deal with this Climate Crisis."
There has been much discussion about goal setting and what needs to be done in past COPs. The focus of the COP26 Glasgow negotiations will need to be on how to achieve those goals: on the policies and actions that each nation will need to commit to in order to make them happen.
Some key aspects of the strategy that nations have been asked to consider include setting ambitious targets for the reduction of greenhouse gases by 2030 to align with the goal of reaching net Zero by the middle of the century. To deliver on these stretching targets, countries will need to make policy decisions and implementation plans across a range of areas.
accelerating the phase-out of coal and other fossil fuels including oil and natural gas and actively discouraging investment in fossil fuels by putting a price on greenhouse gas emissions
encouraging investment in renewables and other green technologies to improve energy efficiency
curtailing deforestation and other practices which damage natural carbon sinks and impact biodiversity
supporting the transition to more sustainable agriculture to address soil and biodiversity depletion
adopting more efficient transport strategies including speeding up the switch to electric vehicles
looking beyond their own borders, working with other nations by assisting them financially and negotiating trade deals which are aligned with net zero goals globally
What do we mean by net Zero?
– The point at which the rate of greenhouse gas emissions equals the rate of greenhouse gas removals. The Bathtub analogy can help us to visualise this. Currently the rate of emissions is significantly higher than the rate of removals so significant reductions in emissions are required if we are to have a chance of reaching net Zero quickly enough.
As a prelude to COP26 the UK government released its net Zero strategy the aim of setting a standard for other countries to aspire to.
There is much to consider when formulating such strategies.
Will they be sufficient? This is hard to predict, and they will almost certainly need to be revised over time, but we have to start somewhere, and such changes will have a significant impact if implemented quickly and on sufficient scale.
Will we be able to afford them? Perhaps a better question is - can we afford not to? There is growing consensus that the cost of doing nothing will be far greater than any perceived cost of making the kinds of changes we need to make to avert an irreversible climate breakdown. If we invest our money and efforts in the kinds of technology and infrastructure that are compatible with a sustainable future, then our economy will benefit.
Chris Stark - Chief Exec of Independent Committee on Climate Change talking about the UK NetZero Strategy "This is a substantial step forward that lays out clearly the [UK] government's ambitions to cut emissions across the economy for the coming 15 years and beyond..."
So why does all this matter to you? As citizens of planet earth, we are all subject to the constraints of the environmental and social conditions around us. If we damage them, we will struggle; if we protect and support them, we can thrive. We all have our part to play. Whether its writing to our MPs and councillors to tell them what changes we think need to be made and which policies we want them to implement; choosing to invest our money to support a greener more sustainable economy; deciding to buy our food from a more ethical and sustainable supplier or simply paying more attention to our own energy use by turning the heating down a degree or two.
COP26 is not just a remote gathering of politicians and policy experts. It is an opportunity. An opportunity to focus our attention on what really matters. An opportunity for us all to come together and think about how we can create a more equitable and stable planet; one that future generations will thank us for.
Antonio Guterres - UN Secretary General - "If we do not act now on Climate change, this coming century may be one of humanity's last..."
To find out more about the Climate Emergency and some of the ways in which you can have a positive impact take a look at these resources.
· An introduction to some of the key concepts relating to Climate Change – Climate Concepts
· An exploration of some of the solutions to Climate Change and actions you can take – Climate Solutions