The most recent news on the U.N. Climate Summit COP26 in Glasgow
GENEVA — U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry claims that a new project promoted by Joe Biden (the U.S. President) in which companies support low-carbon technology development through their purchasing power amounts to a “big transformative”
The United States government and the World Economic Forum have created the “First Movers Coalition” to assist in meeting the increasingly difficult goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Nearly three dozen companies from many industries have already committed to making changes in their purchasing habits to support zero-emission technology development by 2030.
The project’s designers claim that half of the reduction in emissions between now and 2030 will come from innovations, such as capturing carbon out the air, but these are not being used on a large scale.
Kerry said to many corporate leaders in Glasgow that the project was a huge deal on Thursday.
___
GLASGOW (Scotland) — U.S. climate ambassador John Kerry joined the thousands of people who were humbled by the U.N. summit’s tough entry procedures.
Kerry apologised Thursday for arriving 20 minutes late to a renewable energy event at America’s pavilion within the summit site.
Kerry stated that he was “off-campus” at a location outside of the summit in Glasgow.
He told the crowd, “Getting back in is difficult,” he said. “Even for those who thought it might be.”
Summit organizers have established strict rules regarding accreditation badges, masks, and proof of negative results from COVID-19 tests. The lines to get in were long for more than an hour earlier this week. However, they have slowed down noticeably since.
___
GLASGOW (Scotland) — More than 20 countries have pledged to end coal use by setting new or earlier deadlines, according to the British government. These include Chile, Vietnam, South Korea and Indonesia.
Despite being the second-largest user of coal in Europe, Poland seemed to be rethinking any new commitments made within hours of the U.N. climate conference announcement.
Minister Anna Moskwa of Poland for Climate and Environment said that “Energy Security and the Assured Jobs is a Priority for Us.” She cited the existing government plan, which “provides for an exit from hard coal by 2049.”
It had appeared that Poland might push that deadline back by at least 10 years earlier in the day.
Campaigners were furious at the apparent U-turn.
Kathrin Gutmann (campaign director for Europe Beyond Coal) stated that Moskwa had stressed that her government could not be trusted to sign any postcard, let alone a climate pledge.
The United States, Canada and Denmark signed an agreement to prioritise clean energy funding over fossil fuel projects.
___
HELSINKI — Helsinki’s capital has announced that it will stop serving meat dishes at its seminars, staff meetings and receptions to help reduce the carbon footprint.
Instead, the city government will offer vegetarian food as well as sustainable local fish.
The Associated Press was informed by Liisa Kivela on Thursday that Helsinki’s communications director said the change will take effect in January. It does not apply to school or workplace cafeterias managed by the city of 650,000.
Kivela stated that the City Council policy allows for exceptions for certain “high level visits or similar events”, organized by Helsinki Mayor Juhana Vartiainen and the city’s top managers.
Fair trade coffee, tea, and other items such as bananas will be prohibited at events. Oat milk will be replaced by regular milk. Snacks and beverages can no longer be served in single-use containers.
In a statement, the local government stated that the measure was part of a larger effort to “reduce the climate impact of foods and decrease the use of natural resources by the city.”
Helsinki’s mayor, who took over the top position in August, stated that he was happy the city still allows him to serve meat on occasion.
“For instance, if the King of Sweden visits, domestic game may be offered. Vartiainen said that meat can be offered to any group, but it is not a natural practice.
___
PARIS — French astronaut Thomas Pesquet used video calls from space to show the International Space Station’s view of the effects of global warming.
During the Thursday call, Pesquet said to French President Emmanuel Macron that the portholes of the space station revealed the haunting fragility humanity’s only home.
The astronaut stated, “We see the pollution in rivers, atmospheric pollution, and things like that.” Extreme weather and climate phenomena were what really surprised me during this mission.
He continued, “We saw whole regions of California burning from the spacestation, in Canada and in California.” From 400 km (250 miles) high, we saw California completely covered in smoke and flames.
This is Pesquet’s second trip to the space station. In 2016-2017, he also spent 197 days on orbit. He said that the destructive effects of human activities have been more apparent in the interim.
Macron stated that the U.N. climate conference must have a single goal: to accelerate humanity’s response.
The French leader stated that “there is still a great job ahead of us, I think we all know that.”
___
GLASGOW (Scotland) — Major coal-using countries announced that they would be weaning themselves of this polluting fossil fuel. However, some will have to wait a while.
Other promises made at the U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland include Thursday’s pledges to eliminate coal. A head of an international energy organisation said that the previous commitments had been reduced by a few tenths from future projections.
However, outside experts deemed that comment — in a tweet and not in a thorough report — “optimistic”.
There was also optimism about the promises made on coal, which has one of the largest carbon footprints of all the major fuels. It is also a significant source for planet-warming emission.
Alok Sharma, who chairs the conference of almost 200 nations known as COP26, stated that “Today I believe we can say the end of coalis in sight.”
Forecasters who were more skeptical noted that many major economies have yet to set a date for ending dependence on oil, including Japan, China, India, and India.
Outside of the COP26 venue protestors dressed as animated characters blasted Japan for its continued coal use.
___
COPENHAGEN (Danemark) — Thursday’s announcement by the Danish government indicated that it would donate 100 million Kroner ($15.6 Million) to support efforts to decommission coal power stations and to invest in renewable energy sources.
“The Danish government is working to eliminate coal and invest massively in green energy sources as part of our comprehensive climate efforts,” Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod stated in a statement.
Minister for Climate and Energy Dan Joergensen stated that the money would be used to help “coal-intensive countries reduce their coal consumption and create income opportunities in local communities. This is vital for accelerating the energy transition.”
Denmark’s money will be used to fund the Climate Investment Fund’s new Accelerating Coal Transition Program. The initial focus will be on South Africa and India, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
According to the Danish government, the program supports alternative employment for the population living in the impacted areas.
___
SOULAINES DHUYS, France — The central issue in the negotiations for the future energy strategy of the world at the climate talks in Glasgow (Scotland) is nuclear power
Critics lament its high price, the unjustifiable damage done by nuclear accidents and the radioactive waste that remains.
However, a growing number of proponents – including climate scientists and environmental experts – argue that nuclear power is the best way to combat climate change.
They also note that it emits very few harmful emissions and is generally safer than any other energy source. They claim that nuclear accidents are rare but scary, and pollution from coal and other fossil fuels is a daily cause of death and disease.
Many countries are pushing for nuclear energy to be included in the climate plans being negotiated at the conference in Glasgow known as COP26.
The European Union is currently debating whether nuclear energy should be considered “green”. This decision will drive billions of euro in investment over the years. This has global implications as other countries could follow the EU’s lead.
However, nuclear waste is still a problem. The most radioactive material can be toxic for thousands of years.
___ GLASGOW (Scotland) — Britain’s government claims that the “end to coal” is within sight after 18 countries, including Chile, Vietnam, and Poland, committed for the first-time to eliminate and not invest or build new coal power.
This statement was made Wednesday at the U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow. It stated that more than 40 countries have committed to ending all investment in new coal power generation both domestically and internationally as well as scaling up clean power generation. Participants also pledge to phase out coal power by the 2030s for large economies and 2040s in smaller economies.
Separately, the statement stated that Chile and Singapore had joined a U.K. led alliance to phase out coal. This alliance includes more than 150 countries and businesses like HSBC and NatWest banks.
Kwasi Kwarteng, U.K.’s business secretary, said that it was a “milestone moment” in global efforts to combat climate change.
Ed Miliband, the business spokesperson for the Labour Party, stated that there were “glaring holes” in the plan. He cited a lack of commitment by China and other large emitters to reduce coal consumption at home. He also said that there was no information on the gradual elimination of oil and natural gas.
