The COP26 climate summit in Glasgow has been described as the “last best chance” to bring climate change under control. Six years after signing up to the landmark Paris Agreement, nations convening for the October 31-November 12 summits are under pressure to commit to steeper cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, with UN experts warning that the world is “way off track” in its efforts to avert catastrophic global warming.
Who attended?
Representatives from more than 190 countries including world leaders and tens of thousands of negotiators have to attend, along with members of the press and observer organisations.
British politician Alok Sharma was named President of COP26 in January of this year, and other members of the cabinet such as Michael Gove and Prime Minister Boris Johnson have attended too.
The US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry is set to be a major part of discussions, and President Joe Biden will be at the event too.
This is in part because of this COP’s significance (Barack Obama gave a speech at the last major COP in Paris in 2015), but also to mark his country’s return to the Paris Agreement.
More than 100 world leaders have already confirmed their attendance as the conference approaches including Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison who previously said he might not come.
Due to the importance of this year’s summit, many high profile guests are also planning to go to the Glasgow summit. Greta Thunberg is one of the latest names to join the list of attendees alongside David Attenborough and Pope Francis.
Following medical advice to rest, the Queen has said that she will not be going. Instead she will deliver her address to delegates via a pre-recorded message. Other royals including the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are still set to attend the summit.
The Kremlin has confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be travelling to COP26. Boris Johnson has also been told that Chinese President Xi Jinping will not be in attendance.
So far
Kerry Speaks about the significance of COP 26
US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry said Tuesday there is “something different” happening at the COP26 climate summit taking place in Glasgow, Scotland, pointing to a level of engagement by world leaders and a sense of urgency that he hasn’t seen at previous United Nations climate summits.
“There is something bigger, more engaged, more urgent in what is happening here than I have seen in at any other COP, and I believe we are going to come up with record levels of ambition,” Kerry told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. The gathering in Glasgow is the 26th annual conference of parties (COP) brought together by the United Nations to address climate change.
Kerry said he believes it is possible to reach the goal that world leaders agreed to at COP21 in 2015 — also known as the Paris Agreement — of holding global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and if possible, 1.5 degrees Celsius.
“I believe that if people do what they’ve laid out as their specific plans, yes,” Kerry told Amanpour when asked if he still thought 1.5 degrees Celsius was still an achievable target.
The former secretary of state continued: “Is it hard? You’re right, it’s damn hard. It’s very hard, but it is better to push for that. It’s better to make that your target.”
Ending use of Coal
Major coal-using countries including Poland, Vietnam and Chile are among those to make the commitment. But some of the world’s biggest coal-dependent countries, including Australia, India, China and the US, did not sign up to the pledge. Coal is the single biggest contributor to climate change. Signatories to the agreement have committed to ending all investment in new coal power generation domestically and internationally. They have also agreed to phase out coal power in the 2030s for major economies, and the 2040s for poorer nations, the UK said. Dozens of organisations also signed up to the pledge, with several major banks agreeing to stop financing the coal industry. “The end of coal is in sight,” UK business and energy secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said. “The world is moving in the right direction, standing ready to seal coal’s fate and embrace the environmental and economic benefits of building a future that is powered by clean energy.”Tree Cutting