Climate negotiators from nearly every country will gather in Scotland in early November for two weeks to reach a new agreement aimed at cutting emissions at a level scientists hope will limit global warming. The meeting is officially called the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
What is COP26?
There has been a COP every year since 1995, except last year, when it was canceled due to Covid-19. The UK is hosting this year’s meeting, called COP26. It aims to agree on new measures to meet emissions cuts and financial aid promises made under the 2015 Paris Agreement.
What’s at stake in COP26?
The Paris Agreement called on governments to update their plans every five years. Since last year’s COP was cancelled, the Glasgow summit is the first to be held under the Paris Agreement, after a five-year review cycle. It is also the first COP to take place since the US, the planet’s second largest emitter after China, rejoined the Paris Agreement. President Trump withdrew the US from the agreement, but President Biden reversed that decision in one of his first steps in office.
Who is attending COP26?
Most governments are sending delegations and in some cases their heads of state. Mr Biden is scheduled to attend the first few days of the meeting. Queen Elizabeth is also expected to attend. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, 18, has said she plans to leave. Executives from several large multinational companies, activists and non-governmental organizations around the world are planning to attend the meeting for at least two weeks.
Where and when is COP26?
The summit is taking place in Glasgow, Scotland from 31 October to 12 November.
What are the main points of the Paris Agreement?
The Paris Agreement was the most ambitious UN agreement ever to tackle climate change. Governments agreed on a collective goal of limiting Earth’s heat to less than two degrees Celsius below the pre-industrial era and trying to keep it warmer than 1.5 degrees by the end of the century. To achieve that goal, they agreed to present national plans to limit emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which most scientists agree are the primary drivers of global warming.
Why did America leave, then join the Paris Agreement?
The Trump administration said the agreement put the US at a competitive disadvantage because of the regulatory and financial burden on US companies. In announcing the departure of the US in June 2017, he called the move a “assertion of our sovereignty”.
How does the Biden White House want to address climate change?
Mr Biden is pushing Congress to pass a comprehensive spending package to accelerate the adoption of clean energy, a plan that could reshape the US economy. He has also promised to support that plan with new regulations from across the government, and agencies are pushing new proposals that, for example, would require lower greenhouse-gas emissions from cars and trucks or Companies will be required to provide new financial disclosures to investors related to climate change. Congress has yet to approve any major climate spending, but Mr Biden has promised to secure Congressional approval for $11 billion by 2024 to help developing countries tackle climate change.
The president also said earlier this year that the US wants to cut its greenhouse-gas emissions by between 50% and 52% by 2030 from 2005 levels.
Which other countries are part of the Paris Agreement?
almost all of them. More than 190 countries have signed the agreement, although many have not officially ratified it, including Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, South Sudan, Turkey and Yemen.
What will governments in Scotland talk about?
America, Europe and some other wealthy nations acknowledge that their emissions are the main cause of warming since the pre-industrial era. But they also want the developing world to respond, calling on countries such as China, India, South Africa and Indonesia to limit emissions. In return, they have committed to raising at least $100 billion annually through 2025, to fund clean energy technologies in the developing world and help poorer countries adapt to climate change.
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