After the summit

The 26th edition of the UN Climate Summit ‘COP26’concluded after reaching a pact among participating nations to stave off the challenge of climate change. The fact that the summit did produce a consensual outcome after the negotiations extended for another 24 hours can be interpreted as a success.

The two-week-long mega global event brought together various stakeholders from the private sector, academia, and the business community as well as officials and representatives from around 200 countries to review the progress made on climate benchmarks and propose a way forward to limit the rise of global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The Glasgow pact is characterised by the consensus of member countries to ‘phase down’ coal instead of ‘phasing it out’. This change represented the clash of interests as major coal-consuming countries such as India, China and South Africa objected to the term ‘phase out’ and reasoned that their economic development will suffer a great deal in the absence of alternative energy sources.

In its present shape, the new climate pact falls short of achieving the target of keeping the temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius, but it still represents some progress. The very fact that the whole world is now cognisant of the threat posed by climate change is a big victory of science.

This turnaround would not have been possible without the relentless campaign of climate rights activists, students and young people who overcame the heaviest of the odds to bring home the criticality of the challenge.

Member countries have agreed to present quantifiable targets during the next conference – which will be held in Egypt – as part of the efforts to keep the temperatures within the agreed-upon threshold. Despite the ‘imperfect’ agreement, the Glasgow summit still marks a watershed in the mission to turn the tide against climate change hazards.

The commitment by countries to share an annual report on the actions taken to reduce carbon emissions indeed augurs well. It is equally encouraging that China and the US, the world’s leading carbon emitters, have shown willingness to work together on climate issues, a commitment renewed by the Chinese and American presidents during their virtual summit a few days ago.

Another success of the Glasgow summit is a pledge by over one hundred countries to cut the emission of methane by at least 30 percent by the end of the current decade. About 130 countries further promised to halt deforestation and then reverse it. At the same time, 450 financial institutions have agreed to place the goal of achieving net-zero emission at the centre of their investment portfolios.

However, one of the failures of the Glasgow summit is that it did not come up with a credible plan for providing climate finance to developing countries. According to the UN Environment Program, there is an urgent need to allocate $70billion, a figure which is likely to double by 2030, to middle- and low-income countries so that they could cope with climate threats by accelerating adaptation and mitigation efforts.

Allied to this financial deficit is the failure to set up a ‘loss and damage’ fund. The demand for this fund came from developing countries that are bearing the brunt of climate change which is caused by carbon emissions of the developed world. Pakistan is one such example that has been described as one of the most vulnerable countries despite having a little share in carbon emissions.

Although the climate pact did contain provisions for increased transparency in the implementation and reporting of policy actions on the part of member countries, a lot depends on the goodwill and commitment of the members to ensure that they deliver on their promises. The idea of the ‘climate stocktake’, which is going to be held in the UAE in 2023, is a good beginning to institute some kind of accountability mechanism.

Such an appraisal will be critical to determine whether the pledges outlined in nationally determined contributions (NDCs) by the member countries are being fulfilled or not. It is here that the role of what UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described as the ‘climate action army’ as well as civil society, media and non-profit organisations is crucial to influence their respective governments to prioritise the climate agenda.

Climate finance is one problem. Developing countries, especially low-income ones, suffer from severe capacity issues in terms of working out development targets that are compliant with climate goals. Building climate resilience remains a daunting challenge that cannot be overcome without bringing vulnerable communities together, introducing requisite laws and working with several administrative tiers to make climate policies harmonious.

Developing countries are in dire need of infrastructure development to overcome the possible lags in progress. Now how the whole development paradigm is conceived and structured will have a bearing on the outcome of the proposed climate actions. Focusing on risk assessments, adaptation and mitigation components will help draft solid plans that will feed into NDCs besides roping in financial institutions and the private sector to accelerate green financing.

Taking the climate agenda down to lower administrative tiers will place it at the centre of local conversation. The capacity building of local government institutions and personnel will not only ensure the delivery of climate actions but also involve communities in decision-making in terms of disaster prevention and preparedness.

The role of technology is critical in humanity’s fight against climate change. Modern technological innovations will enable middle- and low-income countries to not only reduce their carbon footprint but also achieve vertical and horizontal links between the federal, provincial and local departments working on climate and environment. This coordination will bring both clarity and unity in policy articulation as well as implementation without involving cost and time overruns.

The fight against climate change is multi-pronged and requires clarity, focus, consistency and accountability. The outcome of the Glasgow summit is not ideal and has disappointed many. However, the subject of climate change whose reality and relevance were questioned by various world leaders in the past has now been recognised as the foremost challenge facing humanity.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson rightly put it when he said: “There is still a huge amount more to do in the coming years. But today’s agreement is a big step forward and, critically, we have the first ever international agreement to phase down coal and a roadmap to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.”

The momentum is gradually building as more voices have joined in to call for climate justice, urging world leaders and their respective governments to declare climate emergency to protect the planet for future generations.

Alok Sharma, the UK cabinet minister who was also the chair of the COP26 summit, acknowledged the enormity of the challenge when he said: “We can now say with credibility that we have kept 1.5 degrees C alive. But, its pulse is weak, and it will only survive if we keep our promises and translate commitments into rapid action.

“Before this conference, the world asked: do the parties here in Glasgow have the courage to rise to the scale of the challenge? We have responded. History has been made here in Glasgow.” The entire proceedings of the recently concluded summit could not have been summed up better.

The writer, a Chevening scholar, studied International Journalism at the University of Sussex.

Email: amanatchpk@gmail.com

Twitter: @Amanat222