Negotiators at COP26 agreed to tackle climate change and limit global warming to the goal stated in the Paris Agreement. Despite years of climate actions, governments & world leaders have not done enough to adhere to their climate commitments.
COP26 to Hasten Paris Agreement’s Goals
The 2021 United Nations climate change conference was held during the first two weeks of November in Glasgow, Scotland. Global climate summits were called COPs for around three decades which stands for “Conference of the Parties”. The UK was the president of the COP26, where parties tried to reach an agreement on tackling climate change.
Alongside tens of thousands of negotiators, businesses and government representatives, world leaders gathered in Glasgow for talks. One of the main goals was to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UK Framework Convention on Climate Change. Every country agreed to reduce global warming to well below 2 degrees and aim for 1.5 degrees by half the century.
Countries Provide Money to Tackle Climate Challenge
Around 120 heads of state and government attended the summit and made a series of commitments. Previous cops did not tackle climate change, and COP26 concluded with a new climate change agreement. Parties at COP26 reached a consensus on principal actions to tackle climate change. The intense negotiations ended in wide-ranging decisions, statements and resolutions. Parties defined a global goal that recognizes mutual needs and solutions to the climate crisis. Negotiators discussed financial issues, and there was a consensus on the market for addressing the climate challenge. Developed nations pledged to provide 100 billion dollars for developing countries to mitigate the emissions.
Accurate Determination Needed to Hit the Target
Decisions at COP26 were based on the three UN climate treaties. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (the COP), the Kyoto Protocol (the CMP), and the Paris Agreement (the CMA). Parties discussed how to implement provisions of the Paris Agreement to make sure to reach climate change objectives, including adaptation, mitigation, and support.
It is a start to evaluate parties’ developments following their commitments. Participants emphasized the importance of nature and ecosystem and the connection between the climate and biodiversity challenges around the globe. Six years after the Paris Agreement, negotiators asked for transparency over countries’ measures. If there is no factual determination, there will be no hope of reaching the Paris Agreement’s target.
Countries to Act on Carbon Issue
At the Glasgow summit, climate negotiators agreed to accelerate climate action on matters related to the carbon market. This measure will make the Paris Agreement entirely operational. Parties will reinforce their emissions reduction to align with the Paris Agreement and keep temperature rise to 1.5 °C. According to Paris Agreement, every five years, countries should set ambitious climate action. Countries intend to remarkably reduce greenhouse gas emissions to achieve a climate-neutral globe by half the century. World leaders agreed to work to reduce the gap in emissions to improve during the current decade. The heads of state and government who attended the COP26 concluded that there is a need for robust and effective measures to achieve climate change goals.
Commitments Lack Enough Influence
World leaders reached the most critical deal on climate change since the Paris Agreement. Implementing the Paris Agreement was a significant advantage, but there is little hope for a good result. Despite the passionate words, there are not many national commitments to cut emissions. Some countries rely on fossil fuels whose leaders try to escape their responsibilities to cut out carbon. Many pledges were made to reduce greenhouse gases aligned with the Paris Agreement. But the stakes will not reduce emissions fast enough to keep the world within 1.5 limits by 2050 as it is in the Paris Agreement. Current climate commitments fail short of fast progress to implement the climate plans.
Wealthy Polluters Fail to Decrease Global Warming
The negotiators at the COP26 discussed a faster phase-out of fossil fuels, but they changed the term to phase-down. As a result, global warming limits will not go according to the Paris Agreement’s requirements. The Glasgow pact failed to make wealthy polluters pay compensations for climate damages they have caused. International studies show the costs of climate change is around trillions of dollars, but rich countries pay less sum of money. World leaders and diplomats, along with businesses, will gather in Egypt next year to update their plans. Governments are supposed to report their emissions and trades of the global carbon market. But rules are not perfect, and they may undermine efforts to reduce emissions. Despite decades of climate diplomacy, the pollution has increased, and Glasgow Pact is not perfect.
Businesses Want their Carbon Emitting Businesses Continue
Furthermore, the BBC saw some documents that showed countries making efforts to change a report on tackling climate change. Some wealthy nations are not eager to pay emerging countries to transfer to green technologies.
Governments, companies and producers intended to set the most valuable scientific report to address the climate challenge. Several countries and organizations argued that countries do not need to reduce fossil fuels so fast.
Producers of beef in Latin America are against the reports of reducing meat production to cut greenhouse gases. Countries that use nuclear energy, mainly in Eastern Europe, said the information should be optimistic about the role of nuclear power.
Conclusion
At the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), world leaders acknowledged the need to reduce emissions quickly. An eleven-page document was the result of the two-week summit. It says that greenhouse gases should be reduced and carbon should fall by 45 per cent from the 2010 level by 2030. Global warming should be limited to 1.5 °C following the Paris Agreement. More investments are needed to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy. Some governments and companies tried to change the scientific report of the UN at the end of the summit. It is a finite world, and it is not possible to grow infinitely and irresponsibly. World leaders must commit to actions rather than promises to solve the problem.
