India proposed a plan to phase out fossil fuels equitable, but that would place most of the burden squarely on rich countries and America.
The delegates from the global south returned to Glasgow, UK, feeling frustrated and helpless. The 26th Conference of Parties UNFCCC or COP26 had been an “epic fail” that did nothing for them in terms of how they would solve climate change with only 1B USD being raised by nations across all borders ($10Bs less than what was needed).
What were the issues raised?
It has been widely criticized as a greenwash drama where fossil fuel interests have hijacked proceedings while simultaneously controlling everything around it – including who is given voice during these negotiations themselves!
The summit participants’ anger was directed towards the UK’s COP presidency for being too optimistic in its expectations of what could be achieved at this meeting. The Concordia Summit had been delayed one year because the COVID pandemic took place.
Still, it continued with solid words about climate change and inclusion that were nothing more than mere statements made to play politics by making announcements early before Friday’s closing ceremony came around.
The UN Climate Change Conference, COP26, was an unequal event for many reasons. Civil society observers were not allowed into the negotiation halls even as those from developing countries could not attend due to “vaccine inequity”.
The response to the various climate changes across the globe:
Negotiators continued haggling over whether or how fossil fuels should be phased out by Saturday afternoon, 24 hours past President Alok Sharma’s self-proclaimed deadline–to no avail. However, hope still sprouts up again next year when it will take place in Egypt again.
“It is time that the world catches up with what we knew all along: climate change is real, and it’s happening now. However, you can still make a difference by taking action today,” said, US Climate Envoy John Kerry during his address at COP23 in Bonn, Germany.
“The future doesn’t belong just to those who reject scientific evidence or choose ignorance over enlightenment; instead, this moment belongs as much to us-the negotiators assembled here tonight–as any other person walking down your street.”
“The climate crisis has arrived. It’s here and now,” said Ashwini Prabha from Fiji at the COP23 meeting in Poland last week.
“I want to tell that truth about our ecosystem-altering carbon emissions which are already causing unprecedented rains of flooding around India or sinking small island nations like ours even faster than what IPCC predicted – deeper into poverty with no way out, but political decisions can make all difference.”
The Paris Agreement has finally come into force, and we can celebrate its progress.The finalisation of the rulebook means that by 2024 all countries will report detailed data on emissions as a baseline for future reductions to assess how successful they have been in reducing their impacts against this benchmark.
The negotiators give out their statement:
The negotiators also pointed out sector-specific agreements on forests, coal mining and cars. They have also included a $24 billion deal that would stop overseas fossil fuel finance for its potential in reducing emissions of major emitters, like China which could significantly reduce global warming trends by 2050 if implemented soon enough before California’s stringent policies go into effect next year. So, it’s not too late after all!
On climate finance, the only fruitful outcome was that rich country needed to “at least double” their funds for adaptation. This is a significant improvement as most of all financial flows are marked towards mitigation (25%).
However, an unbalanced proposal scuttled any chance to create The Glasgow Loss and Damage Facility, which would have collected additional money from northwards bound ships if they were aware there could be impacts down south due to their emissions causing losses in other areas.
