Dust has settled in Glasgow and diplomats flew back to their respective parts of the world. COP26, the long-awaited United Nations climate conference in Scotland, concluded on Saturday with all nations agreeing to the Glasgow Climate Compact.
Although a last minute dramatic push by India and China that has reduced coal language from “eliminating” undiluted coal to “stepping down”, nearly 200 countries have joined the agreement. But this was not the only outcome of the two-week conference, which saw a flurry of new national and joint commitments as well as agreements on the rest of the Paris “rule book”. , which sets out how the 2015 Paris Agreement works in practice. Here are six of the most important numbers to keep in mind.
2022
Boris Johnson, in the role of host of the UK summit, has implemented a “hold 1.5 degrees Celsius” a sign of COP26, even if set up correctly What does this mean in a world currently at 2.4 degrees Celsius?, or even 2.7 degrees Celsius, is quite elusive.
Early on at COP26, countries began discussing the idea of returning to the negotiating table in 2022 with better commitments — the consensus around this being one of the key outcomes of the negotiations. The final text said countries should “review and strengthen the 2030 targets” as needed to align with the Paris Agreement temperature target by the end of 2022.
Milagros De Camps, Deputy Environment Minister of the Dominican Republic, a member of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), said: “While this is not a perfect document, we have taken steps to take steps. important in the effort to keep 1.5 alive. , at the closing plenary session of COP26 on Saturday.
However, several countries have stated that a return to the table next year does not apply to them, including major emitters such as Australia and America. So we can expect a lot of push from activists over the next 12 months to make this a reality.
£2 million ($2.7 million) for climate loss and damage
A notable breakthrough at COP26 was Scotland’s pledge of £2 million ($2.7 million) in grants to countries vulnerable to loss and damage caused by the climate crisis. No developed country has previously provided such an amount, so although the amount is small compared to the actual amount provided, it is politically significant.
Loss and damage refers to harm caused by climate change that can no longer be simply adapted, such as migration due to a drought climate or loss of island territory due to water levels. sea rise. The Paris Agreement acknowledges this is a problem, but rich countries have been extremely hesitant to provide any kind of financing for it. even at COP26.
So Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon comment last week that “the rich industrialized countries that cause climate change… have a responsibility to promote, recognize and address that problem” was an unexpected breakthrough. Her use of the words “repay” and “debt” in this context also makes a lot of sense, given the huge resistance from many developed countries, especially the US, to use this language.
40 billion dollars
Back in 2009, developed countries pledged to provide $100 billion per year in climate finance to developing countries by 2020 to help them transition to greener economies, as well as cope with the the effects of climate change, known as adaptation.
The Paris Agreement promises a “balance” of climate finance for mitigation and adaptation, but Iby 2019, about $50 billion for mitigation compared to just $20 billion for adaptation. The initial commitment of $100 billion in 2020 has also definitely missed, a major source of tension at this year’s negotiations.
