The United Kingdom is the organizer of the international climate conference COP26, which takes place in early November, and they believe that countries, together with civil society, must act united in the work against global warming. COP26 is supposed to be an arena for climate-promoting work, but the UN conference's opportunities to succeed have been questioned by the outside world even before it has even started.
At the beginning of November, the world's decision - makers will meet at the UN conference COP26 with the aim of highlighting and taking control of the climate changes that have already been caused and will be caused by human carbon dioxide emissions. The goal is to speed up work on the guidelines set by the Paris Agreement - which means securing global zero emissions by 2050 and keeping the temperature rise below two degrees this century.
The conference is one of several climate meetings to which the UN has invited the countries of the world for almost three decades to discuss the climate issue. COP26 is the 26th annual summit and will be held in Glasgow - as the UK is hosting the conference.
- The corona pandemic has wreaked havoc on millions of people around the world and disrupted large parts of the global economy. Governments, including our own, have done their utmost to save people's lives and livelihoods. But climate change has continued, and ultimately threatens life on earth, writes the elected president of COP26 and also the British MP, Alok Sharma, on Web for COP26.
COVID-19 makes it difficult for countries to participate in the conference
Criticism has been leveled at the arrangement of COP26 due to the fact that the world's poorest countries - many of which have previously been red - listed by the UK - are worried about whether they will have the opportunity to participate in the climate conference due to the corona pandemic. The criticism has mainly come from a group of 46 nations that the UN describes as the world's least developed countries, the Least Developed Countries (LDC), but also from 1500 environmental organizations who want to see the conference postponed as a result of measures taken against Covid-19.
The factors that were mainly argued to complicate the journey to COP26 were the UK's entry restrictions and the Red List due to COVID-19, but also the fact that many flights from Pacific islands have stopped running while several transit countries have introduced strict pandemic restrictions for non-citizens. .
- It is the inhabitants of our countries who are hardest hit by increasingly extensive climate crises. They must be well represented in climate talks, LDC Chairman Bhutan's Sonam Phuntsho Wangdi told with the BBC. Furthermore, he believes that COP26 can not risk becoming a conference where unfair and not ambitious enough decisions are made.
But in early October, Britain scrapped large parts of the previously tightly regulated entry system, which looked different to different citizens depending on how the home country is affected by Covid-19. On 11 October, 47 countries were removed from the UK Red List, which meant great relief, both financially and in terms of time, for the conference participants. At the same time, many difficulties remain for various citizens to attend the Glasgow climate conference, but the UK believes that it is not appropriate to postpone COP26 due to the importance of the conference in the fight against climate change.
At the same time, there is a concern that world leaders will voluntarily decide not to participate in COP26. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison expressed in the media at the end of September that he is unsure whether he will go to Glasgow and participate in COP26. Morrison says he is hesitant to travel abroad, partly because of a reluctance to quarantine himself, and partly because he thinks he needs to be in Australia when the country begins to open up after several months of shutdowns.
Critics of Morrison's decision point to the importance of Australia participating in COP26 as it is the world's largest coal exporter, and also a major gas exporter, while the country still opposes committing to zero emissions in 2050. Critics also argue that Australia lacks enthusiasm for to actively work against global warming. Great Britain went almost immediately after Morrison's statement that the country will be very disappointed if Morrison does not choose to participate in COP26.
The corona pandemic may have resulted in a major shift in focus on climate change, and there is now also a significant risk that Covid-19 will play a significant role in COP26's success, or that some traces may become a failure.
The world is recovering from the corona pandemic but still faces major challenges when it comes to global sustainability and actively working to prevent climate change. At the same time, COP26 is described by several actors, such as organizers, countries and activists, as being an important part of increasing the pace of climate promotion work and the pressure on those in power. That is why it is important that all countries participate in the conference. Poor countries, which are often hardest hit by climate change, must be given the chance to have their voices heard, and rich countries that contribute to the largest emissions must be pushed harder by the outside world.
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