UN Climate Change Conference COP26 opens in Glasgow

By A Draft Correspondent

The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26 opened on 31 October 2021 in Glasgow with the key aims of raising ambition on all fronts and finalising the agreement’s implementation guidelines. World leaders have started arriving at the meet that is hailed as being 'critical' to avert the effects of climate change on the planet.

The conference follows reports and studies warning urgent climate action is the need of the hour to keep the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global average temperature increases to 1.5 degree Celsius within reach. In the wake of the G20 summit in Rome where the big economies failed to commit to a 2050 deadline for halting net carbon emissions, the challenges for the Parties at COP26 have only become harder.

Speaking on the occasion Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change Patricia Espinosa said, "We are extremely grateful to the Government of the United Kingdom for hosting this crucially important conference in these unprecedented times and for making every effort to keep all participants safe and healthy."

"The devastating loss of lives and livelihoods this year due to extreme weather events clarifies how important it is to convene COP26 despite the impacts of the pandemic still being felt. We are on track for a global temperature rise of 2.7 C, while we should be heading for the 1.5 C goal. Clearly, we are in a climate emergency. Clearly, we need to address it. Clearly, we need to support the most vulnerable to cope. To do so successfully, greater ambition is now critical,” she maintained.

Greater ambition is required to achieve progress on all elements of the climate change agenda including reducing emissions, moving adaptation to the centre of the agenda, addressing loss and damage from extreme climatic events and increasing the provision of support to developing countries.

A central issue is the provision of support to developing countries, especially in relation to the goal of mobilising $100 billion annually by 2020. Financial support is crucial for all elements of the climate change regime, including mitigation, but also in terms of adaptation, capacity-building, technology transfer and several other elements. Many Parties, especially developing countries, feel that in order to advance towards full implementation of the Paris Agreement, previous commitments should first be honoured.

Finalising the Paris Agreement’s implementation guidelines will enable the full implementation of all provisions, which will unleash more ambitious climate actions by all its Parties. Specifically, the outstanding guidelines relate to the details around the global goal on adaptation, how to report climate action and support transparently, and the use of market-based mechanisms and non-market approaches.

“We have no choice but to make COP26 a success. For that, we need unity of purpose. We need to leave Glasgow with a balanced package of decisions that reflects the positions of all countries. With a willingness to compromise among the many perspectives we can arrive at workable, ambitious solutions that will help us keep the 1.5C goal within reach. We stand ready to work with all Parties and to leave no voice behind to reach this important goal,” Ms. Espinosa further added. 

Having been postponed by a year owing to COVID-19 and having to address items from COP25 held in 2019, COP26 has a huge agenda beyond the key aims.

Addressing the conference following his election, COP President Alok Sharma thanked delegates for travelling to Glasgow and outlined the urgent need for action.

"As COP President I am committed to promoting transparency and inclusivity. And I will lead this conference in accordance with the draft rules of procedure, and with the utmost respect for the party-driven nature of our process. In that spirit I believe we can resolve the outstanding issues. We can move the negotiations forward. We can launch a decade of ever-increasing ambition and action. Together, we can seize the enormous opportunities for green growth, for good green jobs, for cheaper, cleaner power. But we must hit the ground running to develop the solutions we need. And that work starts today. We will succeed, or fail, as one," he said.

COP26 is being held in hybrid mode in Glasgow. The conference will hold several events including workshops and events to advance gender-related issues, to ensure participation of indigenous peoples and traditional knowledge and to showcase climate action undertaken by a diversity of stakeholders working to support the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

About the UNFCCC: With 197 Parties, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has near universal membership and is the parent treaty of the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement. The main aim of the Paris Agreement is to keep a global average temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius and to drive efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The UNFCCC is also the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The ultimate objective of all agreements under the UNFCCC is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system, in a time frame which allows ecosystems to adapt naturally and enables sustainable development.

Follow The Draft: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube