Under the UK’s presidency of COP this year, the premier said, 80 percent of the global economy had committed to net zero emissions by 2050, up from 30 percent before…reports Asian Lite News.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday said the COP26 climate summit starting next week in Scotland could yet fail as he urged more countries to step forward with plans of action.
Johnson will host more than 120 leaders in Glasgow early next week, before the UN meeting spends a fortnight tackling the grinding work of deciding how to limit temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
“It is of course correct that COP26 is both unbelievably important for our planet but also very difficult, and it’s in the balance,” he told parliament, having played down expectations in recent days.
Ahead of a separate G20 summit this weekend in Rome, Johnson said 17 of its 20 members had now produced plans to curb their carbon emissions – although China and India remain significant outliers.
Under the UK’s presidency of COP this year, the premier said, 80 percent of the global economy had committed to net zero emissions by 2050, up from 30 percent before.
“And every day as I talk to international leaders, we hear further commitments to make those solid commitments that the world will need,” he said, noting recent commitments by Australia, Indonesia and Russia.
“Whether it is enough, I’m afraid it is too early to say,” Johnson added.
Ed Miliband, business spokesman for the opposition Labour party, attacked Johnson for sending the wrong message ahead of COP26 by cutting Britain’s aid budget.
Financial assistance from richer countries for developing nations to fight climate change is one of the pivotal issues coming up in Glasgow.
“COP26 is not a glorified photo opportunity,” Miliband told Johnson, demanding “climate delivery, not climate delay”.
Miliband was standing in for Labour leader Keir Starmer at the weekly session of prime minister’s questions, after Starmer tested positive for Covid-19.
“Following advice to rest, the Queen has been undertaking light duties at Windsor Castle,” a palace statement said…reports Asian Lite News
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II carried out her first engagements on Tuesday since staying overnight in hospital last week, but Buckingham Palace confirmed that she will not be travelling to Glasgow for the COP26 climate summit next week.
According to the Royal Family’s website, the monarch was listed as attending a reception on November 1 as part of the climate change conference, to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
However, the palace confirmed on Tuesday evening that the Queen will continue to undertake only light duties from Windsor Castle and not travel to Scotland.
The Queen’s decision to pull out of attending the Cop 26 UN climate change conference, contrasting with her first official engagements on light duties since her hospital stay, makes a page 3 story for us in tomorrow’s Daily Express. pic.twitter.com/MSJP7BE8ub
“Following advice to rest, the Queen has been undertaking light duties at Windsor Castle,” a palace statement said.
“Her Majesty has regretfully decided that she will no longer travel to Glasgow to attend the Evening Reception of COP26 on Monday, November 1. Her Majesty is disappointed not to attend the reception but will deliver an address to the assembled delegates via a recorded video message,” the statement said.
A series of royal COP26 engagements will now only include her son and heir Prince Charles and wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, as well as grandson Prince William and wife Kate Middleton between November 1 and 5.
Earlier, the 95-year-old monarch, who is based at Windsor Castle in Berkshire, held video call audiences with the South Korean and Swiss ambassadors at Buckingham Palace.
South Korea’s Gunn Kim and ambassador from the Swiss Confederation Markus Leitner were pictured interacting with the Queen virtually.
“Today the Queen received two Ambassadors in audience via video link from Windsor Castle,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Twitter.
“There are more than 170 Ambassadors and High Commissioners based in London at any given time and each will have an Audience with The Queen shortly after taking up his or her role,” the statement noted.
Last week, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the Queen had spent a night at a London hospital on Wednesday for “preliminary investigations” and has been resting at Windsor Castle since.
The Queen stayed in King Edward VII’s, a private hospital used by senior royals – including her husband, the late Duke of Edinburgh, who received treatment there earlier this year. She also skipped her usual church service at Windsor on Sunday.
The Queen appeared in good spirits in pictures showing her virtual meeting with the ambassadors, who presented their Letters of Credence to her.
Various outcomes of the Glasgow Summit in view of the non-adherence to the goals of the Paris Agreement are being predicted. Yet, barring a complete collapse in the talks, there are likely to be a range of tangible outcomes. It’s expected that more countries will announce they are moving away from using coal for energy, and more nations may probably sign up to curb methane emissions, writes Asad Mirza
The upcoming Glasgow Summit will prove whether the global leaders are ready to put the entire mankind to peril or whether sagaciously they’ll work out a roadmap to counter climate change effectively and wisely.
A UN-sponsored marathon conference to tackle the global climate crisis is due to being the British city of Glasgow, the coming Sunday (October 31) and will continue till November 12. The world leaders will meet in the so-called last-ditch effort to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius this century, besides considering plans to how to stop burning fossil fuels, stabilise global temperatures and share money to adapt to increasingly extreme weather.
The global leaders signed up the Paris Agreement in 2015 – with a supposedly non-binding target to keep warming well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures, and ideally 1.5 degrees Celsius – yet most of the participating countries continue to burn fossil fuels and chop down trees at rates incompatible with that goal.
With the effects of climate change visible in both rich and poor countries alike, the leaders are meeting for what analysts expect to be the most meaningful conference since that pledge. Climate change has shot up the political agenda amid deadly weather extremes and mass public protest, and leaders of several polluting countries have pledged to decarbonise their economies by the middle of the century.
Summit’s agenda
The world leaders got to choose how fast their country will cut emissions Under the Paris Agreement, besides agreeing to update their action plans for doing so every five years. But in reality just weeks before the summit, big emitters like China, India and Saudi Arabia are yet to submit new plans.
Reportedly the UK, which is co-hosting the summit with Italy, has pressured countries to submit new plans and is pushing for concrete deals that would help reach those targets. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called on world leaders to deliver bold commitments on “coal, cars, cash and trees.”
The UK is pushing for a treaty that would “consign coal to history” and has proposed a deadline of 2040 to stop selling combustion engine cars. It also wants to put more money into stopping deforestation.
According to the UN Climate Change Framework Convention (UNFCCC) COP26 will work towards four goals: Secure global net-zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach, adapt to protect communities and natural habitats, mobilise assured finance to help developing and under-developed countries to attain emission cuts, and work together to deliver to frame a list of detailed rules that will help fulfil the Paris Agreement.
On the really big question of keeping the 1.5 degree Celsius temperature threshold within reach, the likelihood is that a significant gap will remain even after Glasgow. Under the terms of the Paris Agreement, those countries that have used fossil fuels the most over the past two centuries – the US and from Europe – accept they will make the bigger cuts in the short term. The larger developing nations that are now the biggest source of carbon dioxide- chiefly China – accept they will make the bigger cuts in the longer term.
The environmentalist and experts say that we can very easily understand the colossal and disastrous results of the climate change, if we can observe the following four weather changes, which have been caused by the increasing global temperature due to the emission of CO2 and other poisonous gases like methane into the atmosphere: Hotter and longer heat waves, more persistent droughts, more fuel for wildfires, and more extreme rainfall events are the resultant climate change vagaries.
Meanwhile, an interesting report by the US intelligence agency’s assessment of climate change has come out and as per the report, India and Pakistan are among the 11 highly vulnerable countries in terms of their ability to prepare for as well as respond to the environmental and social impact of climate change. The first-ever US National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on the issue of climate change has been published, and it adds that India along with China will be crucial in determining the trajectory at which there is a rise in global temperatures. On the other hand, the report has downplayed the role that the Western world has played in the problem of climate change. Further the report has warned that the possibility of geopolitical tensions and the risk to US national security are present due to global warming in the run up to 2040.
Expectations from the summit
In another development before the summit, India has said that it will raise the topic of compensation to developing nations for the losses caused by climate disasters. The Indian environment ministry said that India stands with other low-income and developing nations on the matter and the compensation clause will be negotiated at the upcoming climate summit.
India has reiterated that the countries responsible for climate change should finance what they have committed to and make technology available at an affordable cost. It is also confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will put forward the Indian stand at the summit.
Meanwhile, reports say that Jennifer Morgan, the executive director of Greenpeace International has warned against efforts by countries and corporations at the forthcoming talks in Glasgow to “green wash” their on-going pollution of the planet.
By doing so, governments would “give that kind of hope and confidence to their people that they got this and that they’re willing to do things that their corporate interests don’t want them to do”, she added.
Morgan pointed to leaked documents showing how countries such as Australia, Brazil and Saudi Arabia are apparently trying to water down an upcoming UN science panel report on global warming as evidence of the way in which some governments’ public support for climate action is undermined by their efforts behind closed doors.
Documents obtained by Greenpeace indicate how those countries wanted the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to remove references to the need to shut down coal-fired power stations, reduce meat consumption and focus on actual emissions cuts rather than ways to capture carbon already released into the atmosphere.
Various outcomes of the Glasgow Summit in view of the non-adherence to the goals of the Paris Agreement are being predicted. Yet, barring a complete collapse in the talks, there are likely to be a range of tangible outcomes. It’s expected that more countries will announce they are moving away from using coal for energy, and more nations may probably sign up to curb methane emissions.
There is only a moral pressure to improve your offer, and a degree of embarrassment if a country doesn’t step up to the mark. Glasgow will reveal whether this approach actually works.
As Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Haseena has put it succinctly and wisely in a recent speech, tackling climate requires a great deal of fortitude, imagination, hope and leadership. If western leaders listen, engage and act decisively on what science demands of them, there is still time to make COP26 the success it desperately needs to be.
(Asad Mirza is a political commentator based in New Delhi. He writes on Muslims, educational, international affairs, interfaith and current affairs. Views expressed are personal)
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a news conference with children the summit was going to be “very, very tough”…reports Asian Lite News.
Greenhouse gas concentrations hit a record last year and the world is “way off track” in capping rising temperatures, the United Nations said on Monday in a stark illustration of the tasks facing UN climate talks in Scotland.
A report by the U.N. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) showed carbon dioxide levels surged to 413.2 parts per million in 2020, rising more than the average rate over the last decade despite a temporary dip in emissions during Covid-19 lockdowns.
WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said the current rate of increase in heat-trapping gases would result in temperature rises “far in excess” of the 2015 Paris Agreement target of 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average this century.
“We are way off track,” he said. “We need to revisit our industrial, energy and transport systems and whole way of life,” he added, calling for a “dramatic increase” in commitments at the COP26 conference beginning on Sunday.
The city of Glasgow was putting on the final touches before hosting the climate talks which may be the world’s best remaining chance to cap global warming at the 1.5-2 degrees Celsius upper limit set out in the Paris Agreement.
Under countries’ current pledges, global emissions would be 16% higher in 2030 than they were in 2010, according to a separate analysis by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
That is far off the 45% reduction by 2030 that scientists say is needed to cap warming at 1.5 degrees and avoid its most devastating impacts.
“Overshooting the temperature goals will lead to a destabilised world and endless suffering, especially among those who have contributed the least to the (greenhouse gas) emissions in the atmosphere,” said Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC.
“We are nowhere near where science says we should be,” Espinosa said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a news conference with children the summit was going to be “very, very tough”.
“I am very worried because it might go wrong and we might not get the agreements that we need and it is touch and go, it is very, very difficult, but I think it can be done,” he said.
The German government announced Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Glasgow to take part. Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend in person. He and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to make video appearances instead.
Britain is seeking support from major powers for a more radical plan to tackle global warming. Johnson urged Putin, for instance, to bring forward by 10 years Russia’s target for achieving net zero carbon emissions, from 2060 to 2050, Johnson’s office said on Monday.
The Kremlin said Putin promised that Russia’s delegation to Glasgow “will contribute to a successful work of such an important international forum”.
The stakes for the planet are huge – among them the very survival of low-lying countries, the impact on economic livelihoods the world over and the future stability of the global financial system.
Alok Sharma, the president of COP26, said developed nations are set to be three years late meeting a pledge to commit a total of $500 billion to help poorer countries tackle climate change.
Rich nations vowed in 2009 to deliver $100 billion a year for five years, starting in 2020. But a plan on how to do so, prepared by Canada and Germany ahead of the summit, said the annual target would now not be met until 2023.
“Understandably, this has been a source of deep frustration for developing countries,” Sharma told a televised news conference.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s climate envoy John Kerry, attending an event in Saudi Arabia, said the private sector must step in to help governments achieve emission targets.
Saudi Crown Prince says country aiming for zero carbon emissions by 2060: Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2060, says Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, days before the COP26 global climate summit. In March, Saudi Arabia pic.twitter.com/I6VyCd1qov
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Saturday that the world’s top oil exporter aims to reach “net zero” emissions of greenhouse gases by 2060 – 10 years later than the United States. He also said it would double the emissions cuts it plans to achieve by 2030.
A “business-as-usual” trajectory leading to temperature rises of 1.6C, 2.4C and 4.4C by 2030, 2050 and 2100 respectively would result in 2.4% lost output by 2030, 10% by 2050 and 18% by 2100, according to the median replies to the survey.
In London, climate activists restarted their campaign of blockading major roads by disrupting traffic in the city’s financial district, while in Madrid a few dozen people staged a sit-in protest, briefly blocking the Gran Via shopping street.
COP-26is being held from October 31 to November 12, 2021 under the Presidency of the UK partnering with Italy…reports Asian Lite News.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Rome and Glasgow from October 29 to November 2, 2021 to attend the 16th G-20 Summit and the World Leaders’ Summit of COP-26 respectively.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs officials, Modi will be participating in the 16th G-20 Summit from 30-31 October at the invitation of Prime Minister of Italy Mario Draghi in Rome. The Summit will also be attended by Heads of State/Government of G-20 Member Countries, the European Union, and other invited countries and International Organisations.
This will be the 8th G-20 Summit that Modi would be attending.
The forthcoming summit under the Italian Presidency is focused on the theme of ‘People, Planet, Prosperity’, focusing on the areas of ‘Recovery from the Pandemic and Strengthening of Global Health Governance’, ‘Economic Recovery and Resilience’, ‘Climate Change and Energy Transition’ and ‘Sustainable Development and Food Security’.
The Prime Minister will also hold a number of bilateral meetings, including with Prime Minister of Italy Mario Draghi.
The G-20 has emerged as the premier global forum for international economic cooperation. India is scheduled to host the G-20 Summit in 2023 for the first time.
PM Modi will, thereafter, travel to Glasgow to attend the World Leader’s Summit of the 26th Conference of Parties (COP-26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), at the invitation of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson.
COP-26 is being held from October 31 to November 12, 2021 under the Presidency of the UK partnering with Italy. The high-level segment of COP-26, titled the World Leaders’ Summit (WLS), will be held on November 1, 2021. The Summit will be attended by Heads of State/Government of more than 120 countries. COP-26 was originally slated to be held in 2020, but it was deferred to 2021 in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) manifests the global will and vision to combat climate change.
At COP-26, the Parties will work to achieve the completion of Paris Agreement implementation guidelines; the mobilization of climate finance; actions to strengthen climate adaptation, technology development and transfer; and keeping in reach the Paris Agreement goals of limiting the rise in global temperatures.
PM Modi last attended the COP-21 in Paris in 2015, when the Paris Agreement was concluded, which implementation commences this year.
He will also be holding a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of COP-26, including with Prime Minister of the UK, Boris Johnson.
COP26 will set an example for other large-scale international events, in terms of food sourcing, by taking a number of measures to ensure a sustainable approach…reports Asian Lite News.
COP26 delegates will be served sustainable, locally-sourced food at the upcoming climate summit in Glasgow, the UK confirmed today.
Overall, 95 percent of the food will be from the UK, largely sourced from Scotland, and be seasonal. This will put sustainability at the heart of catering for the summit, reducing emissions and promoting environment-friendly food production.
COP26 will set an example for other large-scale international events, in terms of food sourcing, by taking a number of measures to ensure a sustainable approach.
Ingredients will be replicated across the conference’s menus to ensure produce can be repurposed for other meals, if necessary, to avoid food waste.
The cups used to serve drinks will be reusable and it is estimated that this approach will save up to 250,000 single use cups.
Suppliers are setting high standards for sustainable food production, from Edinburgh’s Mara Seaweed, which is abundant and entirely sustainable and does not require fertilizer, fresh water or soil to grow, through to Benzies carrots and potatoes who use wind turbines to power their cool storage, biomas to provide heating and actively recycle the water they use.
In line with the international nature of COP26, we will be using Scottish produce to deliver an international inspired menu. There will even be a Scottish fusion to certain international dishes such as the ‘Scotch beef ramen’.
“There will be a tremendous amount of work to be done at COP26, with many hours of negotiations and long days, so the choice of food that we serve our visiting delegations, staff and all our volunteers, is very important,” said COP26 President Alok Sharma.
“It is exciting to see such innovation in the menus that will be on offer and to understand the thought and effort that has gone into making dishes both healthy, sustainable and suitable for different diets and requirements.”
“We very much look forward to giving our international visitors a flavour of the wide-ranging cuisine the UK has to offer,” he added.
Kevin Watson, Business Director, SEC Food said: “We have worked hard to create low carbon menus that are accessible to all. We hope our sustainable food strategy will shape menus of the future as we all work to protect our planet. As well as providing great tasting and nutritious food, our menus are focused on local and seasonal sourcing, with a plant-forward approach. We have been delighted to showcase and work with so many local Scottish suppliers and our teams are looking forward to supporting the event.”
The 2nd India-UK Multilateral Dialogue on October 18, came just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart Boris Johnson spoke on Monday, October 11…reports Asian Lite News.
India and the UK held a second multilateral dialogue on Monday, October 18, in London and agreed to work more closely and “deepen” the cooperation, said the Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday. While the Indian delegation was led by Prakash Gupta, Joint Secretary (UN Political), Ministry of External Affairs, the British side was led by Harriet Mathews CMB OBE, Deputy Political Director for UN, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
MEA said in its official release that the UK side congratulated India over its successful presidency of the United Nations Security Council in August this year. Both countries exchanged views of mutual interest pertaining to the UN reforms, counterterrorism, peacekeeping and climate action. Other discussions also took place on the Commonwealth Strategic Plan and priorities. The UK and Indian delegation agreed to continue to work closely to further elevate the cooperation on multilateral issues.
The 2nd India-UK Multilateral Dialogue was held on 18 October 2021 in London.
Discussions were held between Indian delegation led by Prakash Gupta, Joint Secretary (UN Political), @MEAIndia & UK side led by Harriet Mathews, Deputy Political Director for UN.@HCI_London
— Prasar Bharati News Services पी.बी.एन.एस. (@PBNS_India) October 20, 2021
The 2nd India-UK Multilateral Dialogue on October 18, came just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart Boris Johnson spoke on Monday, October 11. In a tweet following the phone call, PM Modi informed that both leaders discussed the progress made on the India-UK Agenda 2030 while exchanging views on the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, in Glasgow. Johnson and PM Modi also discussed the situation in Afghanistan which is rocked by socio-economic crisis amid Taliban takeover.
India-UK to launch phase of high-level exchanges
With the arrival of the UK Carrier Strike Group on Thursday on the western coast, India-U.K. ties will gear up for a phase of high profile engagements.
The Strike Group led by HMS Queen Elizabeth is on a “non-provocative” exercise in the Indo-Pacific region in what is being interpreted as the biggest British naval deployment since the end of the Cold War. The phase of engagement, which begins on Thursday, will stretch into the COP26 summit for climate action in Glasgow in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to participate.
The UK Carrier Strike Group has traversed through the Philippine Sea to the Bay of Bengal and in the process has travelled through the sensitive South China Sea which is in the middle of an international dispute because of China’s claims over the strategically located water body.
On Thursday, it will participate in a bilateral exercise with the Navy named “Konkan Shakti”. It was learnt that the exercise will include a “spectacular event” on Saturday which will be attended by U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. She is expected to reach India on Friday for a three-day visit.
The exercise is part of the U.K.’s consistent practice of maritime exercises it has carried out with several countries like the U.S. and Japan in recent years.
Truss met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New York on the sidelines of the General Assembly to resolve the problem over the U.K.’s non-recognition of the Covishield vaccine.
The UK subsequently lifted quarantine requirements for Indian travellers who are vaccinated with Covishield or any other UK-recognised vaccines. Truss’s visit coincides with a critical phase in South Asia in view of the large-scale human displacement and heightened risk of terrorism following the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban.
Afghanistan, Indo-Pacific and climate action will draw high-level participation in the COP26 summit. But the high-point of the visit of the Foreign Secretary is likely to be the dialogue on bilateral trade with focus on finalising an “interim harvest deal”.
The UK's 🇬🇧 Carrier Strike Group is on its way to India 🇮🇳
As part of the maiden operational deployment, #CSG21 will sail over 26,000 nautical miles & engage with 40 countries from the Mediterranean to the #IndoPacific & back again.
The UK under the Boris Johnson Government has been focused on enhanced trade partnership with India as a post-Brexit plan and the upcoming visit is likely to highlight the economic diplomacy. India and the UK have indicated that they are in favour of beginning talks for a trade agreement from November.
The COP26 summit will provide both sides an opportunity to join hands to deal with the threat of climate change. President-elect of COP26, British MP Alok Sharma, met Prime Minister Modi last month here and invited India to participate in the summit. Both sides are likely to declare a common vision of the world during the summit.
Prince William, who is second in line to the throne, said great brains and minds should be “trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live”, reports Asian Lite News
Duke of Cambridge, Prince William on Thursday slammed space tourism saying that entrepreneurs should focus on saving Earth rather than engaging in space tourism ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26).
William, who is second in line to the throne, was speaking ahead of the inaugural Earthshot Prize awards ceremony on Sunday, his initiative to honour those working on environmental solutions.
William warned world leaders against “clever speak, clever words, but not enough action.”
He said great brains and minds should be “trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live”, the BBC reported.
He also warned about a rise in “climate anxiety” among younger generations. William spoke to the BBC’s Newscast ahead of the first Earthshot Prize to reward those trying to save the planet.
The prize’s name is a reference to the “moonshot” ambition of 1960s America, which saw then-President John F Kennedy pledge to get a man on the moon within a decade.
His remarks came a day after 90-year-old “Star Trek” star William Shatner became a real space traveller on Blue Origin´s second crewed mission.
Shatner has broken the record of aviation pioneer Wally Funk, who, at 83, became the oldest person to have ever flown to space. The booster and capsule of the fully automated and reusable New Shepard rocket landed separately, with the capsule landing in the west Texas desert with the help of parachutes within minutes of their launch to space.
The company´s maiden human flight in July had included its founder Jeff Bezos of Amazon and was seen as a breakthrough for the emerging space tourism sector.
Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, next month must be a turning point for climate action.
“COP26 must be a turning point if we are to fulfill the promise of the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, protect populations from the impacts of climate change and ensure that all financial flows are consistent with the goals of net-zero emissions and sustainable development,” he told the sixth ministerial meeting of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action, in a video message, Xinhua reported.
With COP26 fast approaching, he said, he remained genuinely concerned over the lack of progress on these priorities.
The political package that must be delivered in Glasgow needs to contain at least three key elements: emissions reduction, financing for climate action in developing countries, and climate adaptation, he said.
“First, we must swiftly close the emissions gap. That means national pledges must collectively put us on track to reduce emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 compared to 2010 levels. And each country must be ready to update its climate commitments until we collectively get on track to reach the 1.5-degree objective,” he said.
Second, developed countries must close the finance gap by providing and exceeding the promised $100 billion a year to developing countries for climate action, he said. “And this is just a starting point. Beyond that goal, all financial flows, public and private, must align with a net-zero emissions and resilient development pathway.”
Third, Glasgow must deliver a breakthrough on adaptation. Climate disruption is already here, affecting ever more lives and livelihoods every year, especially among the most vulnerable. Building resilience and adapting must be a priority for all, said Guterres.
“I ask each of you in your national capacity and as shareholders of national and multilateral development banks to consider allocating half of all public climate finance in support of developing countries for adaptation. And I ask that you reconsider how you calculate gross domestic product. Nature’s resources still do not figure in countries’ calculations of wealth. We need nature-based solutions for adaptation and mitigation. The current system is weighted toward destruction, not preservation. Governments must reflect nature’s true value in all policies, plans and economic systems,” he said.
As COVID-19 and climate change pose new and unique challenges to low- and middle-income countries, he asked the finance ministers to revise eligibility thresholds for official development assistance to improve access to finance for those countries.
Boris Johnson tells climate activists in Milan that they were paying the price for the “reckless actions of their elders”, reports Asian Lite News
Boris Johnson says young people have every right to be angry about the state of climate change.
The prime minister told climate activists in Milan that they were paying the price for the “reckless actions of their elders”.
The penitent mood here was underlined by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who said politicians needed to be “whipped into action.”
Both agreed that urgent action to limit warming was now desperately needed.
For several days around 400 young activists have been working on proposals for tackling climate change here in Milan.
They’ve heard from a host of voices including Greta Thunberg who castigated politicians for dashing the hopes and dreams of young people.
She mocked their promises on climate as just more “blah, blah, blah”.
Several senior politicians conceded that Thunberg was essentially correct in her analysis.
“Young people around the world are already paying the price for the reckless actions of their elders,” said Johnson.
“Hundreds of millions of you are facing rising seas, failing crops, burning forests, and evermore ferocious storms, daily challenges that lead to lost opportunity. And your future is literally being stolen before your eyes.”
Some young activists had interrupted a previous speech by Italian Prime Minister Draghi.
Johnson said he understood their actions.
“I saw the protesters earlier on. And frankly, you have every right to be angry with those who aren’t doing enough to stop it.”
All the senior politicians who’ve addressed this meeting say that lessons have been learned and that action on climate is now happening.
Johnson pointed to the COP26 meeting in Glasgow at the start of November as a pivotal moment in tackling the issue.
If significant changes could be agreed on some key areas, COP26 would mark “the beginning of the end of climate change.”
To get there, Johnson said, would need major progress on phasing out coal, ending the use of petrol and diesel cars, and planting “trillions of trees”.
A long-standing promise of cash for developing countries would have to be honoured, he said.
To signal that actions speak louder than words on climate, Johnson’s government today announced that it would require businesses bidding for major government contracts to commit to achieving net zero emissions.
The UK is believed to be the first country in the world to put such a measure in place.
Steps like this might not be quite what youth activists are demanding.
Their proposals to leaders include giving young people “meaningful participation” in all decision making on climate change.
Great to address young climate activists at the #Youth4Climate conference alongside PM Mario Draghi.
Young people have the greatest stake in the future of our planet. With their passion and drive, we can make #COP26 the beginning of the end of climate change. pic.twitter.com/6NMcUfGCms
They are calling for the end of fossil fuels by 2030, as well as transparent climate finance systems and responsible and sustainable tourism.
“We are going completely in the wrong direction and unfortunately speeding into the wrong direction,” Nisreen Elsaim from Sudan told the conference.
“I’m afraid that not only you, the old generation, but us will be the last generation to witness that planet as it is.”
As the young people depart the stage here in Milan, environment ministers and key negotiators are arriving, hoping to see progress on some key issues.
The aim is to clear the decks so that the presidents and prime ministers who arrive in Glasgow in November will be able to concentrate on a few major political decisions.
While there is some sense of optimism, much more “blah” will be needed if Glasgow is going to be a success.
Last week, addressing the UNGA, Johnson told world leaders that humanity must “grow up” and learn to deal with climate change. In his impassioned speech, the British premier compared the collective conscience of humans to an impetuous 16-year-old – a teenager on a bender – and said that it is high time that we stopped trashing the planet. “My friends, the adolescence of humanity is coming to an end,” Johnson addressed world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. “We must come together in a collective coming of age.”
Johnson said that we will see desertification, drought, crop failure, and mass movements of humanity on a scale not seen before. “Not because of some unforeseen natural event or disaster, but because of us, because of what we are doing now,” he said.
The UN Climate Change Conference, or COP26, is scheduled to be held between October 31 and November 12 in Scotland, reports Asian Lite News
India and the UK are likely to announce a joint declaration on “one sun, one world, one grid” — or OSOWOG, a concept New Delhi has been pushing through its International Solar Alliance — at the upcoming COP26.
Both countries have been working towards achieving this concept, and the joint venture will be signed by energy ministers of the two nations in the presence of the two Prime Ministers, according to sources.
The UN Climate Change Conference, or COP26, is scheduled to be held between October 31 and November 12 in Scotland.
The concept of OSOWOG, which the British have called a green grid, has been personally guided and pushed by Modi and found mention in his Independence Day speech this year. The concept pitches the idea of a transnational solar grid, from which different countries can draw power.
The climate parliament secretariat is handling details of the proposal and more than 100 energy ministers from across the world will sign the proposal, the source said.
The government has been working on the concept of OSOWOG since 2015, engaging with other energy ministers. The idea was first floated by Modi in 2018 at the first meeting of International Solar Alliance, which will also take a lead on this venture. The climate secretariat will put a road map in place at COP26, on how to achieve this vision.
In June this year, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy came out with a request for proposal to hire consultants for converting this idea into a policy and its draft plan envisages connecting 140 countries through a common grid.
Project Modi’s dream
Prime Minister Narendra Modi who visited Washington last week had raised this issue with the CEO of FirstSolar, Mark Widmar, during a meeting.
In course of the talks, Modi elaborated India’s efforts to harness solar energy, including the ‘One world, One sun and One grid’ initiative and investment opportunities in the sector.
“The strong balance created between India’s industrial and trade policies has built ideal opportunities for companies like FirstSolar to establish manufacturing in India. The productivity linked incentive (PLI) schemes will help India attract more investment in manufacturing from the US,” Widmar said.
India, UK climate coordination
Earlier in May, India and UK agreed on urgent action to tackle climate change through new, shared commitments during leader-level call.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson had signed on a new shared roadmap during their virtual meeting that includes measures to help limit global temperature rises and support the communities most vulnerable to the impact of climate change.
They had also reaffirmed their personal commitment to work together for an ambitious outcome at the COP26 climate summit in November and sustained action beyond.
Responding to the meeting, COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma said: “The UK and India share a longstanding partnership and I am greatly encouraged by the steps we have taken today to bolster our joint efforts on tackling climate change. If the world is to become net zero by the middle of the century and keep 1.5 degrees in reach, everyone must work together to make real change for a cleaner, greener planet. I am proud of the close collaboration on this crucial issue which our two countries have forged, especially during this very difficult time for India as it battles against Covid.”
The roadmap sets out an ambitious agenda for UK-India collaboration on fighting climate change, including a new partnership on clean energy transition, which will drive progress on development of renewables like offshore wind, improved energy efficiency and storage, and advances in electric mobility.
Both the countries also committed to collaborating on green hydrogen.
Constructive and candid chat with my friend Minister @AngusTaylorMP 🇦🇺
We discussed the action needed in the final weeks before Glasgow, including by the #G20
Both agreed to jointly launch a new global Green Grids Initiative at COP26 for countries to work together on interconnected grids for renewable energy, to help deliver India’s vision of One Sun One World One Grid.
Joint action through the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), which the UK and India co-chair. This will support Small Island Developing States to prepare for the impacts of climate change by bolstering their infrastructure.
Also positioning the UK and India as global leaders on biodiversity through strengthening collaboration to protect and restore nature, including through a new joint partnership on forests.
