{"id":167770,"date":"2021-11-17T15:22:31","date_gmt":"2021-11-17T12:22:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.muhunda.co.tz\/?p=167770"},"modified":"2021-12-03T15:44:04","modified_gmt":"2021-12-03T12:44:04","slug":"cop26-closes-with-compromise-deal-on-climate-but-its-not-enough-says-un-chief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.muhunda.co.tz\/?p=167770","title":{"rendered":"COP26 closes with \u2018compromise\u2019 deal on climate, but it\u2019s not enough, says UN chief"},"content":{"rendered":"

After extending the COP26 climate negotiations an extra day, nearly 200 countries meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, adopted on Saturday 13th November 2021 an outcome document that, according to the UN Secretary-General, \u201creflects the interests, the contradictions, and the state of political will in the world today\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an important step but is not enough. We must accelerate climate action to keep alive the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees\u201d, said Ant\u00f3nio Guterres in a video statement released at the close of the two-week meeting.<\/p>\n

The UN chief added that it is time to go \u201cinto emergency mode\u201d, ending fossil fuel subsidies, phasing out coal, putting a price on carbon, protecting vulnerable communities, and delivering the $100 billion climate finance commitment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did not achieve these goals at this conference. But we have some building blocks for progress,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mr. Guterres also had a message to young people, indigenous communities, women leaders, and all those leading the charge on climate action.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you are disappointed. But the path of progress is not always a straight line. Sometimes there are detours. Sometimes there are ditches. But I know we can get there. We are in the fight of our lives, and this fight must be won. Never give up. Never retreat. Keep pushing forward\u201d.<\/p>\n

A snapshot of the agreement<\/p>\n

The outcome document, known as the Glasgow Climate Pact, calls on 197 countries to report their progress towards more climate ambition next year, at COP27, set to take place in Egypt.<\/p>\n

The outcome also firms up the global agreement to accelerate action on climate this decade.<\/p>\n

However, COP26 President Alok Sharma struggled to hold back tears following the announcement of a last-minute change to the pact, by China and India, softening language circulated in an earlier draft about \u201cthe phase-out of unabated coal power and of inefficient subsidies for fossil fuels\u201d. As adopted on Saturday, that language was revised to \u201cphase down\u201d coal use.<\/p>\n

Mr. Sharma apologized for \u201cthe way the process has unfolded\u201d and added that he understood some delegations would be \u201cdeeply disappointed\u201d that the stronger language had not made it into the final agreement.<\/p>\n

By other terms of the wide-ranging set of decisions, resolutions and statements that make up the outcome of COP26, governments were,among other things, asked to provide tighter deadlines for updating their plans to reduce emissions.<\/p>\n

On the thorny question of financing from developed countries in support of climate action in developing countries, the text emphasizes the need to mobilize climate finance \u201cfrom all sources to reach the level needed to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, including significantly increasing support for developing country Parties, beyond $100 billion per year\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nPatricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (standing near left), and Alok Sharma President for COP26 (seated centre), at the closing of the UN Climate Conference in Glasgow, Scotland. UNFCCC\/Kiara Worth<\/em><\/p>\n

1.5 degrees, but with \u2018a weak pulse\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cNegotiations are never easy\u2026this is the nature of consensus and multilateralism\u201d, said Patricia Espinosa, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). <\/p>\n

She stressed that for every announcement made during the past two weeks, the expectation is that the implementation \u201cplans and the fine print\u201d will follow.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet us enjoy what we accomplished but also prepare for what is coming,\u201d Ms. Espinosa said, after recognizing the advancements on adaptation, among others.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, COP26 President Alok Sharma stated that delegations could say \u201cwith credibility\u201d that they have kept 1.5 degrees within reach.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut its pulse is weak.\u202fAnd it will only survive if we keep our promises. If we translate commitments into rapid action.\u202fIf we deliver on the expectations set out in this Glasgow Climate Pact to increase ambition to 2030 and beyond.\u202fAnd if we close the vast gap that remains, as we must,\u201d he told delegates.<\/p>\n

He then quoted Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who earlier in the conference had said that for Barbados and other small island states, \u2018two degrees is a death sentence.\u2019 With that in mind, Mr. Sharma asked delegates to continue their efforts to get finance flowing and boost adaptation. <\/p>\n

He concluded by saying that history has been made in Glasgow. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe must now ensure that the next chapter charts the success of the commitments we have solemnly made together in the Glasgow Climate Pact, he declared.<\/p>\n

The \u2018least worst\u2019 outcome<\/p>\n

Earlier during the conference’s final stocktaking plenary, many countries lamented that the package of agreed decisions was not enough. Some called it “disappointing”, but overall, said they recognized it was balanced for what could be agreed at this moment in time and given their differences.<\/p>\n

Countries like Nigeria, Palau, the Philippines, Chile and Turkey all said that although there were imperfections, they broadly supported the text.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is (an) incremental step forward but not in line with the progress needed. It will be too late for the Maldives. This deal does not bring hope to our hearts,\u201d said the Maldives\u2019 top negotiator in a bittersweet speech.<\/p>\n

US climate envoy John Kerry said the text \u201cis a powerful statement\u201d and assured delegates that his country will engage constructively in a dialogue on “loss and damage” and adaptation, two of issues that proved most difficult for the negotiators to agree upon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe text represents the \u2018least worst\u2019 outcome,\u201d concluded the top negotiator from New Zealand.<\/p>\n

Other key COP26 achievements<\/p>\n

Beyond the political negotiations and the Leaders\u2019 Summit, COP26 brought together about 50,000 participants online and in-person to share innovative ideas, solutions, attend cultural events and build partnerships and coalitions.<\/p>\n

The conference heard many encouraging announcements. One of the biggest was that leaders from over 120 countries, representing about 90 per cent of the world\u2019s forests, pledged to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030, the date by which the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to curb poverty and secure the planet\u2019s future are supposed to have been achieved.<\/p>\n

There was also a methane pledge, led by the United States and the European Union, by which more than 100 countries agreed to cut emissions of this greenhouse gas by 2030.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, more than 40 countries \u2013 including major coal-users such as Poland, Vietnam and Chile \u2013 agreed to shift away from coal, one of the biggest generators CO2 emissions.<\/p>\n

The private sector also showed strong engagement with nearly 500 global financial services firms agreeing to align $130 trillion \u2013 some 40 per cent of the world\u2019s financial assets \u2013 with the goals set out in the Paris Agreement, including limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.<\/p>\n

Also, in a surprise for many, the United States and China pledged to boost climate cooperation over the next decade. In a joint declaration they said they had agreed to take steps on a range of issues, including methane emissions, transition to clean energy and decarbonization. They also reiterated their commitment to keep the 1.5C goal alive.<\/p>\n

Regarding green transport, more than 100 national governments, cities, states and major car companies signed the\u202fGlasgow Declaration on Zero-Emission Cars and Vans\u202fto end the sale of internal combustion engines by 2035 in leading markets, and by 2040 worldwide.\u202f At least 13 nations also committed to end the sale of fossil fuel powered heavy duty vehicles by 2040.<\/p>\n

Many \u2018smaller\u2019 but equally inspiring commitments were made over the past two weeks, including one by 11 countries which created the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA). Ireland, France, Denmark, and Costa Rica among others, as well as some subnational governments, launched this first-of-its kind alliance to set an end date for national oil and gas exploration and extraction.<\/p>\n

A quick refresher on how we got here<\/p>\n

To keep it simple, COP26 was the latest and one of the most important steps in the decades long, UN-facilitated effort to help stave off what has been called a looming climate emergency.<\/p>\n

In 1992, the UN organized a major event in Rio de Janeiro called the Earth Summit, in which the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted.<\/p>\n

In this treaty, nations agreed to “stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere\u201d to prevent dangerous interference from human activity on the climate system. Today, the treaty has 197 signatories.<\/p>\n

Since 1994, when the treaty entered into force, every year the UN has been bringing together almost every country on earth for global climate summits or \u201cCOPs\u201d, which stands for \u2018Conference of the Parties\u2019.<\/p>\n

This year should have been the 27th annual summit, but thanks to COVID-19, we\u2019ve fallen a year behind due to last year\u2019s postponement \u2013 hence, COP26.
\n—
\nMore Info COP26 closes with \u2018compromise\u2019 deal on climate, but it\u2019s not enough, says UN chief<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After extending the COP26 climate negotiations an extra day, nearly 200 countries meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, adopted on Saturday 13th November 2021 an outcome document that, according to the UN Secretary-General, \u201creflects the interests, the contradictions, and the state of political will in the world today\u201d. \u201cIt is an important step but is not enough. … Continue reading COP26 closes with \u2018compromise\u2019 deal on climate, but it\u2019s not enough, says UN chief<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-167770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dse-stocks-bonds"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.muhunda.co.tz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.muhunda.co.tz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.muhunda.co.tz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.muhunda.co.tz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.muhunda.co.tz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=167770"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.muhunda.co.tz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167770\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.muhunda.co.tz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=167770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.muhunda.co.tz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=167770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.muhunda.co.tz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=167770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}