The new draft proposed to reach an agreement of more than 190 countries in Glasgow (United Kingdom) weakens the demand to abandon coal and maintains subsidies for certain fossil fuels, although it reinforces the call to achieve the objective of limiting the increase in global temperature by the end of the century at 1.5ºC.
As stated in the draft presented this Saturday morning by the British Presidency of the XXVI Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which has begun on the first day of the extension, the parties are standing to a greater integration of adaptation issues into local, regional and national planning.
It also “urges” developed countries to urgently increase – no longer sets a specific date – their provision of climate finance, technology transfer and capacity to build adaptation as well as respond to the needs of developing countries as part of the global effort, including in the formulation and implementation of national adaptation plans.
Thus, it emphasizes the urgency of increasing action and supporting with financing, resilience capacity and technology transfer to achieve better adaptation, reinforce resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate change in line with the best available data from science and this , points out that it should be a priority to meet the needs of developing countries.
The draft of the Glasgow Agreement warns with “concern” the current provision of financing for adaptation to climate change because it remains “insufficient” to respond to the worst impacts of climate change in developing countries.
In terms of adaptation, it warns with “serious concern” of the conclusions of Group I of the UN Climate Change Expert Group (IPCC, for its acronym in English) on climate and extreme meteorological events as well as their adverse impacts on the population and nature as they will continue to increase with each additional increase in temperatures.
On the other hand, it calls on multilateral development banks and other financial institutions and the private sector to improve the mobilization of financing to achieve the level of resources necessary to comply with climate plans, in particular the matter of adaptation, and makes the parties more expensive. to continue exploring innovative approaches and instruments to mobilize finance for adaptation plans from private sources.
Long-term goals
Regarding mitigation, the new text reaffirms the long-term objectives to keep the global increase in average temperature below 2ºC compared to the pre-industrial era and calls for making the necessary efforts to limit this increase to 1.5ºC, a level that could significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change.
The message of the new draft seeks to definitively reinforce the 1.5ºC objective, which was precisely the aspiration expressed before COP26 by the British Presidency, under the slogan ‘Keep 1.5ºC alive’.
Indeed, the text recognizes that achieving this 1.5ºC target requires a “rapid, deep and sustained” reduction in global CO2 emissions, including CO2, by 45 percent between now and 2030 relative to levels of CO2. 2010 and achieving climate neutrality “around the middle of the century.”
Therefore, it recognizes that this will require “accelerated” action in this “critical decade” on the best basis of scientific knowledge and equity, reflected in the responsibilities differentiated by countries and in accordance with their respective capacities in a context of efforts to eradicate poverty.
UN language “invites” parties to “consider” new actions to reduce non-carbon greenhouse gas emissions such as methane (CH4) by 2030.
Diffusion of technologies
On the other hand, it calls on the parties to accelerate the development, deployment and diffusion of technologies, to adopt policies and to undertake a transition towards low-emission energy, including a “rapid escalation” of the development of clean energy generation and measures efficiency efforts, including acceleration efforts toward phasing out non-abatement coal and ‘inefficient’ fossil fuel subsidies, and recognizes the need to support a just transition.
Thus, not only does it not set an end date for the generation of coal, but it maintains both the coal not abatement and the subsidies to certain types of fossil fuels , an issue that this Friday stalled the negotiations and angered the countries most in favor of accelerating the decarbonization.
On the other hand, in terms of financing, the Scottish draft urges developed countries to provide sufficient support, including financial resources, technology transfer to help developing countries and encourages other parties to continue this support from voluntary way.
It also emphasizes that the need to mobilize financing from all sources is necessary to achieve the level of targets set by the Paris Agreement, including the increasing and significant aid to developing countries beyond $ 100 billion annually since 2020. for a significant mitigation action and transparency actions that have not yet been implemented.
In any case, it calls on developed countries to complete this financing of 100,000 million dollars a year “urgently” and no later than 2025 and insists on the importance of the transparency of these commitments.
Looking ahead to next year, invites the Panel of Experts on Climate Change UN present at the next Summit (COP27) to be held in late 2022 to present the results of the Working Group II will include the needs most relevant on of adaptation and to present the calls of the research community for a greater understanding of the impacts of climate change, as well as the response options.
The 71-point text is being analyzed this Saturday morning by the 197 parties that make up the Framework Convention on Climate Change in order to achieve a final agreement that satisfies the interests of all and that can put an end to this summit that began last October 31 but that, once again, it has been necessary to extend in the absence of unanimity.
