European Commission President Ursula von der Lein said that the UN’s goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius is “still achievable, but the work is far from complete”.
The UN climate negotiations in Glasgow ended on Saturday (November 13) night, and for the first time an agreement reached an agreement to use fossil fuels as the main driver of global warming.
But a dramatic change took place at the last moment, because with the support of China and other coal-dependent developing countries, India rejected a clause calling for the “phase out” of coal-fired power generation, and instead won the request for a “phase out”. language.
Bhupender Yadav, India’s Minister of Environment and Climate, stated that this revision reflects “the national conditions of emerging economies.”
“We are becoming the spokesperson for developing countries,” he told Reuters, saying that the agreement had “singed out” coal but remained silent on oil and gas.
Although people are generally disappointed with coal, Von der Lein welcomed the Glasgow Agreement, saying that “COP26 is a step in the right direction” and that all three goals the EU set for itself before the meeting have made progress.
- First, keep the 1.5°C target within an achievable range and promise to reduce emissions “within this decade”.
- The second is to achieve the goal of providing 100 billion U.S. dollars in climate financing to developing countries every year.
- Third, reach an agreement on the Paris Rulebook, which sets out rules for the international trading of carbon emission allowances between countries.
“We have made progress on all three goals,” Von der Lein said in a statement. statement, And added that “COP26 has sent a clear message that the time for fossil fuel subsidies and non-cut coal production has come”.
According to the Paris Agreement, 195 countries have set a goal of keeping the global average temperature change below 2°C and as close as possible to 1.5°C. Von der Lein said that this goal can still be achieved.
The committee stated in a report that before COP26, the earth was in a dangerous 2.7°C global warming trend. statement.
But with the new news announced in Glasgow, “experts estimate that we are now on the road to warming between 1.8°C and 2.4°C,” the EU executive added.
“If all the long-term commitments announced by Glasgow are implemented, we should keep global warming within 2 degrees,” she said, calling for more efforts at COP27 next year.
“We need to work harder so that next year’s climate conference in Egypt puts us firmly on the 1.5-degree track.”
Green activists also have reservations in their assessment of COP26.
The global conservation organization World Wide Fund for Nature stated that although the Glasgow Agreement failed to achieve the “step change” necessary to deal with global warming, “we are moving in the right direction.”
“We must acknowledge that progress has been made. Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, WWF’s global head of climate and energy, said that countries now have new opportunities to realize that they know they must take Measures to avoid climate disasters.
“But unless they quickly turn to implementation and show substantial results, their credibility will continue to be challenged,” he added.
Esther Assin, director of the WWF European Policy Office, praised the European Union for defending the pillars of the Paris Agreement, such as the target of 1.5°C and the wording of ending fossil fuel subsidies and coal. She said: “We now have a year for all parties to make stronger climate commitments, otherwise the 1.5°C limit will start to become out of reach.”
