COP26 – what we know so far, and why it matters: Your UN News guide

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“Without decisive action, we are gambling distant our past accidental to – virtually - crook the tide”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said up of the meeting. But wherefore could it beryllium our past chance?

Here’s immoderate answers we’ve recovered to the astir communal questions you mightiness person astir what’s coming up.

Let’s commencement with the basics, what is COP26?

To support it simple, COP26 is the biggest and astir important climate-related league connected the planet.

In 1992, the UN organised a large lawsuit successful Rio de Janeiro called the Earth Summit, successful which the UN Framework Convention connected Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted.

In this treaty, nations agreed to "stabilize greenhouse state concentrations successful the atmosphere” to forestall unsafe interference from quality enactment connected the clime system. Today, the pact has 197 signatories.

Since 1994, erstwhile the pact entered into force, each twelvemonth the UN has been bringing unneurotic astir each state connected world for planetary clime summits oregon “COPs”, which stands for ‘Conference of the Parties’.

This twelvemonth should person been the 27th yearly summit, but acknowledgment to COVID-19, we’ve fallen a twelvemonth down owed to past year’s postponement – hence, COP26.

UN Photo/Amanda Voisard

Former United States Secretary of State John Kerry, accompanied by his grand-daughter, signs the Paris Agreement astatine UN office successful April 2016.

So, what happens astatine COP26? Don’t we person capable meetings astir clime alteration already?

Various “extensions” to the UNFCCC pact person been negotiated during these COPs to found legally binding limits connected greenhouse state emissions for idiosyncratic countries, and to specify an enforcement mechanism.

These see the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, which defined emanation limits for developed nations to beryllium achieved by 2012; and the Paris Agreement, adopted successful 2015, successful which each countries of the satellite agreed to measurement up efforts to effort and bounds planetary warming to 1.5°C supra pre-industrial temperatures, and boost clime enactment financing.

So, here’s wherever COP26 gets interesting: during the conference, among different issues, delegates volition beryllium aiming to finalise the ‘Paris Rulebook’, oregon the rules needed to instrumentality the Agreement. This clip they volition request to hold connected communal timeframes for the frequence of revision and monitoring of their clime commitments.

Basically, Paris acceptable the destination, limiting warming good beneath 2 degrees, (ideally 1.5) but Glasgow, is the past accidental to marque it a reality.

IMF/K. M. Asad

In Bangladesh, efforts are undertaken to amended coastal extortion from flooding caused by storms and a emergence successful oversea level owed to clime change.

So, this bring america to our archetypal question: wherefore is it the past chance?

Like a boa constrictor that dilatory squeezes its prey to death, clime alteration has gone from being an uncomfortable low-level issue, to a life-threatening planetary emergency, successful the past 3 decades.

Although determination person been caller and updated commitments made by countries up of COP26, the satellite remains connected way for a unsafe planetary somesthesia emergence of at slightest 2.7°C this century adjacent if Paris goals are met.

The subject is clear: a emergence of temperatures of that magnitude by the extremity of the period could mean, among different things, a 62% summation successful areas scorched by wildfires successful the Northern Hemisphere during summer, the nonaccomplishment of situation of a 3rd of the mammals successful the world, and much predominant 4 to 10 month-long droughts.

UN main António Guterres bluntly calls it “climate catastrophe”, 1 that it is already being felt to a deadly grade successful the astir susceptible parts of the satellite similar sub-Saharan Africa and Small Island States, lashed by rising oversea levels.

Millions of radical are already being displaced and killed by disasters exacerbated by clime change.

For Mr. Guterres, and the hundreds of scientists connected the Intergovernmental Panel connected Climate Change, a script of 1.5°C warming, is the “only liveable aboriginal for humanity”.

The timepiece is ticking, and to person a accidental of limiting the rise, the satellite needs to halve greenhouse state emissions successful the adjacent 8 years.

This is simply a gigantic task that we lone volition beryllium capable to bash if leaders attending COP26 travel up with bold, time-bound and front-loaded plans to signifier retired ember and alteration their economies to scope so called nett zero emissions.

ADB/Ariel Javellana

Emissions from coal-fired powerfulness plants lend to aerial contamination successful Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Hmm, but didn’t countries similar China and the United States already committed to nett zero?

The astir caller UN Emissions Gap Report explains that a full of 49 countries positive the European Union person pledged a nett zero target.

This covers implicit fractional of planetary home greenhouse state emissions, implicit fractional of planetary GDP and a 3rd of the planetary population. Eleven targets are enshrined successful law, covering 12 per cent of planetary emissions.

Sounds large right? But there’s a catch: many of the commitments hold enactment until aft 2030, raising doubts implicit whether these nett zero pledges tin really beryllium achieved. Also, galore of these pledges are “vague” and inconsistent with the officially submitted nationalist commitments, known arsenic NDC’s.

This again explains wherefore COP26 is truthful important: “The clip has passed for diplomatic niceties...If governments - particularly G20 governments - bash not basal up and pb this effort, we are headed for unspeakable quality suffering”, warned Guterres successful the UN General Assembly this week.

UNFCCC

Friday for Future objection astatine COP25

So, what precisely is COP26 hoping to execute (practically speaking)?

The authoritative negotiations instrumentality spot implicit 2 weeks. The archetypal week includes method negotiations by authorities officials, followed by high-level Ministerial and Heads of State meetings successful the 2nd week, erstwhile the last decisions volition beryllium made – oregon not.

There are 4 main points that volition beryllium discussed during the league according to its host, the United Kingdom:

1. Secure planetary nett zero by mid-century and support 1.5 degrees wrong reach

To bash this, countries request to accelerate the phase-out of coal, curb deforestation, velocity up the power to greener economies. Carbon marketplace mechanisms volition beryllium besides portion of the negotiations.

2. Adapt much to support communities and earthy habitats

Since the clime is already changing countries already affected by clime alteration request to support and reconstruct ecosystems, arsenic good arsenic physique defences, informing systems and resilient infrastructure.

3. Mobilise finance

At COP15, affluent nations promised to transmission $100 cardinal a twelvemonth to less-wealthy nations by 2020 to assistance them accommodate to clime alteration and mitigate further rises successful temperature.

That committedness was not kept, and COP26 volition beryllium important to unafraid the funds, with the assistance of planetary fiscal institutions, arsenic good arsenic acceptable caller clime concern targets to beryllium achieved by 2025.

4. Work unneurotic to deliver

This means establishing collaborations betwixt governments, businesses and civilian society, and of course, finalising the Paris Rulebook to marque the Agreement afloat operational.

In summation to ceremonial negotiations, COP26 is expected to found caller initiatives and coalitions for delivering clime action.

Unsplash/Adam Marikar

Glasgow successful the United Kingdom volition big the planetary clime gathering COP26

How, erstwhile and where?

The main lawsuit volition beryllium held astatine the Scottish Event Campus, from 31 October to 12 November, with the anticipation of negotiations spilling implicit an other time oregon two. So far, there are implicit 30.000 radical registered to be representing governments, businesses, NGOs, and civilian nine groups.

The 197 Parties to the UNFCCC treaty, often get successful groups oregon “blocs” to negociate unneurotic specified arsenic the G77 and China, the Africa Group, the Least Developed Countries, the Umbrella Forum, the Small Island Developing States, and the Independent Alliance of Latin America and the Caribbean.

The negotiations besides see observers, which person nary ceremonial portion successful them but marque interventions and assistance support transparency. Observers see United Nations agencies, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, faith-based groups, and the press.

But too the authoritative negotiations, determination volition beryllium a conference, a pavilion, and thousands of broadside events happening, divided implicit thematic days, connected topics similar finance, energy, younker and nationalist empowerment, nature, adaptation, gender, subject and innovation, transport, and cities.

The league volition hap crossed 2 zones – The Blue Zone (Scottish Events Campus), and the Green Zone located astatine the Glasgow Science Centre.

The Blue Zone is simply a UN-managed abstraction wherever negotiations are hosted, and to participate each attendees indispensable beryllium credited by the UNFCCC Secretariat.

The Green Zone is managed by the UK Government and unfastened to the public. It volition see events, exhibitions, workshops and talks to beforehand dialogue, awareness, acquisition and commitments connected clime change.

Anyone celebrated attending?

Several heads of authorities and authorities including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden are expected to attend. Other celebrated faces successful Glasgow volition see Sir David Attenborough, the COP26 people’s advocate, activistic Greta Thunberg, the celebrated Game of Thrones histrion Maisie Williams and singer-songwriter and UNEP ambassador Ellie Goulding. The Queen announced with regret, connected Tuesday, that she would not beryllium travelling to the event’s main reception aft all.

The United Nations newest SDG ambassadors K-pop superstars BLACKPINK volition beryllium besides joining the event. The Korean all-girl radical released a video earlier their appearance, sharing a sneak peek of their heartfelt connection to animate clime action.

Unsplash/Ross Sneddon

A antheral wears a look disguise and gloves portion sitting successful a cafe successful Glasgow, Scotland.

And with specified a large conference, are determination immoderate peculiar COVID-19 measures?

While COVID-19 continues to beryllium a immense situation crossed the world, tackling the clime situation cannot hold according to the COP26 hosts.

In-person negotiations are preferred implicit online ones, to guarantee inclusive information by precocious and low-income countries arsenic good arsenic ensuring scrutiny and transparency.

Fully vaccination is encouraged for those attending the conference, and the United Kingdom ran a programme up of time, to present vaccines to participants surviving successful countries incapable to get one.

There volition besides beryllium strict COVID-19 investigating protocols successful place, including regular investigating for everyone entering the Blue Zone to guarantee the wellness and wellbeing of each those progressive and the surrounding community.

There are besides COP-specific arrangements for the COVID Travel Regime radical volition brushwood arsenic they participate England and Scotland, with immoderate countries requiring quarantine (which volition beryllium funded by the UK Government for attendees successful hard circumstances.