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COP26: crucial step in the fight against global warming
The
26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) or COP26, will be held from 31
October to 12 November 2021, in Glasgow (United Kingdom). As a major
player in the fight against climate change and guarantor of the spirit
of the Paris Agreement, France will carry out strong actions in Glasgow,
together with the European Union, on several priorities.
The
latest work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirms
the urgency of taking action and reducing global greenhouse gas
emissions to stay on a trajectory of global temperature rise of 1.5°C as
foreseen by the Paris Agreement. The commitments made by States Parties
in the framework of COP26 will be decisive for the future of the
planet.
Challenges and priorities of COP 26
In this context, the 4 priorities of COP26 are:
1. Raising global climate ambition
5th
convention of the Parties since the adoption of the Paris Agreement,
COP26 corresponds to the 1st stage point of the cycle of ambition
provided for by the Paris Agreement.
This cycle
of ambition requires each Party to the agreement to increase its
climate commitments every 5 years through the submission of a new
Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the UNFCCC.
The
European Union has met this target by committing to reduce its net
greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 and to
achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
2. Finalise the rules for the application of the Paris Agreement
At
COP26, negotiations will continue on the rules for the application of
the Paris Agreement, in particular on Article 6, which provides for
emissions trading mechanisms, and on transparency. France and the
European Union hope that the discussions can be finalised in Glasgow.
3. Mobilizing finance for developing countries
Developed
countries have pledged to mobilize $100 billion a year for climate
change in developing countries between 2020 and 2025.
To
take stock of this commitment, developed countries, including France,
published before COP26 a delivery plan on the amounts they will mobilize
by 2025. This plan was published on October 25, 2021.
France
is determined to achieve this goal in order to meet the expectations of
the most vulnerable countries. The President of the Republic has
undertaken to:
increase climate finance mobilised by France to €6 billion per year from 2021 to 2025;
spend
one third (2 billion) on adaptation. This corresponds to an increase
from the commitment made at COP 21 to reach €5 billion in 2020,
including €1.5 billion for adaptation. In 2020, the commitment was met,
with a total of €5.05 billion in funding, including €1.96 billion for
adaptation, and even exceeded in 2019 with €6 billion.
For the period 2020-2023, France has doubled its contribution to the Green Climate Fund to €1.5 billion.
This
dynamic is part of a European framework: climate finance from the
European Union (EU) and its Member States reached €21.9 billion in 2019
(with an EU of 27 members), making the Union the largest contributor of
public climate finance.
4. Enhancing and strengthening the Agenda for Action
The
Climate Action Agenda was created so that non-state actors can deploy
operational climate actions. It was one of the key elements in the
success of COP21 and the adoption of the Paris Agreement.
France
wishes to perpetuate the inclusive spirit of Paris by continuing to
mobilize actors (local authorities, researchers, civil society, NGOs,
youth representatives, businesses) and multi-stakeholder coalitions so
that they develop concrete solutions to fight climate change in
different sectors (energy, transport, buildings, water, ocean). At
COP26, France will offer a space of expression to these actors through
the programming of its pavilion.
