Everything from the second week of COP26 in 5 minutes
More pledges, protests, and cooperation from the second week of COP26.
Welcome to Planet Days, a five-minute roundup of the latest climate news and what it means for our Planet. If this was forwarded to you, smash that subscribe button:
Last week, we summarized the first week of COP26, the 13-day international climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland. This week — you guessed it — we have everything you need to know from the second week of COP26.
So, did the summit live up to the hype? Or, as activist Greta Thunberg put it, was it all just “blah, blah, blah”? In case you missed it, here’s what happened the second week of COP26:
Tuesday, November 9
The Planet heads for 2.7 degrees
If COP26 is about getting climate change under control, we need a pathway that limits warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the target set at the Paris Agreement. But a new analysis by Climate Action Tracker finds that we’re still way off the mark.
Looking at only 2030 targets, the report finds that even with new pledges at COP26, the Planet is on pace for 2.4 degrees of warming by the end of the century. With current policies (what countries are actually doing) that number is even higher, at 2.7 degrees. The BBC has more.
These projections are tricky — earlier this month, an analysis found that recent pledges would limit warming to 1.8 degrees — because different trackers use different methods. To complicate matters, a new Washington Post investigation finds that countries are basing their pledges on flawed data.
The dilemma of vulnerable nations
This temperature rise will disproportionately affect smaller, vulnerable countries, who have been calling for richer countries to compensate poorer ones for damages caused by climate change.
After talks over who pays what intensified at COP26, with rich countries shirking responsibility for climate losses, negotiators hashed out some hazy commitments to increase funding for climate adaptation in vulnerable countries. Those commitments were followed by a draft COP26 agreement that vulnerable nations criticized for being too weak on finance.
Access issues in Glasgow helped drive frustration among vulnerable nations, who were unable to send representatives to key talks. Meanwhile, some 500 fossil fuel lobbyists were granted access to COP26 — more than any national delegation. HEATED writes about these inequalities.
Wednesday, November 10
Declare a state of emergency already
Protests continued outside the conference and around the world, with many activists formally demanding the United Nations declare a state of emergency on climate change.
In the petition, a group that includes Thunberg argued that the U.N. had not used all its power to confront climate change. But declaring a “Level 3 emergency” — the U.N.’s highest designation — would allow the organization to deploy resources to countries most susceptible to climate-driven disasters. Earther has more about the teens’ fight.
A surprising U.S.-China deal
One of the most unexpected deals came from two nations that aren’t exactly good friends. On Wednesday, the U.S. and China released a joint statement that calls for accelerated action to cut emissions, including by working together to tackle methane and deforestation.
“It’s beneficial not only to our two countries but the world as a whole that two major powers in the world, China and the U.S., shoulder special international responsibilities and obligations,” China’s climate envoy Xie Zhenhua told reporters.
It’s not exactly a BFD, especially because it doesn’t change the countries’ existing climate targets, but it does signal more aggressive climate action by the Planet’s two largest emitters. The Associated Press has more.
Carmakers phase out gas-powered vehicles by 2040
But another big deal made without these two powers. Thirty countries and six car companies pledged to phase out gas-powered cars by 2040, while automakers Volkswagen, Toyota, and the governments of China, the U.S., and Japan abstained.
The announcement was hailed by some as a clear sign that the end of combustion engines is in sight, though it’s already less stringent than California’s 2020 executive order. Read more in Jalopnik.
Quitting oil and gas for good
Despite all the talk of slashing emissions, few countries actually attack the root of climate change’s problem: fossil fuels. That changed last week with the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance — a first-of-its-kind pact led by Costa Rica and Denmark.
To join the alliance, countries must commit to ending oil and gas exploration and extraction. Already 11 governments have joined, including France, Greenland, Ireland, Quebec, Sweden, and Wales.
“Science has made it clear — the fossil era needs to come to an end,” Denmark’s Climate Minister Dan Jørgensen said in a statement. “BOGA will help to spur momentum for countries to phase out their production of oil and gas while creating a clean energy economy.” Euronews has more.
Saturday, November 13
The Glasgow Climate Pact
After two weeks of negotiations that extended overnight into Saturday, countries struck a deal to speed climate action. The Glasgow Climate Pact lacks the breakthrough that many wanted but still keeps alive the critical 1.5-degree target — albeit on life support. The non-binding agreement...
Urges nations to adopt a “phase-down” of coal power and oil and gas subsidies, marking the first time fossil fuels are mentioned in a global climate commitment
Urges rich countries to “at least double” finance by 2025 to protect vulnerable nations from climate impacts
Calls for countries to meet next year with stronger pledges — because the Planet is still on pace to blow by that 1.5-degree target
Finalizes Paris Agreement rules that allow countries to trade carbon credits
But we still don’t know how much and how quickly each nation should cut emissions. It’s also unclear whether nations can deliver on their pledges and if richer countries will compensate vulnerable nations for damages from climate change.
COP26 Alok Sharma summarized this fragility in closing remarks: “We can say with credibility that we have kept 1.5 degrees within reach. But its pulse is weak and it will only survive if we keep our promises if we translate commitments into rapid action.” The New York Times reports from Glasgow.
Bonus
Advice from a dinosaur
For the finale of our two-week COP26 roundup, we thought it fitting to hear from a creature who knows a thing or two about extinction. Hell, if countries don’t follow through on the pledges and agreements made over the last 13 days, we could end up a lot like the dinosaurs.
So, check out this message from Frankie the dinosaur (voiced by U.S. actor Jack Black), produced by the U.N. Development Program.
Have a great week,
Brandon and Sam