UN Climate Change Conference ’21: Signing the Glasgow Climate Pact

The science is clear on the scale and causes of climate change, and there is an unequivocal need to act

From 31 October to 13 November, the 26th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change—COP26 for short—took place in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the world’s largest climate summit and, among other things, facilitates negotiations between the 197 parties to the UN Climate Convention and the 193 parties to the Paris Agreement. The event also included a World Leaders’ Summit, which was attended by 120 world leaders including the President of Sri Lanka.

In regular times, this conference takes place every year and has done so since 1995. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 meeting was postponed and conducted only in 2021. More than 20,000 delegates from official country delegations, observer organisations—including civil society, women, and youth organisations—attending, it took an enormous effort to organise by the United Nations and the United Kingdom, which hosted the event.  

Key outcomes

A key outcome of COP26 is the Glasgow Climate Pact, which aims to keep the 1.5 target—that is, limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times—within reach. To this end, countries are now expected to “revisit and strengthen” their national commitments to reduce emissions next year. The COP decision text also includes commitments to “phase down” coal and phase out “inefficient” fossil fuel subsidies—language that is weaker than many had hoped for, but still marks the first time that fossil fuels are explicitly mentioned in such a text.

This was further supported by initiatives such as a US-China agreement, the Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance launched by 11 governments, or the Global Methane Pledge signed by over one hundred countries which committed to significantly reduce their methane emissions by 2030.

Major steps were also taken when it comes to the world’s finance sector and climate finance in particular. Initiatives such as the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero and the Net-Zero Banking Alliance aim to “green” the finance industry, while developed countries have reiterated their commitment to mobilise $ 100 billion per year in climate finance. Talks on this topic will continue and be taken up again at COP27 next year, as will negotiations around additional finance for adaptation and loss and damage. The coming years will also see discussions on the work of the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage and Glasgow–Sharm el-Sheikh work programme on the Global Goal on Adaptation, two vital aspects for vulnerable countries.

The role of nature

Ecosystems and biodiversity were prominently featured at the conference as well, with many countries and organisations presenting large-scale initiatives and achievements. It is increasingly recognised that the climate crisis and global biodiversity loss are closely connected, and that protecting natural ecosystems will make a major contribution to addressing climate change, with the Glasgow Climate Pact clearly noting the importance of “ensuring the integrity of all ecosystems […] and the protection of biodiversity.”

In the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use, countries pledged to “halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 while delivering sustainable development and promoting an inclusive rural transformation.” As of now, this Declaration has 141 signatories, including Sri Lanka, which together cover more than 90% of the world’s total forest area.

Outlook

The science is clear on the scale and causes of climate change, and there is an unequivocal need to act. Six years after the Paris Agreement, COP26 has been a step in the right direction, but there is a lot more to be done. Inclusive and participatory processes need to be strengthened and more ambitious climate action and finance provided to prioritise vulnerable countries and communities, helping them to address the threats of climate change and build resilience.

(The writer works as Director – Research & Knowledge Management at SLYCAN Trust, a non-profit think tank based in Sri Lanka. His work focuses on climate change, adaptation, resilience, ecosystem conservation, just transition, human mobility, and a range of related issues. He holds a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Cologne, Germany and is a regular writer to several international and local media outlets.)