Earth Today | ‘More ambition a must’

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES have demanded of rich countries, increased ambition towards the attainment of sharp reductions in greenhouse gases that fuel global warming.

The demand comes as the world counts down to the next Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), now in its 26th year (COP26). COP26 is set for Glasgow in November.

“Rich countries with historical responsibility and greater capacity have on many occasions acknowledged their duty to show leadership. The current situation demands that they now display that promised leadership by presenting plans that will enact emission cuts on a speed and scale demanded by the science,” said the five-point plan titled ‘COP 26: Delivering the Paris Agreement’, which was released a couple of months ago and has the endorsement of developing countries.

This includes, the plan details, setting 2030 targets that will at least halve their collective emissions by 2030; setting net-zero targets with end-dates well before 2050; and putting policies in place that are demonstrably commensurate with those targets.

“In case those demands seem overly ambitious or the targets recently set by nations and blocs, including the US, EU, UK, Japan and Canada, seem adequate, they should properly be judged against the national targets generated by ‘fair shares’ accounting, which allocates emission cuts to countries based on their historical responsibility and capacity to act,” it insisted.

“In many cases, fair shares accounting shows that richer nations should already have passed net-zero emissions by 2030 and be absorbing more CO2 (carbon dioxide) from the atmosphere than they emit. Alternatively, this duty can be expressed as a combination of a national emission cut and a financial contribution to the developing world, to fund both emission reduction by the poorest nations and adaptation needs,” it added.

Indeed, the document said fair shares accounting shows, among other things, that to take adequate responsibility for creating the climate crisis, “the US, for example, should commit to reduce emissions by 195 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030”, while “the EU should increase its 2030 mitigation target to at least 65 per cent below 1990 levels”.

Further, it said the UK should cut emissions by at least 75 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030, in addition to providing annual climate finance support averaging $46b (£33b) per year”, while Canada increases its mitigation target to 140 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.

“It is therefore critical for all countries, in particular developed nations and major emitters, to submit concrete and ambitious NDCs (nationally determined contributions to greenhouse gas emissions) and long-term strategies consistent with science and the principles and provisions of the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement by COP26,” the plan said further.

“Developed nations need to recognise their duty to lead, and must acknowledge that for poor and vulnerable developing countries, sustainable economic and social development and poverty eradication continue to be key priorities, especially in the context of the devastating economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” it added.

Since the plan was released with the support of developing countries, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has itself published its latest report, Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis, which paints a sobering picture of current climate realities and future scenarios.

It, too, notes the need for significant efforts to restrain global warming and the requirement for limiting cumulative carbon dioxide emissions, reaching at least net-zero carbon dioxide emissions, along with strong reductions in other greenhouse gas emissions, to get there.

Professor Michael Taylor, dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at The University of the West Indies (UWI), and Dr Tannecia Stephenson, who heads the Physics Department, also at The UWI, have flagged some urgent takeaways for the Caribbean from that report.

“We can still limit global warming to 1.5 or 2 degrees, but only if global greenhouse gas emissions are reduced drastically,” they said in a document they prepared on the report.

“The Caribbean must collectively lobby for greater global greenhouse gas reductions by the whole world at the upcoming Conference of the Parties (COP26). Net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by mid-century can limit global warming to 1.5 or 2 degrees within this century. It will not be easy, and will require everybody to play their part. This means the Caribbean must also reduce its own emissions through greater use of renewable energy, preservation of blue and green forests, and reducing emissions from waste and transportation,” they added.

pwr.gleaner@gmail.com