BRIEFING: MAKING COP26 COUNT
COP26 – next steps The LI was represented at COP26 by the President Jane Findlay, CEO Sue Morgan and members of the Policy Team, including Dilraj Sokhi-Watson, who asks if the event was a road to recovery or a missed opportunity. Dilraj Sokhi-Watson
COP26 could have been a landmark moment in the history of the planet and humankind, only if concrete action from political leaders from across the world had matched the climate rhetoric. A successful outcome would be, ambitious 2030 greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reducing targets and actions across all high emitting sectors, leading to a global goal of 1.5°C, adaptation support through finance for the most vulnerable countries, equal consideration given to adaptation as well as mitigation, and enhanced climate resilience through nature-based solutions1. What could have been a kaleidoscopic montage of climate targets and solutions, that would have set the tone for ambitious action in the coming decade, became a disjointed picture of commitments. While some may argue that initiatives and commitments made at COP26, such as deforestation pledges2, methane pledge3, coal phase out4, the ‘Global Goal on Adaptation5’ and the ‘Glasgow Climate Pact6’, set us on the pathway between 1.8°C and 2.1°C of global warming7, and there is still a glimmer of hope that keeps the 1.5°C goal alive. Two questions arise from this. First, 10
do these actions have enough weight to take the 1.5°C climate goal off ‘life support’8 and our planet into recovery? Secondly, with key unresolved issues such as lack of action on fossil fuel abatement and an absence of ambitious emission reduction targets in the near term from the big polluters, in addition to maintaining the net zero momentum, should we now focus more on adaptation and enhancing resilience? Post COP26, the call for ‘urgent action’ continues. Whether we will be able to achieve the global 1.5°C goal remains to be seen, with countries being ‘requested’ to ‘revisit and strengthen’ their climate pledges by the end of 2022, in time for COP27 in Egypt. For now, though, the commitments and pledges made at COP26 somehow give the feeling that the show is over, the curtains are drawn, the audience is walking away with apprehension, and when the time comes for COP27 the one and only sequel, will live up to all the unfilled promises made in the preceding COPs, or will the calls for urgent action remain unheard? The LI’s President Jane Findlay, CEO Sue Morgan, LIS Branch Chair Rebecca Rylott and members of the senior management team had the opportunity to attend COP26 in person, observe negotiations and attend conference activities in Glasgow. Further information on engagement, collaboration and conference activities can be viewed on the LI’s COP26 Campaign16 page.
The road from Glasgow to Sharm el-Sheikh The LI’s 2021 COP26: ‘What do the outcomes mean for the landscape profession?’17 policy briefing provides a detailed review of COP26 outcomes, their implications on UK’s climate responsibilities and commitments, and how this impacts the landscape sector. A key outcome of COP26 – the ‘Glasgow Climate Pact’ – is being called a distinctive, global, cross-sector political decision, calling on countries for more ambitious national emission reduction targets, policies and implementation plans to be put in place by COP27, which takes place at the end of 2022.
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1. Sue Morgan with a copy of Landscape for 2030.
