It must be reiterated that the fight against global warming will reshape the global economy and world geopolitical relations. Hence the importance of the COP 26 on Climate Change that concluded on Saturday, November 13 in Glasgow. Its outcome is not to unleash euphoria, but neither is frustration. It produced important political, normative and indicative products that mean steps, perhaps still too short, but in the right sense, to minimize the damage to the planet caused by Greenhouse Gases (GHG). There were bold new pronouncements on forests and ending deforestation by 2030; phase out the use of coal in electricity generation; reduce methane (a powerful greenhouse gas) emissions by 30% by 2030; and accelerate the electrification of the vehicle fleet and stop producing internal combustion vehicles between 2035 and 2040. Even the joint declaration of China and the United States in favor of central climate issues was surprising.
The central product was the Glasgow Climate Pact, which, with careful but also assertive language, reaffirmed the global objective of keeping the increase in the planet’s temperature below 2.0 ° C and seeking not to exceed 1.5 ° C above pre-industrial levels, as a premise to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. It recognizes that such temperature rise limits require GHG emission reductions of 45% by 2030 compared to 2010, with the goal of reaching net zero emissions by the middle of the century. It calls for accelerating the development, deployment and dissemination of new technologies, and the adoption of policies to achieve a transition towards energy systems with clean energies, accelerating efforts to leave behind the use of coal (in the case of Mexico, consider as equivalent to the fuel oil) and fossil fuel subsidies (in the case of Mexico, through tax benefits in the IEPS). Something essential; The Glasgow Pact emphasizes the importance of protecting, conserving, and restoring natural ecosystems, including forests and other terrestrial and marine ecosystems, in order for them to function as carbon sinks and protecting biodiversity.
The Glasgow Pact also assumes the urgency of increasing financing, capacities and technology transfer for adaptation to climate change, strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability in the poorest countries. It demands the presentation of national adaptation plans, and urges to integrate them into national, regional and local planning. Particularly when it comes to financing poor countries, the Glasgow Climate Pact emphasizes the need to mobilize all sources to exceed $ 100 billion annually. Likewise, it reiterates the urgency of scaling up action and support to minimize and address losses and damages associated with climate change in poor and vulnerable nations.
The Glasgow Pact promotes emission reduction actions in priority sectors (energy, industry, transport, agriculture, forests), which contribute to the fulfillment and implementation of the emission reduction commitments (NDC). And something of great importance: it recognizes the importance of protecting, conserving and restoring ecosystems to generate crucial services such as sinks and reserves of greenhouse gases, reducing vulnerability to climate change. The Pact affirms the importance of international collaboration (carbon markets and transactions) in innovative climate actions.
COP 26 also generated methodological, indicative or guiding technical documents on crucial issues for the Paris Agreement, such as the Guide for Cooperative Approaches Based on Carbon Markets (Article 6 of the Paris Agreement); Long-term climate finance; Guide to the Green Climate Fund; Guide to the World Bank’s Global Environmental Facility; Guide for Transparency in emissions inventories, follow-up to NDC, financing and support (Article 13 of the Paris Agreement); Common Temporary Reference Frames and monitoring of emission reduction commitments (NDC), communications, information, public record, ambition (Article 4 of the Paris Agreement); and, Loss and Damages derived from climate change (Warsaw Mechanism); among others.
With reference to our country, it is worth saying that the official Mexican delegation was disappointing, due to its low level, lack of leadership, lack of profession and serious content, technical inability, institutional gaps, ignorance and improvisation. It was a resounding diplomatic failure. All this is a clear resonance of the contempt and setbacks of the current government on energy, climate and environmental issues.
@g_quadri
Civil Engineer and Economist
Green Seriously
Politician, liberal environmentalist and Mexican researcher, he has served as a public official and activist in the private sector. He was a candidate of the Nueva Alianza party for President of Mexico in the 2012 elections.
Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx