Politics Plus

COP26 Day 11 | ‘Not there yet’

Euronews Green delivers a Special COP26 email to my mailbox every day during the two weeks it is running (01-12 November 2021). I’ll publish it in its entirety for those who are interested. This is the eighth in the series.

Today’s takeaway

Waves of tentative optimism were sweeping through COP26 today after the US and China announced a bilateral deal to redouble their climate efforts.

The joint statement issued by Washington and Beijing called for “enhanced climate action in the 2020s”, including a new, stronger emission cuts target in 2025 and a pledge by China to follow the US lead in slashing methane emissions.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and others hailed it as “an important step in the right direction.” But some analysts thought the deal “lacked meat” on concrete commitments besides those on methane.

Whether or not this spirit of cooperation will be reflected in the final agreement of COP26 is another story. Difficult negotiations involving almost 200 countries continued in Glasgow after a draft cover deal was released yesterday.

“We’re not there yet. There is still much more work to be done,” said COP26 chairman Alok Sharma as he briefed delegates on the progress of the talks, urging another “gear shift” in the final hours of the summit.

The UK presidency said it planned on publishing the next draft of the cover deal overnight, with a new meeting of ministers planned for tomorrow morning.

COP26 is due to end on Friday evening, but an extension has not been ruled out.

In other news, Denmark and Costa Rica launched an ambitious alliance today to phase out coal and gas. Six full members, France, Greenland, Ireland, Quebec, Sweden and Wales also joined the group known as the ‘Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance‘.

Campaigners hailed the move as a “turning point” while urging more countries to join.

“The creation of this alliance puts to shame claims of climate leadership among countries like the United Kingdom, Norway, the United States, and Canada, all of which have yet to answer this simple question: Where is your plan to stop producing the fossil fuels that are driving the climate crisis?” asked Romain Ioualalen of Oil Change International.

In case you weren’t able to follow along on Wednesday, here are five takeaways from Day 10.

Some additional bad and good news

Deforestation in Australia: a wanton assault on wildlife – in pictures

More than 100 nations including Australia have signed up to stop or reverse deforestation by 2030. The pact, hailed as one of the main achievements of COP26, put the spotlight on an issue that combines carbon emissions and threatened species. These images reveal some of the shocking impacts of deforestation.

(From: The Canopy, Greenpeace Australia Pacific)

At a glance

Major European countries pledge to phase out oil and gas

A “first of its kind” alliance of governments has committed to phasing out the production of oil and gas. Led by Costa Rica and Denmark, the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA) saw six members join.
Read more

Local councils trusted more than world leaders on climate, poll finds

British people trust local councils more than the government when it comes to taking action on climate change, a new survey has revealed.
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Frustrated doctor diagnoses woman with ‘climate change’ in world first

A Canadian woman has become the first patient in the world to be diagnosed as suffering from ‘climate change’, after she developed breathing difficulties following a historic heatwave. But what are her symptoms?
Read more

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COP26 Day 10 | The beginning of the end

Euronews Green delivers a Special COP26 email to my mailbox every day during the two weeks it is running (01-12 November 2021). I’ll publish it in its entirety for those who are interested. This is the seventh in the series.

Today’s takeaway

COP26 entered a new phase of negotiations on Wednesday after a first draft of the summit’s final decision was circulated early this morning.

​​The seven-page document urges countries to strengthen their climate plans by the end of next year and, for the first time, calls for the phasing out of coal and fossil fuel subsidies.

This draft text isn’t the end of the story yet in Glasgow but it marks the beginning of the end for the summit.

Diplomats from the nearly 200 countries represented at COP26 have now begun to negotiate the text hoping to strike a final deal before proceedings are meant to come to a close on Friday.

But the draft deal has had mixed reviews so far – especially from climate activists. A Greenpeace executive compared it to a “polite request that countries maybe, possibly, do more next year.” That’s “not good enough,” she said.

The COP26 Chairman expects a “near-final text to be published overnight,” as negotiations continue.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson made the trip to Glasgow to press negotiators to find a compromise. “We know what needs to be done but we just need the courage to get on and do it,” he said.

Today was also Transport Day at COP26 and there was a raft of announcements about zero-emissions vehicles.

A group of countries and companies signed a pledge to switch to emissions-free cars by 2040 and by no later than 2035 in leading auto markets.

Critics pointed out that large countries including the US, Germany, China and Japan stayed out of the deal, along with some of the world’s biggest car manufacturers.

The International Energy Agency says that 60 per cent of new car sales need to be battery-electric by 2030 and internal combustion engine cars need to be phased out by 2035 to keep below 1.5C. Many believe this pledge is not ambitious enough to achieve that.

If you weren’t able to follow along on Tuesday, here are five takeaways from COP26 Gender Day.

Some additional bad news

Australia among nations trying to soften COP26 declaration

Australia has joined a coalition of countries working to water down a key proposal from the Glasgow climate summit which would pressure the Morrison government to overturn its opposition to a more ambitious 2030 emissions reductions target. (From: The Canopy, Greenpeace Australia Pacific)

Some additional good news

‘Existential crisis’: United States and China stun COP26 with joint climate change pact

China and the United States have made a shock joint statement at the Glasgow climate talks, declaring climate change to be an existential crisis demanding co-operation between the superpowers.
(From: The Canopy, Greenpeace Australia Pacific)

At a glance

UPDATED: First draft of COP26 climate deal is released

The seven-page document is the first version of the agreement that will outline how countries plan to cut emissions and keep global warming below 1.5°C.
So what does it say?
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Meet the climate group who have published a guide on how to sue Shell – and win

Their victory was the first judgement where a multinational corporation was held responsible for its contribution to climate change.
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This cheeky 12-year-old activist is the perfect antidote to COP26 doom and gloom

Francisco Vera is not your ordinary kid. The Colombian primary school student is among the foremost climate activists at COP26, where he is calling for world leaders to include young people in the ongoing talks and negotiations.
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