COP26 ends today, all eyes on final text

Vibha Sharma

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Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 12

Though activists are not “too confident of any real, ambitious outcome” from COP26 in Glasgow, all eyes are on the final text expected to be released on the last day of the climate conference on Friday, or November 13 “if negotiations stretch out”.

The official meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ends on November 12 and the countries debating the agreement are expected to have the final document by Friday, the concluding day of the summit.

The COP26 Coalition, a parallel/alternative summit that saw organisations and movements “demanding real efforts to fight the climate crisis through concrete and fair measures” ended on Wednesday. One of their key proposals was a “Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty” to end the era of coal, gas and oil.

The focus of the UNFCCC summit, which addressed carbon market rules, remained climate finance and technology, emission reduction targets, strategies for carbon neutrality and adaptation plans.

A draft document of the agreement among countries, including India, underlined that promised climate finance by developed countries is “insufficient to respond to the worsening climate change impacts in developing countries”, urging developed countries to “urgently scale up”, according to reports.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has already committed to India reaching net zero by 2070 and higher NDCs, has demanded one trillion dollars in finance from developed countries, reminding them of their responsibilities.

Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has also specified that COP 26 must aim for “higher global ambition on climate finance and adaptation, along with recognition of parties’ differing responsibilities and developmental challenges faced by developing countries, compounded by the Covid pandemic”.

“In a context where developing countries, including BASIC countries, have massively stepped up their climate actions since 2009, it is unacceptable that there is still no matching ambition from developed countries on the enabling means of implementation on climate finance support.” India’s Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change said, speaking on behalf of the BASIC group of countries, comprising Brazil, South Africa, India and China in the beginning of the conference.

Developing nations like India, which want implementation of principles of Equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) and recognition of the very different national circumstances of parties, are demanding “time, policy space and support to transition towards a low emissions future for them”.

The draft document which “recognises that limiting global warming to 1.5°C by 2100 requires rapid, deep and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions, including reducing global carbon dioxide emissions by 45 per cent by 2030, relative to the 2010 level, and to net zero around mid-century”, has called upon countries to “accelerate the phasing out of coal and subsidies for fossil fuels”.

PM Modi has committed to generating 50 per cent of all electricity consumed by India from renewable energy sources, reducing emissions intensity by close to 45 per cent and reducing 1 billion tonne carbon emissions by 2030. Officials say fossil fuels will continue to be an important part of the energy package of a developing nation like India.