Page 7 - MEOG Week 44 2021

MEOG POLICY & SECURITY MEOG

Mixed outlook for COP26 as leaders

embark on search for agreement

COP26 THE 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) of the Nevertheless, this will create more pressure
United Nations Framework Convention on Cli- on these countries to reduce their use of coal at
mate Change (UNFCCC) is trying to put flesh home.
on the bones of the targets and promises made at What this means is that the world will have to
the 2015 Paris meeting. wait longer for any stronger, multilateral com-
In terms of global warming, the world is mitment to ending the use of coal.
today 1.1°C warmer than in pre-industrial times Most importantly, the final communiqué
and is on track for 2.7°C by 2100. In Paris, the did not mention the 2050 date, but referred to
world agreed on limiting this to 1.5°C, or 2°C at a “around mid-century,” and committed to take
push, but did not set out how to reach this target. further action in the 2020s, including improv-
However, the UN has warned of “climate ing 2030 NDCs.
catastrophe” if the world’s governments do not They committed themselves to keeping the
rapidly improve their current climate change 1.5°C target “within reach” and to speeding up
policies and cut their emissions levels. their efforts to mitigate climate change.
Green think-tank E3G noted that details on
G20 timelines and specific actions to deliver on the
The G20 conference in Rome on October 30-31 promise of faster action in the 2020s were few
had the potential to provide some leadership on and far between.
concrete action to meet the Paris targets, and to E3G said that ending international coal
send signals about how ready the world’s rich finance was a breakthrough, and stressed that
nations are to commit to improve climate targets. Italian PM Draghi has said that China and India
However, it ended with somewhat vague and had been more willing to speed up their own
unconvincing commitments to taking action to domestic coal phase-out timelines.
combat climate change and to hold back global “After a tough fight that went all the way to
warming. Leaders, the G20 have confirmed the need for all
The final statement only referred to “mean- countries to increase ambition this decade con-
ingful and effective” action to stem global warm- sistent with keeping 1.5°C within reach. COP26
ing, and said that the G20 nations’ Nationally now needs to turn this political promise into an
Determined Contributions (NDCs) would be agreed process. The G20 contains the world’s
improved “if necessary.” largest polluters, so was never going to be the
The strongest climate change pledge was to place to see the strongest climate leadership. The
stop financing new, unabated coal plants abroad G20 has fallen short on clear commitments to
by the end of 2021. The leaders also only prom- stop building coal and other fossil infrastructure
ised to phase out coal power “as soon as possible.” but has agreed the need for more action in the
However, this still allows major coal-burning 2020s,” said E3G chief executive Nick Mabey.
countries such as China, Russia, India and even This could suggest that while some leading
the EU to continue using coal power at home. G20 members such as the UK, Germany, France

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