COP26 finished last week, which brought the end of the two-week negotiation about what needs to be achieved to reverse climate change.
We have compiled the top 10 talking points from the conference, paired with advice about what you can do to contribute towards reversing climate change.
1. The UK announces £3 billion climate aid package to fund green technology and infrastructure.
In Boris Johnson’s opening speech of the COP26, he announced that the UK will provide £3 billion over 5 years to support the rollout of sustainable technologies, including £200 million towards supporting the new Climate Innovation Facility.
The Prime Minister also used his opening speech to announce the new UK-based Clean Green Initiative which aims to scale up private investment in low-carbon and sustainable infrastructure around the world and to help developing countries operate more sustainably.
More than 40 world leaders, including China, the US, India, the EU and Australia, have agreed to work with the UK to implement a plan to speed up affordable and clean technology worldwide by 2030.
2. David Attenborough’s COP26 speech.
The 95-year-old British naturalist Sir David Attenborough gave a passionate speech that drew a standing ovation from the crowd. He called for the world leaders to take action to combat climate change, highlighting that humanity was “already in trouble” because of the rising carbon levels in the atmosphere.
Sir David presented graphs that tracked the rise in carbon concentration in the Earth’s atmosphere, which according to the Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, is now 149% above pre-industrial levels.
He ended by stating that humans are the “greatest problem solvers to have ever existed on Earth”, and that leaders must think of the younger generation as they work towards reversing climate change.
3. India targets net-zero by 2070.
The announcement from India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, that India aims to reach net-zero by 2070 provoked a mixed reaction from COP26 followers.
India is the world’s fourth-largest greenhouse gas polluter, with electricity and heat emissions from India contributing to 2.61% of global emissions. The country depends on coal for two-thirds of its energy generation, despite having a highly impressive solar programme. The projected emissions are set to increase due to the masses of people who are escaping poverty and increasing their electricity use. The reality is that India is already facing the climate crisis, experiencing an increased number of floods, storms, and droughts yearly.
Climate scientists have already pointed out that emissions must reach net-zero by 2050 to control the climate crisis, meaning India’s projections are behind the recommended time frame.
4. World leaders promise to end deforestation by 2030.
More than 100 world leaders of countries that represent 85% of the world’s forests have promised to end and reverse deforestation by 2030, with Brazil being a key signatory in this deal as the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest is surging.
A total of 12 countries also agreed to provide funding to assist reforestation. A large sum of the £12 billion funding pot will be provided by the UK, pledging to provide £1.5 billion, with £350 million set to go towards the reforestation of tropical rainforests in Indonesia, and £300 million towards the reforestation of the Amazon rainforest.
23 new countries, including heavy coal users such as Vietnam, Poland, and Ukraine, pledged to phase out the use of coal, which is the most polluting fossil fuel.
Major countries aim to phase out coal in the 2030s, whilst poorer countries aim for the 2040s. Additionally, at least 20 countries together with public finance institutions promised to stop public finance to over sea fossil fuels by the end of 2022, using the money for renewable energy sources instead.
5. The “Glasgow Breakthroughs”.
These are the first five goals that are to cover more than 50% of global emissions.
- Power – clean power is to become the most affordable and reliable option worldwide.
- Road Transport – zero-emission electric vehicles to become the new normal and are to become more affordable and accessible worldwide.
- Hydrogen – affordable, renewable, and low carbon hydrogen to become available globally.
- Agriculture – climate-resistant and sustainable agriculture to be widely adopted by farmers worldwide.
- Steel – near-zero-emission steel to become the preferred choice in global markets.
6. Tuvalu’s Foreign Minister’s viral COP26 speech.
The COP26 speech made by Tuvalu’s foreign minister has gone viral. Simon Kofe broadcasted his COP26 speech while standing in the ocean to highlight the rising sea levels and its effects on small islands.
Tuvalu is made up of 9 small islands in the Pacific Ocean, about 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii, with a population of around 12,000 people. Kofe stressed that the islands would be underwater by the end of the century if the Pacific Ocean levels continue to rise at the rate that they are now. This message was backed by Ibrahim Mohamed, the President of the Maldives, who stated that “our islands are slowly being eaten by the sea, one by one”.
7. The US-China climate agreement.
The two biggest carbon dioxide emitting countries in the world made a declaration to work together to tackle climate change.
Climate activists and politicians have welcomed this cautiously, with Greenpeace stating that the two nations need to show greater commitment to reach climate goals. The UN say that the declaration is an important step towards achieving the 1.5C temperature goal set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
8. Barack Obama’s COP26 speech.
The ex-president of the US spoke at COP26 in Glasgow, with his main message calling on world leaders to “step up and step up now” to reverse climate change. He also singled out Russia and China for failing to cut their emissions quickly enough.
Russia and China received a lot of criticism due to their leaders failing to attend the event, especially as they are the two countries that produce the most carbon emissions in the world.
Obama highlighted the dangerous lack of urgency that the world nations are showing towards this crisis, ending on insisting that younger climate activists keep pushing politicians to do more.
9. The Global Methane Pledge.
The announcement of the Global Methane Pledge was one of the major proclamations made in the first week of the COP26. More than 100 countries agreed to cut their methane emissions by 30% by 2030 as part of the pledge.
A 30% cut in methane emissions is estimated to reduce projected warming by 0.2C which will buy some time while countries try to lower their carbon dioxide emissions.
10. New COP26 climate deal.
In the closing hours of the conference, the negotiators from nearly 200 countries reached an agreement to try and reverse the impacts of climate change.
The new deal was agreed upon several hours after the proposed deadline due to negotiators struggling to resolve major concerns, such as the phasing out of coal and fossil fuels, and how to financially support low-income countries.
India, which is a nation that burns a significant amount of coal, proposed a last-minute change to fossil fuel language, going from the “phase-out” of coal to a “phase-down”. After initial objections, an agreement was made.
The conference in Glasgow was deemed to be humanity’s last and best chance to keep the 1.5C goal in sight, as set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Keeping average temperatures from exceeding this goal requires global greenhouse gas emissions to almost halve in the next 8 years, and to reach global net-zero emissions by 2050.
What can we do to help?
Reversing climate change and keeping global temperatures below 1.5C requires cohesion from everyone. We have compiled a short list of everyday changes that anyone can make in order to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle:
- Eat local – buying and eating local produce is much more eco-friendly as these items won’t have been flown or shipped from other countries. This also helps support local restaurants and vendors.
- Use public transport – taking the bus or train is a lot more environmentally friendly than being a single passenger in a car. This can drastically reduce carbon emissions, especially in cities.
- Reduce plastic consumption – single-use plastic is still prominent in people’s everyday lives. Small changes such as using refill shops to do your shopping will help cut out the use of single plastics.
- Recycle – this is a simple, yet sometimes ignored factor to being more environmentally friendly. Simply recycle your recyclable rubbish and it will be upcycled into something else.
- Reduce your electricity consumption – keeping energy consumption down in the workplace and at home can drastically help the environment, as well as keeping your costs down.
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