What's happening at COP26?
There's a lot to catch up on surrounding the UN climate change conference. Remember, promises are different than actual implementation.
Hey there, and welcome to the 53rd issue of The Supplement, a newsletter that fills in the gaps of your other news intake. This is Alex, one-third of The Supplement team!
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Also, a quick housekeeping note: we’re moving our publish date to Tuesday moving forward! To smooth out the transition, our next issue will come out on Tuesday, Nov. 16.
This week, we’re tackling this question: What’s happening at COP26?
TL;DR: The COP26 climate change conference couldn’t have come at a more important time. So far, a varying number of countries have pledged to end deforestation, cut methane emissions, phase out coal and stop funding for fossil fuel projects abroad. These actions get at the conference’s 4 main goals. But as previous COPs have demonstrated, promises and implementation are two different things.
After being delayed for a year because of COVID-19, the COP26 climate change conference is now happening in Glasgow, Scotland. It started on October 31 and will run until November 12.
The conference couldn’t have come at a more critical time. In August, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a landmark report that concluded a hotter world is guaranteed and there are only a few decades left to prevent the worst effects of this outcome. Experts said there needs to be a global effort to immediately move away from fossil fuels.
We’re already witnessing the consequences of a hotter Earth. The heat wave that hit BC in June killed almost 600 people, making it the “the most deadly weather event in Canadian history.” Likewise, there have been numerous life-threatening hurricanes, floods, wildfires and droughts around the world this year.
What are COP26’s goals?
Secure net zero emissions globally by 2050 and contain global warming to a 1.5 degree increase by speeding up coal phase-out, accelerating the jump to electric vehicles, limiting deforestation and investing more in renewable energy
Protect community habitats by restoring ecosystems as well as building resilient infrastructure and agriculture
Support developed countries with fulfilling their commitment to fund at least $100 billion per year in global climate actions (which has so far been a broken promise) as well as unleash trillions in public and private climate financing
Speed up collaboration between governments, businesses and civil society
What has happened so far?
Over 100 countries, including Canada, have promised to end deforestation by 2030.
The pledge comes with over $19 billion in financing. Experts and activists have cautioned that a previous pledge in 2014 on deforestation was not met.
Over 100 countries, including Canada, have pledged to cut methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030.
Here’s a CBC story on some of the ways Canada could achieve this goal.
Almost 200 countries and organizations have promised to phase out coal, but major coal consumers and producers like the US, China, India, Australia and Japan are missing.
Experts have also criticized the pledge’s deadlines. The current energy crisis and its impact — like China’s return to relying more on coal — are another factor to consider.
If you’re wondering how Canada is doing on the coal phase-out, here’s a good read by the CBC.
More than 20 countries, including Canada, have pledged to end financing for fossil fuel projects abroad.
For Canada, this would mean cutting off a billion dollars or more in annual foreign funding for these projects.
But it’s important to keep in mind that promises and implementation are two different things.
“It’s very hard for Canada’s reputation to overnight recover from three decades of failure,” Dr. Kathryn Harrison, a UBC professor and COP26 observer, told the Globe. “Our emissions are well above what they were in 1990 and at about the same level as 2005. We’ve made a lot of commitments, but our emissions have gone up or at best levelled off.”
These are just some quick recaps, and there’s a lot going on. If you want to quickly check what’s happening at COP26 in real time, follow along with this Globe story — it has rolling live updates compiled by our very own Sierra Bein. You can also get a primer with another Globe explainer before diving in. The New York Times also has an emissions reduction pledge tracker for big polluters, including Canada.
Here’s someone to follow:
For more COP26 coverage, follow Adam Radwanski! As the Globe’s climate change columnist, he’ll be in Glasgow for the duration of the summit and writing on some of the most heated Canadian topics.
Here’s a story to check out:
As we stay on the environmental beat for this newsletter, please nerd out with me over this insanely detailed map and the accompanying story that ProPublica did on cancer-causing industrial air pollution in the US.
And for something more local, check out this Maclean’s feature by our own Samantha McCabe on the fossil fuel divestment movement on Canadian campuses!