The UK is deeply committed to COP26 with new climate commitments

Judith Mora

Glasgow (UK), October 30 (EFE). The UK government has increased its climate commitments and committed multiple resources to make COP26, which begins on Sunday, a memorable climate summit, although it also lowers expectations of a broad global consensus given the difficulty of getting major countries to commit to greater emissions cuts. .

Delegates from nearly 200 countries will gather in person or virtually at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, Scotland until 12 November before then, in order to agree on next steps in the fight against climate change.

Although more than 120 political leaders have confirmed their attendance – which many experts consider plausible in times of a pandemic – the conservative CEO has suffered a setback with notable absences, among them Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, and possibly Chinese, Xi Jinping. So is Pope Francis.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson in April wanted to turn the event into a “green Olympics” in order to promote the country after Brexit, but now warns it will be “very difficult” to get participants to present national strategies that allow for global warming. to 1.5°C this century, as stipulated by the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Aside from the uninhibited family portrait, the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) will feature several conferences and events open to the public in parallel with the formal negotiations.

Host credibility

“On a diplomatic level, the UK government has made a very credible effort. It has dedicated energy and resources to this process and put pressure on countries to take important measures, such as getting rid of coal,” as well as offering to vaccinate against the highly regarded E3G think tank and conference expert Nick Mabe says. United Nations Climate Action (COP), it’s committed to foreign delegates.

However, “in terms of transforming the British economy to achieve net zero (emissions) by mid-century, the signals it sends are even more confusing,” he said.

Ahead of COP26, the host country announced its ambitious climate goals, including decarbonizing electricity and reducing emissions by 78% by 2035 from pre-industrial levels; eliminating coal by 2024; Stop investing in fossil fuels offshore now, and ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

It is also leading with its commitment to double up to 11.6 billion pounds ($16 billion) between 2021 and 2025 its contribution to the International Fund to Help Developing Countries Adapt to Climate Change, to reach the figure promised in 2009 of 100,000 million. dollars annually.

However, environmentalists are skeptical about the concrete measures announced by the Executive to achieve its climate goals within the UK.

“Although it was the first country to introduce a national zero-emissions strategy (which includes subsidies for boilers, electric cars and reforestation), there are doubts that there will be sufficient funding to make this happen,” Mabe says.

Emily Davies, of Greenpeace, also criticized that the government was considering granting new licenses for oil extraction in the North Sea and a coal mine for steel production in northwest England “when the IEA said it was to achieve the 1.5°C target and the fossil fuel project could not be approved”.

One initiative with positive value is the introduction of a leading financial sector regulation that will compel large corporations to disclose the climate impact of their investments and publish their transformation plans towards net zero.

Various program of events

Among those who will attend COP26, which will come under heavy police scrutiny for potential protests, are Prince Charles – the heir apparent – and Prince William, after Queen Elizabeth II canceled his attendance to rest for medical advice.

In addition to Johnson and the official chair of the summit, former minister Alok Sharma, US leaders, Joe Biden, are also expected to attend; Columbia, Evan Duque; Or Turkey, Tayyip Erdogan, as well as the majority of European Union countries.

After the opening ceremony, the leaders’ meeting will take place on November 1 and 2, where they will detail their commitments to save the planet, which will determine the course of negotiations that will take place without them until the 12th. Although it is a classic of these dates that are extended beyond the specified date.

The policy objectives of COP 26 are to increase measures to reduce carbon emissions in 2030 towards net zero in 2050 and to agree on a future plan to achieve the 1.5°C target; increasing funding to support poor countries; Finalization of the normative framework for the Paris Agreement. EFE

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