Politics & Current Affairs

COP26: Our World Needs Saving

31 October 20214 November 2021By
COP26: Our World Needs Saving

COP26 is fast approaching, and this year it is of pivotal importance for a world that needs saving. The Conference of Parties, known as COP, are the governments which have signed the UN Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCC). Every year since 1995 delegations from countries gather for this conference with the objective to stabilise greenhouse gas concentration.

What happens at COP?

At COP, nearly everyone (theoretically) can be said to attend; the head of states are there and civilian protestors fill the streets outside. COP is held in a different country each year, the first being held in Berlin, Germany in March 1995. The meetings mainly focus on reviewing how far the world has come in the fight for climate change, looking closely at what each of the countries has been contributing. One of the most significant moments in COP’s history was at COP21, where the historic Paris Agreement took place. 

The Paris Agreement’s goal is to “limit global warming to well below 3, preferably 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels”. To acquire this, the Paris Agreement became a mechanism in which everyone checks upon how far they have gotten in achieving this goal every five years. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the COP21 could not take place and was postponed. It is now occurring a year later; COP26.

What is COP26?

COP26 is the 26th climate convention taking place in November 2021. This year it is being hosted by the UK in partnership with Italy.

Five years since the Paris Agreement, most countries are not at the required levels that they need to be to reach the goal – currently participating countries’ emissions must be halved by 2030. A question that may need to be asked this year is whether there will be consequences for those who are not reaching the requirements.  This would follow precedent, as COP3 in 1997 saw the adoption of the Kyoto protocol, which legally binds developed country parties to emission reduction targets. 

Alongside these emission reduction targets, the UN hopes that COP26 will commit countries to accelerating the phase out of coal, reducing deforestation, hastening the switch to electric vehicles and encouraging investment in renewables.  

Controversies

On 4 November 2020, the United States officially left the Paris Agreement, as ex-president Donald Trump believed climate change to be a “hoax”. The effects of this statement caused belief in climate change to drop significantly. To this day, more than two-thirds of republicans believe that climate change is not an emergency. It is important to note that although many classed this a step back in the fight for climate change, most processes that were put in place to help combat emissions remained in place. Since then, the current US president Joe Biden rejoined the agreement as his first executive order, and doubled US contributions. It can be said that Biden’s plan for combatting this issue is the most comprehensive ever undertaken by a US president. 

Figures show that China is one of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gas. Experts have agreed that without immense reductions in their emissions, we cannot possibly win the fight against climate change. The Times recently reported that Boris Johnson was told China’s president will not attend COP26. Chinese officials, however, have not ruled out a change of plans.

President Xi’s attendance at COP26 has been in doubt for a while, as he has not left China since 2020. There are many worries that this decision foreshadows China’s refusal to set more drastic climate change goals. This has provided Johnson with a setback in his plans to ensure world leaders comply with an increasingly important climate deal. 

As of 2006, China has been the world’s largest carbon emitter due to its growing manufacturing industry, which is relied on heavily worldwide. Its natural carbon emissions have grown drastically to produce 2777 million tonnes of carbon per year – 1335 higher than the US. China’s main source of energy consumption is coal and power stations are still being built. The country’s absence this year could be considered detrimental to the fight for climate change. Our planet needs China’s help to win the battle and survive. 

COP26: Taking Action

The COP26 conference is of utmost significance, and so it is becoming increasingly important to keep ourselves knowledgeable on how to contribute to the fight against climate change. 

Some small changes that we can make to help save our world are simply walking more, driving less, being careful of our water usage, reusing, recycling, and using energy wisely  (making sure to turn off lights, unplugging chargers). You can also reach out to your local MP. An MP is your voice in parliament, to reach out to them about concerns can be as simple as writing a letter to request them to back environmentally friendly bills like the Local Energy Bill.   

Due to covid-19, Oxfam’s World Climate March is being done virtually so that anyone can get involved, no matter where you are.

Let’s start the climate conversation together!