UN Climate Change Conference
Glasgow will be hosting the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) from the 31st October to the 12th November 2021.
The city has been buzzing for months with all the work and preparation needed to host such a large-scale event! Glasgow is quite used to roads being shut and parts of the city closing for various events. More often this is for sport or the filming of movies, not for a Climate Change Conference.
So, what is it all about and what are they hoping to achieve by gathering all these people together for two weeks?
COP26
COP stands for Conference of the Parties. Parties are the signatories of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - a treaty agreed in 1994 which has 197 Parties (196 countries and the EU). The 2021 conference, hosted by the UK, together with our partners Italy, in Glasgow, will be the 26th meeting of the Parties, which is why it's called COP26. (Ukcop26.org, 2021)
The conference will take place along the Clyde River at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC). There will be a Blue zone for those registered with the UN body (Country leaders, delegates, media, non-profits etc.) and a Green zone for the general public.
Some climate change terms that are helpful to know
The Paris Agreement
At the 21st meeting of the conference of parties in Paris, in 2015, all 197 parties agreed to a legally binding international treaty on climate change. They agreed to aim for the specific goal of limiting global warming to below 2, preferably 1.5, degrees Celsius.
Global Net Zero
This is all about Carbon emissions. Net Zero means producing as few Greenhouse Gases as possible and absorbing as much as we can out of the atmosphere. This would create a Net Zero balance on Carbon emissions. This kind of drastic action is needed to halt, and potentially reverse, the damage that’s been done through global warming.
1.5 degrees
This isn’t some sort of mediocre interrogation technique. It is the predicted temperature of the Earth a few years from now. According to the Global Temperature Index produced by NASA (350.org, 2021) the annual average global temperature is currently 1˚Celsius hotter than pre-industrial levels.
It is predicted that as soon as 2030 this temperature will reach, and exceed, 1.5˚Celsius. We are already experiencing the worldwide damaging effects of a 1˚Celsius climate change and it is predicted to get worse. That is why The Paris Agreement set it’s goal at limiting global warming to a 1.5 ˚Celsius rise in temperature globally.
Carbon Dioxide levels through out history (350.org, 2021)
COP26 Goals
There are many issues and policies that will be presented and discussed at COP26 but these goals are the main focus this year:
Secure Global Net Zero by mid-Century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach
Countries have committed to draw up specific targets for 2030, in the hope of reducing emissions by 2050.
To deliver on these stretching targets, countries will need to:
- accelerate the phase-out of coal
- curtail deforestation
- speed up the switch to electric vehicles
- encourage investment in renewables.
Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats
As I’ve already mentioned the effects of climate change are all around us. Nature and humanity are suffering the consequences of rising temperatures, polar ice caps melting, habitats dying and extreme weather (to mention a few).
Going forward we need to prepare for further fallout by putting things in place to protect and restore our communities, our eco systems and our planet.
Mobilise finance
In order to make any of these goals achievable a lot of money will need to be invested worldwide. Developed countries who signed up to The Paris Agreement have promised to raise climate finance of at least $100bn per year.
Work together to deliver
This means action not just talk. We will need all governments, businesses and the rest of society to work together no matter what our resources or differences.
It’s time we realize that we no longer have the luxury of sitting around and debating the “what ifs” of this global crisis. The next chapter of life on Earth will be defined by action- the kind of meaningful, relational action that shapes the future. (Mittermeier, C. 2021)
It is time to move - with passion - from ignorance to knowledge, and then from knowledge to wisdom. My hope is that through gatherings like COP26 we will figure out what to do with all this knowledge we have. That we will know how best to apply ourselves, our resources and creativity to positively impact our world.