*Dr. Arvind Kumar
The rugged landscapes and dramatic scenery, striking landmarks and freezing weather are what gives Scotland its particular charm. Staying at Edinburgh and commuting to Glasgow to attend the UNFCCC COP 26 along with Mr. Donald Wahlang Additional Chief Secretary, Environment and Forest Department, Government of Meghalaya afforded me an opportunity to witness this picturesque frame daily. While, Edinburgh – the capital of Scotland – is known for its historic ambience, cobbled streets and hidden alleyways, Glasgow is actually the biggest city in Scotland and is a bustling, cultural metropolis. The number of people registered to attend COP26 has doubled from the last UN climate conference in 2019 to almost 40,000 people. The enthusiasm of participants was worth noticing.
In the blue zone
The World leaders gathered in Glasgow in a “Last, best hope” to tackle the climate crisis and avert a looming global disaster. British naturalist and COP’s People’s Advocate Sir David Attenborough urged the COP delegates to turn tragedy into triumph and tackle climate change and the greatest problem solvers to have ever existed on Earth”is the youth. Also had an opportunity to present my book on ‘United Nations at 75 and Beyond’ to Ms. Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, Director of the Implementation and Support Division, CBD and to Mr. Pema Gyamtsho, Secretary General ICIMOD.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi surprised the delegates with bold new five-fold strategy to show the world India’s determination to act decisively to mitigate the climate crisis. He termed the promises as ‘Panch-amrita’ saying that “These five elixirs will be an unprecedented contribution by India towards climate action.” The promises include-
- India will take its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030.
- India will meet 50 percent of its energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030.
- India will reduce the total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes from now till 2030.
- India will reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by less than 45 percent by 2030.
- India will achieve the target of Net Zero by the year 2070.
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and India signed a Host Country Agreement on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow. India was represented by Shri Bhupender Yadav, Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, while Ms. Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UNEP, signed the Agreement on UNEP’s behalf. The Host Country Agreement comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his commitment to climate change by presenting his 5 key agendas at the COP26 key climate summit on 1 November 2021.
Outside the blue Zone
Several programmes were being organized at all levels outside the blue zone as well and one of them was the high-level luncheon: “Carbon Negative Food Systems Hold the Key to a Sustainable Planet organized by the Global Alliance for sustainable planet at Marriot Glasgow.
Launch of Initiative for the Resilient Island States
PM Modi congratulated the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) for the initiative and said “It is the collective responsibility of all of us towards mankind. It is, in a way, a shared atonement for our sins”. British Prime Minister Johnson said that it is incredibly cruel that vulnerable, small island states are right in the frontline of loss and damage that is caused by global warming and that they have done virtually nothing to cause global warming. He said that the UK will financially help the initiative.
Launch of the One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) project
Another coalition between India and the UK has led to the launch of a ‘green grids’ initiative-the One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) project. The project aims to connect grids from across borders to facilitate a faster transition to the use of renewable energy. PM Modi spoke about the project said that, “If the world has to move to a clean and green future, these interconnected transnational grids are going to be critical solutions. and energy cost but also opens a new avenue for cooperation between different countries and regions”.
Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forest and Land Use
This historic declaration aims to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 which was signed by 105 countries, including 24 African countries.
The Global Methane Pledge
105 Countries led by the United States and European Union signed the voluntary and non binding Global Methane Pledge. The countries pledged to cut their methane emissions by at least 30 percent by 2030.
Pledge to Phase Out Coal
More than 40 countries signed to phase out coal, UK, Poland, Canada, South Korea, Ukraine, Indonesia and Vietnam all pledged to quit coal between 2030 and 2040.
What’s next?
The COP26 summit could have had stronger outcomes but we should not lose sight of the fact that much has been achieved and progress has been made. Alok Sharma acknowledged the scale of the task remaining, saying “We can now say with credibility that we have kept 1.5°C alive. But, its pulse is weak and it will only survive if we keep our promises and translate commitments into rapid action”. António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, also warned that further urgent work was needed, saying, “Our fragile planet is hanging by a thread. We are still knocking on the door of climate catastrophe. It is time to go into emergency mode or our chance of reaching net zero will itself be zero”. Ultimately, the Glasgow Climate Pact will accelerate the pace of energy transition which will affect all the sectors of the global economy. But more needs to be done, if the pledges announced at the COP meeting are implemented, temperatures are still projected to rise 2.4°C by 2100, well above the 1.5°C target agreed at the 2015 Paris climate summit. The next few years will be critical in limiting the Earth’s temperature below 1.5°C or even below 2°C and countries need to deliver on their promises and make revised bold pledges ahead the next COP to be held in Egypt.
* President, India Water Foundation attended UNFCCC COP 26 at UK as part of delegation from India Water Foundation, an observer organization with UNFCCC
Link:
COP 26: India Leads the Climate Charge –https://www.focusglobalreporter.org/cop26-india-leads-the-climate-charge/
COP 26: A Balance Sheet: https://www.focusglobalreporter.org/cop26-a-balance-sheet/
India and COP 26: https://www.focusglobalreporter.org/india-and-cop-26/
COP 26: Challenges and Opportunities: https://www.focusglobalreporter.org/cop-26-challenges-and-opportunities/
How India surprised the world at COP 26: https://youtu.be/FFz_pPSWlxc
Live from COP 26: https://www.facebook.com/indiawaterfoundation/videos/3187686438129066
