- This round-up brings you everything you need to know about the COP26 climate summit, climate change and greenhouse gas emissions targets.
- Top stories: G20 release statement after pre-COP26 meeting; Leaders gather in Glasgow for two weeks of talks; António Guterres and Pope Francis issue warnings about need for action.
Key COP26 stories
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Friday that we’re ‘careening towards climate catastrophe‘.
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Pope Francis also warned on Friday that leaders must give ‘concrete hope’ to future generations that they’re taking the steps needed to tackle climate change.
US President Joe Biden is set to reaffirm the country’s commitment to tackling climate change, in particular through the investment promised in his ‘Build Back Better’ framework.
Rail travel to COP26 was severely disrupted on Sunday, after stormy weather caused a tree to fall on tracks between London and Glasgow.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will address COP26 today in the form of a written statement, according to the official schedule.
Stirling University has launched a video game that allows players to make decisions as world leaders at COP26. Players can allocate resources and see the impact on people and planet.
The World Meteorological Organization’s latest State of the Climate report has said that extreme weather events are the new normal. This year’s figures were released early to coincide with the start of the COP26.
World leaders arrive in Glasgow
World leaders began to arrive in Glasgow yesterday, as COP26 got underway in the Scottish city. The climate summit aims to keep alive a target of capping global warming at 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
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“We need to come out of Glasgow saying with credibility that we have kept 1.5 alive,” Alok Sharma, COP26’s president, said yesterday.
“We’re already at global warming at 1.1 degrees above pre-industrial levels,” he told Sky News television. “At 1.5 there are countries in the world that will be underwater, and that’s why we need to get an agreement here on how we tackle climate change over the next decade.”
Britain is presenting the two weeks of talks as make-or-break. “If we are going to prevent COP26 from being a failure, then that must change, and I must be clear that if Glasgow fails then the whole thing fails,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters.
What’s the World Economic Forum doing about climate change?
Climate change poses an urgent threat demanding decisive action. Communities around the world are already experiencing increased climate impacts, from droughts to floods to rising seas. The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report continues to rank these environmental threats at the top of the list.
To limit global temperature rise to well below 2°C and as close as possible to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, it is essential that businesses, policy-makers, and civil society advance comprehensive near- and long-term climate actions in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
The World Economic Forum’s Climate Initiative supports the scaling and acceleration of global climate action through public and private-sector collaboration. The Initiative works across several workstreams to develop and implement inclusive and ambitious solutions.
This includes the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, a global network of business leaders from various industries developing cost-effective solutions to transitioning to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy. CEOs use their position and influence with policy-makers and corporate partners to accelerate the transition and realize the economic benefits of delivering a safer climate.
The Group of 20 major economies met over the weekend and agreed on a final statement that urged ‘meaningful and effective’ action to limit global warming. However, the meeting’s outcomes angered climate activists, who criticised a lack of concrete commitments.
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Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who chaired the Rome gathering, hailed the final accord, saying that for the first time all G20 states had agreed on the importance of capping global warming at the 1.5 degrees Celsius level that scientists say is vital to avoid disaster.
“We made sure that our dreams are not only alive but they are progressing,” Draghi told a closing news conference. But, environmental campaigners said the group’s ambitions don’t go far enough.
“This was a moment for the G20 to act with the responsibility they have as the biggest emitters, yet we only see half-measures rather than concrete urgent action,” said Friederike Roder, vice president of sustainable development advocacy group Global Citizen.
And Greta Thunberg asked followers to sign an open letter accusing leaders of betrayal. “As citizens across the planet, we urge you to face up to the climate emergency. Not next year. Not next month. Now,” she tweeted.
How to follow COP26
You can follow the World Economic Forum’s coverage of COP26 on Agenda, on our Radio Davos podcast, at Forum COP26 Live and across social media.
NOTE – This article was originally published in Scroll and can be viewed here
