What You Missed from COP26

Caitlin Pallett on 1 December 2021

Last month, the world’s superpowers met in Glasgow to discuss a topic on everyone’s minds: climate change and what can we do about it? For some, COP26 was a great success; for other’s it felt like we’d once again achieved nothing. Whatever your thoughts, here are some initiatives that flew under the radar. 

Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance:

Launched by Denmark and Costa Rica, this alliance will require countries to set a definitive end date for licensing new oil and gas. Members will also need to draw up plans to phase out existing use of oil and gas. 

The absence of major oil and gas producers during the launch of this initiative, such as the UK, US and Russia, raised a few eyebrows, but Danish Climate and Energy Minister Dan Jorgensen is hopeful that the alliance will grow quickly The current members have stated that although they do not produce masses of oil and coal, their pledge to the alliance will ensure that natural land is preserved and not used for drilling.  

Zero-emissions Vehicles Declaration:

The UK has set its own target to stop selling vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE) by 2040 and led discussions about the Global Declaration on Zero-emission vehicles. Over 30 countries and businesses have now agreed to stop selling ICE vehicles by 2040. The three largest car markets: the US, Germany, and China, are yet to sign, but some businesses and geographic regions within these nations have signed independently. 

There are similar initiatives, which aim to reduce the carbon footprint of the public transport and aviation sector. Signatories of the “Count Us In Declaration” will stop selling ICE buses by 2030 and 18 nations, representing 40% of current aviation emissions, have adopted pre-2050 aviation targets that could be vital in keeping warming to 1.5°C. 

Green Shipping Corridors:

The launch of the Clydebank Declaration will see the creation of six green shipping corridors between global ports as trial locations for emerging clean transport technologies. The initial corridors will be relatively short but long-haul routes are likely to be added by 2030. 

The declaration has been signed by 20 nations, including the UK and the US. The technologies that will be tested along these green shipping routes include hydrogen, ammonia, methanol and electrification. 

The Sustainable Agriculture Agenda:

According to the WWF, agricultural food systems have contributed to over 30% of global carbon emissions and two thirds of biodiversity loss to date. In an attempt to “put people, nature and climate at the core of our food systems,” 45 countries have signed on to a new Policy Action Agenda, which aims to help policymakers create a low-carbon, deforestation-free and fair-trade food production system. In support of this, the World Economic Fund is planning to launch a new initiative to help 100 million farmers access funding and new technology. 

Supermarkets have also pledged to reduce the negative impacts that food systems have on nature and the climate. The Co-op, M&S, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose have all committed to halve the environmental impact of supply chains and have set deforestation, food waste, marine and land stewardship and packaging targets for 2030. Their progress will be reported annually and monitored by the WWF. 

The Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate

UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, stated that countries have consistently treated nature “like a toilet” throughout history and urged them to start treating biodiversity conservation as a priority. The UK has pledged to deliver £3 billion for the International Climate Finance on Nature and Biodiversity. £40 million of this will be used to establish a Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate. This Global Centre will research new methods of biodiversity conservation and how biodiversity can contribute to decarbonisation. The rest will go towards other projects, including conserving five hectares of rainforest, and developing sustainable forest supply chains in the tropics, ensuring that biodiversity globally is respected and protected. 

Climate activists to march on Light Night Leeds ahead of COP26

Toni Stephenson on 14 October 2021

A group of nine Spanish climate activists will reach Leeds on Friday, as part of their nearly 1000 km hike across the UK.

Starting in Portsmouth and ending in Glasgow, Marcha-a-Glasgow aims to reach the COP26 Summit being held in the city between 31st October and 12th November.

On average, the rise in global temperature has been 1°C since the pre-industrial era, as CO2 emissions from manufacturing and modern technologies intensify the greenhouse effect preventing heat escaping earth’s atmosphere.

The COP26 Summit stands for the 26th Conference of Parties and is the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference.

It will mark the 16th meeting of the parties since the Kyoto Protocol of 1992, which promised to reduce CO2 emissions to “a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system” and the third meeting since the Paris Agreement of 2015, which aimed to cap the mean global temperature rise to 2°C above pre-industrial levels.

Marcha-a-Glagow, however, feel that politicians at these conferences have failed to both stress the urgency of action needed and implement policies that effectively curb the damage that has been done to our planet. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report in 2018 stating that there were 11 years left to implement substantial global changes before the effects of global warming become irreversible.

Along with the most recent report from the IPCC, which states the effects of the rise in global temperatures are currently, ‘widespread, fast, and intensifying’, the group also cite a statement in the journal, BioScience, where over 11,000 scientists warn about ‘untold suffering’ if substantial changes are not made immediately.

Alongside acknowledging that the global South is disproportionately affected by the results of global warming, the activists highlight this year’s catastrophic weather events in Europe as examples that weather patterns are being damaged worldwide, such as the record snowfall in Madrid in January, Storm Christoph in the UK, the wildfires of Greece and Italy over summer and the devastating July floods in Germany and Western Europe.

The activists state, “The climate crisis is reaching devastating levels. We are heading at lightning speed towards an ecological abyss of ‘untold suffering’.”

“If walking 1,000 km under the notorious British weather can help raise awareness that our future and that of generations to come is at stake in Glasgow, then it will all be worth it.”

The goals of the upcoming conference in Glasgow are, to ‘Secure global net zero [emissions] by mid-century’, ‘Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats’, ‘Mobilise finance’ and to ‘Work together to deliver’ these aim by building on the groundwork laid at Paris.

One of the walkers, Maribel Roldón says, “The governments should act now to avoid causing more irreversible harm to our planet. Climate change is eroding human rights and aggravating social inequalities, particularly in the most vulnerable areas.”

The Marcha-a-Glasgow activists will reach Millennium Square in time for the Light Night light shows on Friday 15th October, bringing along a pedal-powered sound machine to accompany them. On Saturday morning from 10am they plan to continue their journey via a festival in Chapeltown, where they will be met by live bands, stalls, and interactive activities in addition to speeches from the Mayor and Children’s Mayor activities to show solidarity.

Image: Leeds City Council