The meeting records crucial absences, such as those of Chinese President Xi Jinping or Russian Vladimir Putin.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) was inaugurated this Sunday under the sign of urgency, as an appointment that represents the “last chance” to tackle the heating of the planet.
COP26 is “the last and best opportunity to meet the + 1.5ºC target,” declared the event’s president, British Secretary of State Alok Sharma, at the opening ceremony.
The goal of + 1.5ºC as the limit for global warming was established by the international community six years ago, in the Paris Agreement (COP21).
Study reveals extreme temperatures exacerbated health problems in cities
That goal is being missed and the most recent projections estimate that the world is heading almost double, + 2.7ºC.
The COP, under the aegis of the UN, is the annual meeting to debate and set commitments in the fight against climate change. And the Glasgow meeting, which will last until November 12, is even more important because it could not be held last year, because of the pandemic of the coronavirus.
The impact of climate change is already being felt in the form of “floods, cyclones, forest fires, temperature records,” Sharma warned.
“We know that the planet we share is changing for the worse,” explained the British minister.
The world continues towards a ‘catastrophic’ course, with an average temperature of +2.7 ° C, warns the UN
Coinciding with the start of COP26, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) published a report that warns that the years 2015 to 2021 will probably be the warmest on record to date.
The average temperature of the planet for the last 20 years exceeds the symbolic barrier of + 1 ° C for the first time.
Who will be absent from COP26
The inauguration of COP26 took place in parallel with the closing of the G20 summit in Rome, which ratified the common goal of meeting the + 1.5ºC target.
The pandemic and the great economic and social shock that the confinement brought about has profoundly altered the diplomatic table, and some important actors, such as Chinese President Xi Jinping or Russian Vladimir Putin, have chosen not to attend the meeting.
COP26 is decisive in the first place because countries must reinforce their commitments to reduce emissions, the main cause of the increase in the average temperature of the planet.
Joe Biden approves oil and gas auction, setback in the fight against climate change
All signatories to the Paris Agreement should in principle go to Glasgow with their so-called national emission reduction commitments updated.
China, which emits more than a quarter of greenhouse gases, revealed its new commitments this week. Xi Jinping’s government assures that it wants to achieve carbon neutrality (equal amount of emissions and retention) by 2060.
But officially the international community had set that goal for 2050, so that the planet does not enter an unpredictable climate scenario.
Committing to common dates, mutually binding control rules, being transparent in the fight against climate change, is another great goal of Glasgow.
Chinese President calls on the G20 to be an example in reducing carbon emissions
The third is the commitment of the industrialized countries to help poor countries with 100 billion dollars annually to help them mitigate and adapt to the new climate.
Also missing a carbon markets agreement, a complex mechanism for countries to exchange emission quotas.
“Technical negotiations have been rare and difficult to organize online” during the covid-19 pandemic, explains Lola Vallejo, an expert at the French analysis center Iddri. But the real problem seems to be a political one. Brazil, the main country blocking the issue, needs guarantees that there will be financial incentives to preserve the Amazon rainforest, “he added.
Intense heat, extreme floods, rising sea and more acidic oceans, among five shocking UN alerts
Finally, the environment ministers or experts from each country must develop the rules that were briefly announced in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
The Glasgow university campus where COP26 is being held is under heavy security. And next week promises to be peppered with demonstrations and protest actions by environmental groups, with the attendance of figures such as the young Swede Greta Thunberg. (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
