Policy Alert #241 | November 16, 2021
The 26th session of the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) came to an end on November 13, 2021. The main task for COP26 was to finalize the rules and procedures for implementation of the Paris Agreement. After two weeks of intense deliberations, nearly 200 countries adopted The Glasgow Climate Pact.
The most consequential change was arguably language that requests parties to attend COP27 in Egypt next year, with updated plans on how to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The question now is, will countries actually do it? The Pact expressed “deep regrets” over the failure of developed countries to deliver on their $100 billion promise to help developing nations adapt to the climate crisis. The Pact has asked them to arrange this money urgently and in every year until 2025.
Notably, the Glasgow Climate Pact is the first UN climate deal to explicitly mention the need to move away from coal power and subsidies for fossil fuels. However, in the face of lobbying from top fossil-fuel-producing countries, this language was watered down during the negotiations. China and India successfully pushed for a last-minute change to the crucial phrase, saying they would agree only to “phase-down unabated coal,” rather than “phase out.”
In an unexpected development, the United States and China announced a Joint Declaration on Climate Change. US Climate Envoy John Kerry and Chinese climate envoy, Xie Zhenhua, were seen consulting with each other frequently on the sidelines of the conference. The world’s two largest greenhouse gas emitters cooperated with one another more than expected considering the strained ties between Washington and Beijing.
Many world leaders expressed disappointment with the climate deal that emerged in Glasgow. “We’re all well aware that, collectively, our climate ambition and action to date have fallen short on the promises made in Paris,” proclaimed Alok Sharma, President for COP26, after the last-minute change to the fossil fuels provision. But if governments follow through on commitments made during COP26 and ramp up ambition in the next few years, the goals of the Paris Agreement could be within reach.
In this Policy Alert, we examine the rising powers’ reactions to COP26.
