Pondering a delay for the 2020 Climate Summit?
In just seven weeks, the 26th annual Conference of the Parties (COP26) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is scheduled to take place in Glasgow, Scotland, from 9-20 November. Over 30,000 government delegates, intergovernmental officials, and stakeholder representatives are preparing to attend, with over 100 presidents and prime ministers expected to present their nations' plans for environmental, economic, and energy changes.
The COP26 conference is the culmination of five years of negotiations since the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. The agenda includes agreeing on methods to calculate if each nation is fulfilling its climate pledges, dealing with nations not meeting their pledges, and determining if the total reductions agreed to are sufficient to avoid catastrophic climate impacts.
Last year's COP25, in Madrid, failed to resolve virtually any issue and passed them on to COP26. Progress on all of these issues is lagging far behind schedule. The authors argue for postponing COP26 to 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic.
With virtually all flights to Europe cancelled, it is uncertain if the scheduled second preparatory meeting in early October, which is planned in Italy, will proceed as planned. It may be only a matter of weeks before Bonn itself is postponed, or at best conducted virtually. The optimistic scenario is that the world will have emerged from the coronavirus crisis by November 2021, allowing Finance Ministries to visualize budgets that address climate needs.
The proposed solution is to schedule an additional special high-level Preparatory Meeting in Bonn in November 2020, resuming negotiations from COP25 and the cancelled meetings in 2020. This meeting would provide an opportunity to make significant progress before COP26 in 2021.
COP26 must also address the role of private business and the financial sector in climate funding. The authors suggest that the pandemic might have bought the world a little time, with lower emissions this year of CO2 and the carbon clock being slightly pushed back. However, the world faces a sudden major pandemic that will impact all countries and affect all citizens.
The conference must approve the 'Paris Rulebook' on implementation guidelines for zero emissions and climate resilience by 2050. A new American President might be eager to reassert a proactive international role for the US in 2021, which could provide momentum for the COP26 negotiations.
Michael Strauss, the Executive Director of Earth Media, a political and media consultancy that advises UN agencies, NGOs, and governments on international environmental, development, and social issues, has extensive experience in this area. He served as the UN's Media Coordinator for NGOs, Trade Unions, and Business organizations at the UN Summits on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg (2002) and Rio de Janeiro (2012). Felix Dodds, a policy consultant to United Nations agencies, national governments, and stakeholders for 30 years, and has authored or edited 20 books on the environment and intergovernmental negotiations, also emphasises the importance of COP26.
Governments must also fulfill the commitment of the $100 billion a year they promised to help developing countries cope with climate change impacts and shift to renewable energy. The concerted international action that eventually succeeds in defeating the pandemic could provide a model for global cooperation for taking the unprecedented steps necessary to defeat climate change.
In conclusion, COP26 in 2021 presents an opportunity for significant climate action, but it is crucial that progress is made in the upcoming preparatory meetings to ensure that the conference can deliver on its objectives. The world faces a critical moment in the fight against climate change, and the decisions made at COP26 will have far-reaching consequences for future generations.
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