We are waiting for the final agreement: this is what the Climate Summit brought us

In recent weeks, delegates from about 200 countries have been discussing the possibility of controlling global warming to 1.5 degrees.

Stop deforestation by 2030

The first contract with the Netherlands was already closed at the beginning of the first week. Hundreds of countries have decided to stop deforestation by 2030. Participating countries, including Brazil, Canada and Indonesia, account for 85 percent of the world’s forests.

The question is how firm the promises are. “There are no national promises and obligations,” Pieter Zuidema, a professor of tropical forest ecology at Wageningen University, previously told RTL Nieuws. Two days after Indonesia signed the agreement, it said it “did not intend to end deforestation.”

The Netherlands’ promise to suspend government support for fossil fuel projects in other countries from the end of 2022 seems a bit difficult.

Also known as export credit insurance, the Dutch government assists companies participating in (fossil) projects abroad. These are government insurance policies because large plans in other countries are often not insured by businesses. The government then takes action.

Government support for fossil fuel projects ceased

A quarter (26 per cent) of all current obligations undertaken by the Government in this way are labeled as ‘fossil’. This is almost 5 billion euros. Ongoing projects are unaffected, but they make clear the extent of government support.

This decision is not the official decision of the climate summit, but says Dewi Zloch, a group of leading nations, Greenpeace climate and energy expert. “The Netherlands must now really move forward, along with other countries.

Other deals made during the climate summit in Glasgow include the closure of coal-fired power plants (although large consumers such as Australia did not participate); Reduces greenhouse gas emissions methane 30 percent Efforts to run on clean energy for all new trucks and buses sold by 2030 (compared to 2020) and from 2040 onwards.

Inspirational report from China and the United States

India, which has lagged behind the status of a developing country till now, has promised for the first time that the climate will be neutral by 2070. Scientists Carefully positive About that commitment.

China and the United States have issued a joint statement in which the two countries pledge to take action, among others, for example, the transition to clean energy sources. Such comments at the climate summit are seen as encouraging, as tensions between the two countries remain in other parts of the country.

But that is not the final report yet. Precisely this final statement is important: the text is a compromise, All participating countries Must be unanimously agreed upon. The agreements, agreements and commitments described above are still unrestricted.

Is this enough?

Climate action monitoring calculates that agreements such as the gradual discharge of coal, the reduction of methane emissions, the cessation of deforestation, and the conversion to electric transport provide only a small amount of climate benefit.

Between now and 2030, the gap between what governments are doing and controlling global warming to 1.5 degrees is expected to narrow by 9 percent.

Thumbs up for a happy ending

Draft Completion Report Is now, Can count on the insults of companies like Greenpeace and Oxfam Novip. Jennifer Morgan, President of Greenpeace International, said: “This is just a deal that we can all go through with a happy ending.

“The maximum warming target of 1.5 degrees is still out of sight,” said Hild Strut, a climate expert at Oxfam. “The crisis in Glasgow’s negotiating rooms has not yet been felt.”

Developing countries already dealing with the impacts of climate change need firm financial commitments in the final report. The 100 billion euros to be received annually from rich countries between 2020 and 2025 has not yet been reached.

Final report negotiations

They want Western nations to take responsibility and take decisive action against climate change. There will be one too Loss and damage Solution, a financial solution for already affected climate damage.

The United States and the European Union do not want that; They will be held accountable and they fear that it will result in higher costs. Traditional oil nations such as Saudi Arabia are adamant against the gradual removal of fossil fuels; The mention of this word even in the final statement of the draft is unique.

In short: everyone has different interests and preferences. Therefore the exact content of the final report is negotiated and discussed until the last moment.

Night work

In fact, at the previous climate summit, as had happened in Madrid last year, the talks continued for a few days. But Alok Sharma, the British minister who heads COP26, was optimistic on Wednesday evening: “My intention is to be able to complete this summit by the end of Friday.”