Cordula Schnuer stopped past the studio to talk with Sam about Cop 26 and what was and was not happening there…
Countries reached agreements to end deforestation by 2030 and reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030. In another agreement 190 countries pledged to phase out coal by 2030, for richer countries, and 2040 for poorer countries. In a sign of richer countries helping others transition to clean energy, South Africa will receive around €7.3bn (US$8.5bn) to phase out coal faster in a deal with the EU, France, Germany, the UK and the US.
They agreed this all sounds pretty good, but is there a but…
Big emitters like China, Russia and India didn’t sign up to the methane pledge, although it’s hoped they will do so at a later date.
Generally, there are questions whether these pledges will be enough. The Paris Equity Check does the math on the impact of the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The EU has said it would cut emissions by 55% by 2030. But that would still result in global warming of 2.3°C by 2100, well above a 1.5°C target, it says.
And of course there have been gaffes, such as UK prime minister Boris Johnson travelling from London to Glasgow by private jet, which emitted roughly 50 times more carbon than if he had taken the train, so he could attend a dinner. Around 400 private jets took world leaders and business executives to Glasgow for Cop26, emitting 13,000 tonnes of CO2, according to some figures published by local media.
Sam was wondering about Luxembourg’s role at Cop.
There was a Luxembourg delegation in Glasgow including Xavier Bettel, environment minister Carole Dieschbourg, transport minister François Bausch and finance minister Pierre Gramegna.
As part of “finance day” at Cop26 UK chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that 450 firms had unlocked $130trn of private capital to fund the green transition. And the UK is also aiming for the sustainable financial centre crown as Sunak said it would force financial institutions and UK-listed companies to publish plans on how they will decarbonise and transition to net zero.
Luxembourg has its own sustainable finance strategy, which it launched earlier this year. It aims to crowd in the financial sector, for example providing support for financial sector players to carry out climate scenario analyses and establish monitoring frameworks. But environmental groups like Greenpeace have said the strategy is toothless as it includes no obligations for companies.
Prime minister Bettel gave a speech at the World Leaders Summit on 1 November. What did he say?
There wasn’t much new. Luxembourg has pledged 55% carbon emissions by 2030, like the EU target (although it set this goal before the EU upped its target from 50 to 55%).
What is interesting is that Luxembourg is consistently pushing an anti-nuclear agenda as part of climate discussions. Nuclear energy is sometimes seen as a clean, low-emissions alternative. In the EU, there is a strong pro-nuclear camp, including France and Finland, for example. Some countries have already pledged to phase it out, such as Belgium and Germany.
Nuclear power plants produce around a quarter of the EU’s electricity. Just in October France and nine other EU countries sent a letter to Brussels urging for nuclear to be considered a green source of energy, also amid rising energy prices.
Cop26 continues this week
There are more sessions on climate adaptation, gender equality and climate action, science and innovation, transport, and the role of cities and regions and advancing action in communities.
Transport minister François Bausch will take part in a panel on 11 November on sustainable mobility.
The final day of negotiations is scheduled for 12 November. In 2016, at the end of Cop21, members agreed on the famous Paris Agreement. The goal of Cop26 is to secure global net-zero emissions by mid-century and keep 1.5°C within reach.
For tips on what to do this week…and Cordula’s book recommendation…listen below