By Valerie Volcovici, Jake Spring and Kate Abnett.December 12, 20233:09 PM GMT+8Updated 2 hours ago in reuters.com
Summary
COP28 climate summit set to run into overtime
Draft deal drops call to ‘phase out’ fossil fuels.
EU, US, islands urge oil and gas exit; OPEC opposes.
DUBAI, Dec 12 (Reuters) – The COP28 climate summit was hurtling towards overtime early on Tuesday, 12th Dec 2023, with negotiators awaiting a new draft deal after many countries criticised a previous version as too weak because it omitted a “phase-out” of fossil fuels.
Countries gathered at the Dubai summit are attempting to agree on a global plan of action to limit climate change fast enough to avert more disastrous flooding, fatal heat and irreversible changes to the world’s ecosystems.
A draft of a final deal, published on Monday by the United Arab Emirates, which holds the presidency of the summit, suggested eight options countries “could” take to cut emissions.
One was “reducing both consumption and production of fossil fuels, in a just, orderly and equitable manner so as to achieve net zero by, before, or around 2050”.
That would be the first time in history that a U.N. climate summit has mentioned reducing use of all “fossil fuels”.
But the move fell short of the “phase-out” of coal, oil and gas demanded by many nations, or the emphasis on cutting their use this decade, which scientists say is necessary to avoid climate change escalating.
Negotiators were waiting for a new text on Tuesday, when the conference was set to close at 0700 GMT, although delegates said the deadline was no longer feasible. COP summits rarely finish on schedule.
The draft was criticised as too weak by participants such as Australia, Canada, Chile, the European Union, Norway and the United States, among the 100-strong group demanding a firm commitment to wean the world off coal, oil and gas.
Greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels are the main cause of climate change.
“The vast majority of countries want a stronger text – phase down with a view to a long-term phase-out, or transition away from fossil fuels,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told Reuters.
Brazil wants a stronger text on ditching fossil fuels, but one that makes clear rich and poor nations could do so in different timeframes, Environment Minister Marina Silva said.
“One of the shortcomings is it does not establish efforts to phase out fossil fuels,” Silva told reporters about the draft deal.
Representatives of small island nations said they would not approve a deal that was a “death warrant” for vulnerable countries hit hardest by rising sea levels.
“We will not go silently to our watery graves,” said John Silk, the head of the Marshall Islands’ delegation.
SAUDI PRESSURE
Sources familiar with the discussions said the United Arab Emirates’ COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber had faced pressure from Saudi Arabia, de facto leader of the OPEC oil producers’ group to which UAE belongs, to drop any mention of fossil fuels from the text – which he did not do.
Saudi Arabia’s government did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday. A COP28 negotiator for the country declined to comment on the text on Monday night.
In a Dec. 6 letter seen by Reuters, OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais urged members to reject any COP28 deal that targeted fossil fuels.
Negotiators and observers in the COP28 talks told Reuters that while Saudi Arabia has been the strongest opponent, other OPEC and OPEC+ members, including Iran, Iraq and Russia, have resisted attempts to insert a fossil fuel phase-out into the deal.
Deals at U.N. climate summits must be passed by consensus among the nearly 200 countries present. Then it is up to individual countries to deliver the globally agreed deal, through national policies and investments.
For oil-producing nations, a global deal at COP28 to ditch fossil fuels could signal a political willingness by other nations to slash their use of the lucrative products on which fuel-producing economies rely.
“Kuwait works according to a policy based on preserving the sources of petroleum wealth and their optimal exploitation and development,” Oil Minister Saad Al Barrak told the 12th Arab Energy Conference in Doha on Monday.
Despite the rapid growth of renewable energy, fossil fuels still produce about 80% of the world’s energy.
It was unclear if China, the world’s top greenhouse gas emitter, supported the draft.
Sources familiar with a meeting of COP28 negotiators in the early hours of Tuesday said Beijing had resisted a section of the text which said the world’s greenhouse gas emissions must peak before 2025.
China has committed to bring its climate-warming carbon dioxide emissions to a peak before 2030, although experts predict the goal will be met earlier.
Indian environment minister Bhupender Yadav also declined to comment on the latest draft deal.
EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said the draft deal was “disappointing” and the bloc would negotiate into overtime for a stronger text. “We will talk as long as necessary,” Hoekstra told reporters.
Reporting by Valerie Volcovici, Jake Spring, Kate Abnett, David Stanway, Gloria Dickie, Sarah McFarlane; Writing by Kate Abnett; Editing by Elizabeth Piper and Clarence Fernandez
December 12, 20233:28 PM GMT+8Updated an hour ago in reuters.com
Solar plant is a sustainable option that helps Brazilians save on energy bills, in Manaus.
An aerial view of the Bemol Solar plant outside Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil August 23, 2021. Picture taken with a drone August 23, 2021. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly Acquire Licensing Rights.
DUBAI/LONDON, Dec 12, 2023 (Reuters) – More than 100 countries at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai have agreed to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 – one of the least controversial commitments floated at the conference.
But they have given little detail on how they can make an industry running flat out go that much faster.
“It is realistic, but there are elements that need to be solved; permitting, leases, grid connections,” Anders Opedal, chief executive of Norway’s Equinor (EQNR.OL), a major renewable energy developer, told Reuters.
Renewable energy is key to meeting the 2015 Paris climate agreement to limit global warming. And while renewables are already expanding fast, this latest goal would require solar and wind power deployments to speed up a lot.
The tripling target would bring global renewable energy capacity to at least 11,000 gigawatts (GW) in just six years – more than 20% higher than current projections from BloombergNEF of around 9,000 GW by that time.
That would mean pumping up investment in renewables, which the International Energy Agency (IEA) says hit $600 billion globally last year, at a time some investors are retreating due to higher borrowing costs.
But the problems extend far beyond that.
Across the renewables industry, there are signs of strain. Supplies are short of everything from wind turbines to transformers. There is a labour shortage. The cost of wind and solar projects has spiralled up. And local opposition to big energy projects has slowed layered bureaucracy with years-long processes to get permits.
Developers also face long delays getting connected to the grid. And new high-voltage transmission lines to ease that bottleneck can take a decade or more to plan, permit and build, making the 2030 target more challenging.
“I don’t see clear signs that we are ready to overcome the barriers we have identified,” said Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency.
On the upside, the industry has regularly exceeded historical growth forecasts and there is more capital and more government support focused on it than ever before.
A record 500 GW of renewable capacity is expected to be added globally in 2023, according to think-tank Ember, up from 300 GW in 2022, with 12 countries – including China, Brazil, Australia and Japan – set to exceed national targets, it said.
Ember said global renewable capacity would need a sustained growth rate of 17% annually to triple by 2030, a pace it has already been posting since 2016.
FIXING IT
Financing the growth is a huge challenge.
Investment in renewables needs to more than double to over $1.2 tillion annually by 2030, to have tripled capacity and be on a path to net zero emissions for 2050, according to the IEA.
Infrastructure investors who helped catalyse the rapid expansion of solar and wind globally have tightened purse strings because of higher interest rates, making it harder to finance and sell projects.
Infrastructure funds raised $29 billion in the first nine months of the year, a precipitous decline from the $128 billion raised over the same period a year ago, according to data provided to Reuters by research firm Prequin.
Fabian Pötter, managing partner of 51 North Capital GmbH, which acts as a broker matching up investors with infrastructure funds, said he believed investment in the sector was now being left mainly to utilities.
The drop in infrastructure fundraising comes at a time when that cash is needed to build the networks to connect new projects to the grid.
“For every dollar invested in renewables, we need to see the same invested in the networks required to integrate them,” Ignacio Galan, Executive Chairman of Iberdrola (IBE.MC) said in an email to Reuters.
Countries with low credit ratings are struggling even more to attract investment in renewables. The UAE announced last week a $30 billion fund with asset managers BlackRock, TPG and Brookfield to catalyse investment into the Global South.
Logistical bottlenecks have also led to some costly setbacks for large-scale projects in some regions.
Orsted (ORSTED.CO), the world’s largest offshore wind developer, for example, last month scrapped two U.S. projects, flagging $5.6 billion in related impairments, after delays due in part to vessel availability led to soaring costs.
Some companies believe that the supply chains in wind and solar will expand with sustained demand, easing the constraints.
“It’s not so complex to build a manufacturing plant for solar cells,” Patrick Pouyanne, CEO of TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) told Reuters.
But it won’t be fast enough without more government support, including from countries that eagerly signed onto the pledge, some industry representatives said.
“That needs a discussion right after the COP; how do we deliver the grids, how do we get the permitting reform, how do we look at auctions?” said Morten Dyrholm, marketing executive at wind turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems A/S.
Reporting By Susanna Twidale and Sarah McFarlane; Editing by Ros Russell
December 12, 20239:11 AM GMT+8Updated 9 hours ago in reuters.com
Draft UN climate deal ditches fossil fuel phase-out.
Summary
COP28 climate change summit heads into final stretch.
New draft deal suggests ‘reducing’ use of fossil fuels.
Scraps previous call to ‘phase out’ coal, oil, gas.
EU, US, islands urge phase out; OPEC opposes
DUBAI, Dec 11, 2023, Monday (Reuters) –
A draft of a potential climate deal at the COP28 summit on Monday suggested a range of measures countries could take to slash greenhouse gas emissions, but omitted the “phase out” of fossil fuels many nations have demanded – drawing criticism from the U.S., EU and climate-vulnerable countries.
The draft has set the stage for contentious last-minute negotiations in the two-week summit in Dubai, which has laid bare deep international divisions over whether oil, gas and coal should have a place in a climate-friendly future.
A coalition of more than 100 countries have been pushing for an agreement would for the first time promise an eventual end to the oil age – but are up against opposition from members of the oil producer group OPEC.
COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber – [Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber is the chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company] – who has previously used the conference to call for a paradigm shift – urged the nearly 200 countries at the talks to redouble their efforts to finalize a deal ahead of the scheduled close of the conference on Tuesday, 12th Dec 2023, saying they “still have a lot to do”.
“You know what remains to be agreed. And you know that I want you to deliver the highest ambition on all items including on fossil fuel language,” he said.
The new draft of a COP28 agreement, published by the United Arab Emirates’ presidency of the summit, proposed various options but did not refer to a “phase out” of fossil fuels.
Instead, it listed eight options that countries could use to cut emissions, including: “reducing both consumption and production of fossil fuels, in a just, orderly and equitable manner so as to achieve net zero by, before, or around 2050”.
Other actions listed included tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030, “rapidly phasing down unabated coal” and scaling up technologies including those to capture CO2 emissions to keep them from the atmosphere.
Alden Meyer, a senior associate at environmental think tank E3G, criticised the new deal as “basically an a la carte menu that allows countries to individually choose what they want to do.”
Despite the fact emissions from burning fossil fuels are by far the main driver of climate change, 30 years’ worth of international climate negotiations have never resulted in a global agreement to cut their use.
The text triggered a protest from dozens of delegates who stood in near silence, holding hands and lining the long route into a room where negotiators gathered, forcing them to run an eerie gauntlet before getting back to work.
“Please give us a good text,” one delegate pleaded as negotiators filed in.
U.S. Special Climate Envoy John Kerry told the meeting, which ran for around three hours, that the draft agreement had to be strengthened.
“We’re not where we’re meant to be in terms of the text,” Kerry said. “Many of us have called for the world to largely phase out fossil fuels, and that starts with a critical reduction this decade.”
Speaking with voice worn hoarse by the summit, he said the outcome of COP28 was existential: “This is a war for survival”.
EU chief negotiator Wopke Hoekstra told reporters the draft was “clearly insufficient and not adequate to addressing the problem we are here to address.”
Representatives from Pacific Island nations Samoa and the Marshall Islands, already suffering the impacts of rising seas, said the draft was a death sentence.
United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 in Dubai.
[1/3]COP28 Director-General Majid Al Suwaidi speaks at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 11, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya Acquire Licensing Rights.
“We will not go silently to our watery graves,” said John Silk, the head of the Marshall Islands delegation.
“We cannot sign on to a text that does not have strong commitment on phasing out fossil fuels,” Samoa environment minister Cedric Schuster told reporters.
Dan Jorgensen, the Danish climate minister, said he believed many countries opposed the current text. “So, it was clear that this is only the starting point and that we are not even close to getting a result.”
A new draft document is expected early on Tuesday, 12th Dec 2023, which would leave little time for further disagreement ahead of the conference’s scheduled close at 0700 GMT. COP summits rarely finish on schedule.
Sources familiar with the discussions said the UAE had come under pressure from Saudi Arabia, de facto leader of the OPEC oil producers’ group of which UAE is a member, to drop any mention of fossil fuels from the text.
Saudi Arabia’s government did not respond to requests for comment on Monday.
CONSENSUS
It was unclear if China, currently the world’s top greenhouse gas emitter, supported the draft.
Leaving their pavilion late on Monday, senior members of the China delegation, including chief envoy Xie Zhenhua, did not respond to questions.
But observers noted that some of the language in the document was in line with China’s previous policy positions, as well as parts of the Sunnylands agreement signed by China and the United States in November.
The Sunnylands agreement did not use phrases like “phasing out” but instead called for the accelerated substitution of coal, oil and gas with renewable energy sources, and backed the pledge to triple renewable energy by 2030.
Speaking to ministers and negotiators on Sunday, a representative for Saudi Arabia’s delegation said a COP28 deal should not pick and choose energy sources but should instead focus on cutting emissions.
That position echoes a call made by OPEC in a letter to its members earlier in the summit, seen by Reuters, which asked them to oppose any language targeting fossil fuels directly.
Deals at U.N. climate summits must be passed by consensus among the nearly 200 countries present.
Developing nations have said any COP28 deal to overhaul the world’s energy system must be matched with sufficient financial support to help them do this.
“We need support as developing countries and economies for a just transition,” said Colombia’s Environment Minister Susana Muhamad. Colombia supports phasing out fossil fuels.
Despite the rapid growth of renewable energy, fossil fuels still produce around 80% of the world’s energy.
Negotiators told Reuters that other OPEC and OPEC+ members including Russia, Iraq and Iran, have also resisted attempts to insert a fossil fuel phase-out into the COP28 deal.
Reporting by Kate Abnett, Valerie Volcovivi, David Stanway, Sarah McFarlane, Maha el Dahan, Elizabeth Piper Jake Spring and Gloria Dickie; Editing by Katy Daigle, Alex Richardson, David Evans and Lisa Shumaker.
December 12, 2023 – 5:02 PM GMT+8Updated an hour ago in Reuters.com
United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28, in Dubai.
COP28 Director-General Majid Al Suwaidi speaks during a press conference at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 12, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky Acquire Licensing Rights.
DUBAI, Dec 12, 2023, Tuesday (Reuters) – Cop28 Director General Majid Al Suwaidi said on Tuesday the summit’s presidency wanted to include a “historic” mention on the future of fossil fuels in the next draft text for a deal, but it was up to the almost 200 nations to agree at the talks.
Speaking to journalists after the latest text triggered widespread criticism for failing to include language on ending the use of fossil fuels, Al Suwaidi said that draft was always intended to “spark conversations”.
He said the presidency, held by the United Arab Emirates, now knew the countries’ “red lines”, and would draft another text to include “all the elements we need for a comprehensive plan to 2030”.
“At this COP we are trying to do something that has never been done before, something historic … Part of this is to include fossil fuels in the text. If we can, that would be historic,” he said.
Referring to the state of negotiations, he said: “Many issues remain open and that is normal at this stage.”
He said the draft text released on Monday to outrage among some developed countries and small island states was meant to be a starting point for discussions, “and that’s what’s happened” – leading to almost all-night talks.
“By releasing our first draft of the text, we got parties to come to us quickly with those red lines,” he said.
“We spent last night talking, taking in that feedback and that has put us in the position to draft a new text.”
Reporting by Gloria Dickie and Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Katy Daigle.
But Singapore’s commitment is to end the import of LNG in 2050. It will be burning more of our money for the next 27 years in the hundreds of billions, which we cannot save as we have no solution at present to replace LNG.
Surely, we know renewable energy and not LNG will lead to reduction in our COL, and the production of cheaper goods for export by sustaining our competitiveness internationally when more countries become 100% users of renewable energy. We cannot short change ourselves even if it means no more oil sector in our economy.
With 100% renewable energy in use worldwide, there will be desalination for more potable water, and many countries can contain desertification and deforestation better.
The UN must promote the reduction of carbon emission in all forms of transportation on land, in the air and at sea, including in the manufacturing and processing industries.
All at COP28 must promote for more countries to become 100% users of renewable energy before 2030, leaving no one behind, including Singapore.
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Is it that red dot has no solution now, no technology, and have to wait till 2050? Also, is it there is no money for it now, but only possible in 2050 to pay for the technological solutions?
Why red dot is not ready to import C&G electricity now, but have to wait till 2050 to end the importing and burning of LNG?
When will red dot seriously consider having JVs now and not in 2050 to import renewable C&G electricity from Asean countries and even from Darwin or Perth to end the import of LNG by latest 2030 and not in 2050?
Is the delay and indecision to import renewable C&G electricity on a big scale due to the huge sunk-in cost in the underground LNG storage tunnels that we cannot write it off and have to be held hostage by the decision until 2050 to bring the storage thing to a close?
Where are the computers to generate the numbers at the MOF to analyse and determine the differences in the cost benefit for the government to make this important decision?
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Singapore should ask at this COP:
What will go very wrong if, if all countries become 100% users of renewable clean and green electricity now, and not in 2050, replacing fossil oil, LNG and coal?
Easy solution is to be like Denmark by becoming 100% users of renewable clean and green energy.
Not all countries can get it done now. Singapore’s commitment is only till 2050 for us to end the import of LNG to generate our electricity. It will be more burning of our money for the next 27 years, and in the hundred of billions, which we cannot save as we have no solution at present to end LNG.
Surely, we know renewable energy and not more LNG will lead to reduction in COL and in the production of cheaper goods for export, become more competitive geopolitically, financially, and economically.
It will lead to more desalination to have potable water, contain desertification and deforestation by many countries, and will make it possible to create more arable land out of waste land. It will increase our supply chains and more new sources for us to import our food, keeping our COL down.
At least, please at least reduce the burning of LNG and fossil oil, and for the sake of better health, better reduction in medical bills, and reduce the total medical costs for our nation and people.
UN cannot see the bigger picture to contain and reduce carbon emission in all forms of transportation on land, in the air and at sea, including all forms of manufacturing and processing industries. We must not ourselves miss the woods for the trees.
Please be upfront to promote for more countries to become 100% users of renewable energy now, and set the example for all to emulate.
Please promote it on 30th Nov 2023 in Dubai, UAE at the 28th UN COP Conference, and do not leave regrets for future generations after 2050.
Big carbon polluters are the mega cities, and Singapore is one of them, especially those on flat land no hydro or wind power, and inadequate land for solar farms, and those with temperate climatic seasons burning fossil oil, LNG and coal.
When there is no more demand for all three, LNG, fossil oil and coal, it will become worthless, obsolete. There will be less hegemony and greed for it, and less friction and wars in the Middle East. Please return the desert for the camels to roam over it like in the 18th century.
Less spending on military weapons will mean more can be spent on education, health and for material well-being. It will bring about a sustainable and prosperous way of life for all mankind. Please see the bigger picture by ending the use of fossil oil, LNG and coal, which have polluted the earth in a big way from the 19th century.
This is the 21st Holy Century for humans to bring this altruistic level of government into being. It is possible. Singapore must take the lead, set a good example for the sake of all mankind.
It is the only hope for all humankind to live as true humans should on earth peacefully in abundance, and free of financial anxiety, less carbon emission, better health and happiness.
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COP28, the world’s largest climate conference ever held, gets under way in Dubai on Nov 30. The mission of the two-week United Nations talks: to reach a global deal that pulls the world back from the brink of climate disaster. The talks involving nearly 200 nations and an estimated 70,000 people are occurring during what is expected to be the hottest year on record, one marked by extreme heatwaves, wildfires, storms and catastrophic floods and evidence of accelerating melting of glaciers and ice caps. There is urgency in the air in Dubai. The world needs to accelerate the phasing out of fossil fuels and dramatically scale up renewable energy and electrification of transport. Crucially, trillions of dollars in financing is needed for poorer nations to pay for clean energy, adapt to worsening climate impacts and fund the transition of millions of workers to greener industries. None of these is a new idea. It has been clear for decades what needs to be done.
And this is the major problem with UN climate talks: They have struggled to deliver agreements that match the increasing pace of climate change. The annual talks of 2023, called the Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, are the 28th instalment. Getting agreement between 200 nations is hard and tackling climate change means huge economic transformations for energy, manufacturing, transport and many other industries. That transformation is under way, but not at the pace that is needed.
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S’pore aims to channel $6.6b towards greening region, fostering partnerships: SM Teo at COP28
The first Global Stocktake – an inventory of how countries are taking climate action – presents a timely opportunity for the world to correct its course to keep the target of 1.5 deg C within reach, he stressed.
“This can only be achieved if we deliver substantive, inclusive, and balanced outcomes at COP28 across mitigation, adaptation as well as means of implementation.
“At this critical juncture, we need to foster even stronger multilateral cooperation than before,” he said, noting that Singapore was reaffirming its commitment to domestic climate action, regional partnerships and global collaboration.
On the domestic front, Singapore has already raised its climate ambition – with a goal of reaching net zero by 2050, and reducing emissions to 60 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2030, after peaking emissions earlier.
The previous target was to peak emissions at 65 million tonnes in 2030, and for emissions to drop to net zero by 2050.
Among a range of measures, its carbon tax will also be increased from $5 per tonne currently to $25 per tonne from 2024, and progressively to $50 to $80 per tonne by 2030, making it one of the highest in Asia, said Mr Teo.
During the two-day summit on Dec 1 and 2, about 140 world leaders spelt out their actions to tackle climate change, which include new renewable energy investments and fresh finance pledges, to build the momentum on climate action at the start of the two-week conference.
To improve regional cooperation, the Republic is doing its part to accelerate Asia’s energy transition by channelling finance to do so, and to facilitate the trade of clean energy regionally.
It will be launching a new blended finance initiative, known as the Financing Asia’s Transition Partnerships (FAST-P), that will mobilise up to US$5 billion.
Blended finance refers to getting cheaper sources of funding such as grants, and non-commercial loans from the public sector, to make marginally bankable projects less risky to attract private-sector financing. Marginally bankable projects are projects which typically do not attract private-sector financing because they may not be as profitable, such as climate adaptation projects like building sustainable infrastructure and mangrove planting.
The US$5 billion will be directed to transition projects, which refers to measures by carbon-intensive companies to lower their emissions, and marginally bankable green projects.
It is estimated that Asia will need approximately US$1.7 trillion in climate and infrastructure investments each year through 2030 to decarbonise its economies.
Singapore has also partnered with Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam to import around 4 gigawatts of low-carbon electricity by 2035, said Mr Teo.
In addition, the country will be sharing its findings from a local study on climate science and the regional impacts of climate change, so that countries in the region can better adapt to its impact, be it through enhanced food, water, and heat resilience, or through coastal and flood protection – from sea level rise.
“Singapore is committed to helping forge global consensus, to achieve substantive, balanced and inclusive outcomes,” SM Teo added.
He pointed out that Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu will be co-facilitating negotiations on mitigation with Norway, while Singapore’s chief negotiator Joseph Teo will facilitate talks on the Global Stocktake – a health check on the 2015 Paris Agreement goals – as co-chairman with the United Kingdom.
Singapore is also supporting a range of global initiatives which call for “collective and inclusive” climate action, said Mr Teo.
For one, it is supporting the Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge – which refers to the tripling of the global installed capacity of renewable energy sources to 11 terawatts by 2030.
Under the pledge, the global rate of energy efficiency improvements from 2020 to 2030 must also be doubled compared to the previous decade.
In a bid to help reduce the global dependence on coal, the Singapore government is prepared to purchase transition credits if they meet local standards for high environmental integrity, said Mr Teo. Transition credits are a new class of carbon credits that can be generated from reductions in emissions when high-emitting coal-fired power plants are retired early, ahead of their lifespan, and replaced with cleaner energy sources.
This means that if it is proven to be credible, the Singapore government can purchase the credits to meet its national climate target. Companies, too, can purchase the credits to fulfil part of their carbon tax obligations.
To support the overall goal of halting and reversing deforestation by 2030, Singapore was among 26 countries to join the Forest and Climate Leaders’ Partnership at COP27.
It will be among a number of countries and companies that will be supporting Ghana in scaling its carbon markets by generating high quality and high integrity carbon markets, mobilising finance for the West African country to transition to sustainable agriculture and mining, and helping it to transform its timber sector.
Singapore will also be signing a number of agreements to support carbon credits and low-carbon solutions with countries like Papua New Guinea.
Said SM Teo: “The window of opportunity to tackle climate change, the existential crisis of this generation, is small and closing quickly.
“We must urgently grasp this chance to course-correct and take decisive action to keep the target of 1.5 deg C in sight.”
COP28: Singapore reaffirms commitment to domestic climate action, global collaboration
Singapore will also announce the Financing Asia’s Transition Partnerships (FAST-P) – an initiative that aims to mobilise up to US$5 billion in green finance – at COP28, says Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean.
SINGAPORE: The 2015 Paris Agreement provided the framework for all the world’s nations, including Singapore, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The world, however, is on track to heat up between 2.1 degrees Celsius and 2.9 degrees Celsius by 2100, according to the 2022 report by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The UN also warned earlier this week that plans to expand oil, gas and coal production by major fossil fuel countries would push the world far beyond the Paris deal’s global warming limit.
Speaking at the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai on Saturday (Dec 2), Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean referenced the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events of late, including heatwaves in Asia as “clear warning signs”.
COP28 will see the conclusion of the first Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement and the annual climate meeting is a “timely opportunity for the world to keep the target of 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach”, said Mr Teo.
As the window of opportunity to tackle climate change is “small and closing quickly”, he stressed this was an opportunity to “course-correct” and “take decisive action” to keep the aim set in Paris in sight.
To this end, Singapore “reaffirms its commitment to domestic climate action, regional partnerships and global collaboration”, Mr Teo said.
DOMESTIC CLIMATE ACTION
Mr Teo noted that Singapore raised its climate ambition in 2022, having submitted the enhanced Long-term Low Emissions Development Strategy (LEDS) with a goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Singapore also updated its 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to reduce its emissions to 60 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by that year.
On Singapore’s carbon tax, Mr Teo said it covered around 80 per cent of national greenhouse gas emissions – one of the highest coverages in the world.
This carbon tax will be raised five-fold in 2024 to S$25 (US$19) per tonne of emissions, and progressively to S$50 to S$80 by 2030, making it “one of the highest in Asia”, he added.
“This will send a strong price signal and drive emitters to decarbonise, while giving companies greater price certainty for forward planning.”
Mr Teo said Singapore’s policy of zero-growth in the car population has been in place since 2018 and the aim was for all vehicles to run on cleaner energy by 2040.
He added that Singapore was also developing a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supply ecosystem, noting that the country was now home to the largest SAF production site in the world, after Finnish energy company Neste completed the US$1.76 billion expansion of its Singapore refinery in May.
Stronger emission standards for the power sector have also been implemented, with all new and repowered natural gas power plants to be 10 per cent more efficient and at least 30 per cent hydrogen-compatible by volume from2024.
While Mr Teo acknowledged that Singapore is “alternative energy disadvantaged” due to the “lack of domestic mitigation options”, it has invested into solar power to overcome those restraints.
He said Singapore is halfway towards achieving its target of 2 gigawatt-peak of solar deployment by 2030, while Southeast Asia’s first floating and stacked Energy Storage System will start operations in Singapore in 2024.
REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
Mr Teo reiterated that Singapore is committed to working with other parties to deliver on its climate action pledges through regional partnerships.
With Asia needing an estimated US$1.7 trillion in climate and infrastructure investments per annum through 2030, Singapore will announce the Financing Asia’s Transition Partnerships (FAST-P) initiative at COP28.
This initiative aims to mobilise up to US$5 billion in finance, bringing together “public and private sector partners to de-risk and finance transition and marginally-bankable green projects in Asia”, he said.
Mr Teo added that Singapore has already announced plans to import around 4GW of low-carbon electricity from Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam by 2035, underpinning the joint vision of an ASEAN Power Grid to strengthen energy resilience in the region.
He also touched on other initiatives by Singapore such as the conducting of regional capability-building activities to strengthen collective climate resilience.
These efforts help to “advance adaptation priority areas such as food, water and heat resilience, as well as coastal and flood protection”.
GLOBAL COLLABORATION
Singapore is already involved in the promotion of knowledge sharing and mutual learning among countries, Mr Teo said.
About 150,000 officials from over 180 countries, territories, and intergovernmental organisations have participated in programmes covering topics like climate adaptation and mitigation, disaster risk management, and green finance via the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) and its Sustainability Action Package (SAP).
Among the initiatives that Singapore is supporting at COP28 is the co-sponsoring of the Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge, with Mr Teo noting that Singapore’s energy intensity is ranked 11th lowest, when compared to 38 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
Singapore also supports the COP28 Presidency’s Early Coal Retirement Initiative to reduce global dependence on coal and is “prepared to offtake transition credits if it meets our standards for high environmental integrity”.
To support the development of emerging technological and market solutions, Mr Teo also said Singapore will be signing Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and Implementation Agreements (IAs) on carbon credits and low-carbon solutions cooperation with countries such as Papua New Guinea.
On Saturday, Singapore signed the MOU on Article 6 collaboration with Rwanda, which aims to address “our shared challenge of climate change”.
“Under our Article 6.2 bilateral approaches, Singapore is prepared to contribute 5 per cent of our share of carbon credit proceeds to support climate adaptation in Rwanda, ensuring that projects have broader sustainable development benefits,” Mr Teo said in a separate speech.
Both countries will collaborate on carbon credits aligned with Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement and related carbon market initiatives, including the exchange of best practices and knowledge on carbon market mechanisms.
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The Straits Times’ Editorial says.
Cities must heed climate message.
UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO on 19th July 2023 in ST.
Climate change spares no nation or city, as recent extreme heatwave and flood events have shown.
Every place on the planet is now affected in some way by global warming, according to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – the UN’s top climate science body.
Even the most developed nations are at risk, as the devastating floods in South Korea have shown.
More than 40 people have died in floods and landslides in the southern and central regions since last week, with more rain on the way. At least 14 died in a flooded road tunnel and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has called for an overhaul of the country’s disaster response system.
The lesson from this disaster, and from the recent floods that have hit Japan, India and the north-east of the United States, is the urgent need to adapt to a world of greater extremes. That world is not in the future as some still believe. It is here and now.
Cities are especially vulnerable, given the concentration of people, homes and infrastructure. But they are far from being helpless.
There are abundant solutions to help cities adapt to floods – and heat. Singapore has steadily improved its drainage system, including tunnels and underground retention tanks to divert flood waters.
Tokyo has invested heavily in similar schemes. Parks and green spaces can be created to soak up excess water, such as Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park and Seoul’s revamp of Cheonggyecheon Stream.
Green roofs absorb rainwater, reduce urban heat, and can grow vegetables. New York has created rain gardens that divert water from roads and sidewalks, allowing it to sink into the soil instead of overloading drains.
These adaptations and more will be needed to cope with worsening floods and heat. Also critical is more careful thought on where to build, such as avoiding floodplains, and designing more flood- and heat-resilient structures.
As the planet continues to warm, due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases mainly from burning fossil fuels and deforestation, the atmosphere is able to retain more moisture. That means more rain and more intense bursts of rainfall. Warmer oceans also provide more heat and moisture for storms.
Climate scientists say the global water cycle – the water that goes up into the air and then comes down as rainfall – is accelerating at twice the rate global climate models have projected.
This helps to explain some of the intense flooding events of late and underscores the growing threat to cities.
But far from being a hopeless narrative, cities can instead respond with bold investments to reduce the risks and, in the process, create more liveable places.
The onus is on policymakers, urban planners and developers to take action or run the risk of worse disasters as the climate crisis tightens its grip on the planet
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An oil boss will lead UN climate talks. Will he really push the green agenda?
He heads the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. Will this conflict with his new role leading COP28?
Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, speaking at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. PHOTO: AFP
One of the world’s most influential oil and gas executives has just been appointed president of the United Nations’ climate talks that will be hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the end of the year.
The decision at first glance seems riddled with conflicts of interest, given that the use of fossil fuels has caused a sharp increase in the amount of planet-heating carbon emissions in the atmosphere, and this increase is driving climate change. Despite the threat, the fossil fuel industry wants to expand production.
Since the UN Paris climate agreement was adopted in 2015, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from oil have increased 1.7 per cent and those from gas by 16.2 per cent, according to the Global Carbon Project, a scientific consortium that tracks greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate activists say the appointment of Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), means the fossil fuel industry has captured the UN climate talks process and threatens efforts to step up global climate action.
The UAE government denies this and says Dr Al Jaber, as president-designate of the COP28 talks, aims to deliver an ambitious climate deal that will require stronger action commitments from all nations, drive investment in clean energy and bring together industry, governments and civil society.
Yet, Adnoc is among the world’s largest oil and gas companies and has ambitious expansion plans. It will boost oil production capacity to five million barrels per day by 2027 from more than four million barrels per day now, as part of a US$150 billion (S$198 billion) investment plan, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights. The company is also increasing its annual liquefied natural gas production capacity to 15.6 million tonnes a year from six million now, to feed growing demand in Asia and Europe.
At the same time, the company will be spending US$15 billion on clean energy and low-carbon projects by 2030 and has pledged to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The UAE has also invested US$50 billion in renewable energy projects in 70 nations. But its oil and gas investments still dominate.
Dr Al Jaber and the UAE face a near-impossible balancing act in hosting COP28: driving ambitious climate action while also backing big increases in oil and gas production. To some observers, that raises deep questions about conflict of interest and being a credible host of the climate talks.
Dr Al Jaber believes more investment in oil and gas is needed to meet the world’s energy needs as green energy investment accelerates.
During the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference in November 2021, he told delegates: “The oil and gas industry will have to invest more than US$600 billion each year until 2030 just to keep up with the expected demand.”
Yet, as the UAE’s special envoy for climate change, he also understands the mounting global climate risks, from extreme floods and storms to crippling heatwaves and droughts, and the urgent need to get emissions down.
The energy transition is a big part of that. Dr Al Jaber has been key in the UAE’s drive to invest in renewable energy and cut emissions from its oil and gas sector. He is also chair of Masdar, a state-owned renewable-energy company and major global investor in green energy.
United States climate envoy John Kerry cited Dr Al Jaber’s experience as a diplomat and business leader.
“Dr Sultan is an experienced diplomat and businessperson, including as chairman of Masdar, and this unique combination will help bring all of the necessary stakeholders to the table to move faster and at scale,” said Mr Kerry on Twitter last Friday, a day after Dr Al Jaber’s appointment.
In a speech at the weekend at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi, Dr Al Jaber stressed the urgent need to accelerate the transition to clean energy and cut greenhouse gas emissions that are heating up the planet.
He said the world is failing to meet the key goals of the Paris climate agreement, including limiting warming to 1.5 deg C above pre-industrial levels.
“And the hard reality is that in order to achieve this goal, global emissions must fall 43 per cent by 2030 (on 2019 levels). To add to that challenge, we must decrease emissions at a time of continued economic uncertainty, heightened geopolitical tensions and increasing pressure on energy security.”
Global greenhouse gas emissions are still rising and the world economy remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels, although renewable energy investment and electrification of the automotive sector are accelerating.
‘Cut emissions, not progress’
Still, Dr Al Jaber believes in minimising as much as possible the emission intensiveness of the oil and gas sector. Yet there are limits to reducing CO2 and methane pollution from oil and gas extraction and processing. The sector is also the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, comprising roughly half of all energy-related emissions.
“We need to ensure a just transition that leaves no one behind,” Dr Al Jaber told the energy forum, referring to the green energy transition. “And as long as the world still uses hydrocarbons, we must ensure they are the least carbon intensive possible.”
He added: “Let’s keep our focus on holding back emissions, not progress.”
He sees no contradiction in fossil fuel expansion or the risks in locking in polluting infrastructure for decades to come even as renewable energy has become the fastest-growing segment of the energy sector.
But this view is the polar opposite of findings of the UN’s top climate science panel, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It said that unless there are immediate and deep emission reductions across all sectors, limiting global warming to 1.5 deg C is beyond reach.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) said there can be no new fossil fuel projects as of end-2021 to avoid busting 1.5 deg C. The planet has already warmed 1.15 deg C above pre-industrial levels, triggering wilder weather and rising sea levels.
There is recognition that the world needs fossil fuels to transition to clean energy. The money spent on new fossil fuel capacity should instead be directed to clean energy investment, the UN says. The head of the International Renewable Energy Agency, Mr Francesco La Camera, has said renewable energy generation must triple every year from now till 2030 to limit the risks from climate change. The IEA has also called for trillions to be invested in green energy this decade.
Fossil fuel call
As COP28 president, Dr Al Jaber’s role will be to forge consensus and reflect the views of all nations and put aside national self-interest. He will face growing calls for any outcome to reflect the need to phase out fossil fuels. Forging a consensus on the way forward will not be easy, even leaving aside his connections to oil and gas.
At COP27 in Egypt in 2022, dozens of nations called for a strong reference to fossil fuels in the final decision text. But any reference to phasing out fossil fuels was removed, leading to a weak outcome that many climate-vulnerable nations said failed to reflect the climate change emergency.
COP28 will also need to fully operationalise the loss and damage fund agreed to in Egypt to help poorer nations cope with increasingly hazardous impacts of climate change.
The UAE conference also needs to deliver the UN global stock take – a report card on the progress all nations have made in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. But as Dr Al Jaber noted in his speech: “We don’t need to wait for the stock take to know what it will say. We are way off track.”
Climate activists fear COP28 will be dominated by fossil fuel interests and that Dr Al Jaber’s loyalties might swing the other way, notwithstanding his rhetoric about getting tough on emissions.
“The appointment of an oil CEO as #COP28UAE president threatens the credibility of the climate talks at a time when countries should be discussing how to rapidly phase out oil and gas,” said Mr Romain Ioualalen, global policy campaign manager of campaign group Oil Change International, in a tweet.
Mr Alex Rafalowicz, director of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, tweeted: “Even before #COP28 starts, UAE appointing the CEO of its national oil company as president raises serious questions about the global commitment to shift off coal, oil and gas. The level of conflict of interest seems to grow with each COP climate talks.”
Stepping on the gas
The man at the centre of this controversy, however, has bigger concerns on his mind. Dr Al Jaber sees the UAE and COP28 as a chance to bridge deep differences between rich and poor nations and tackle the divisive issue of finance to support green investment and climate impacts in poorer nations.
“We want it to be a COP of solidarity that bridges the global north and south, and includes public and private sectors, scientists and civil society, women and youth,” he told the energy forum.
The UAE government said it expects more than 70,000 people to attend COP28, to be held at Expo City Dubai. This would make it by far the largest climate gathering in history and, like the Egypt talks, a huge climate trade show for governments, businesses, civil society and academia.
Much is riding on COP28 for the UAE and its reputation of building the biggest and the best. The government has been heavily promoting the climate talks and its credentials. But marketing spin will get you only so far.
This is a climate COP that has to deliver and put to rest doubts about the UAE’s abilities and motives. It is also about the optics of the UN climate process. A weak outcome at COP28 will only further tarnish the UN’s image.
For now, the UAE deserves the full support of all nations. It also needs encouragement to win agreement on the most ambitious climate deal possible and put aside personal self-interest.
Climate change impacts are getting worse and having costly effects on lives and economies, as illustrated by the floods in Pakistan in 2022 and the ongoing storms and flooding in California.
You can’t fight climate change by applying the brakes with green energy investment while also stepping on the gas pedal.
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Why the UN dare not voice for negotiation by mega city basis?
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Do the world leaders ask what will be the total saving if all the mega cities become 100% users of green and clean electricity tomorrow, and not in 2050?
What will be the write-off losses on the industries of fossil oil, coal and energy?
What will be the improvement on the environment and the health of human beings?
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An analysis of trade-offs and benefits is needed, as well as greater clarity on the basics of climate change compensation
Euston Quah and Tan Jun RuiThe agreement to set up a loss and damage fund at COP27 has implications for Singapore, and it is prudent to examine them closely, say the authors. PHOTO: ST FILE
UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO on 9th Dec 2022 in Straits Times.
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A key outcome of the recently concluded COP27 United Nations climate change summit in Egypt was the agreement to set up a loss and damage fund. The global fund, hailed as a breakthrough deal, will provide financial aid to poorer countries hit by climate disasters.Singapore’s Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu welcomed it as a positive move, but said that the possibility of the Republic contributing to a donor base for climate finance was still to be negotiated.Several weeks on from the November conference, its outcome is still being digested – both the successes and compromises as well as the failure to do more to rein in climate-changing emissions, such as participants affirming the use of fossil fuels for the near future.As for the fund, unaddressed are questions of how losses will be calculated, who pays and how much. Working out these details is expected to happen over the next year.For decades, developed countries have called for expanding the donor base for climate finance, specifically looking at high-income countries that are still classified as developing countries, such as Singapore, South Korea and Qatar.
A 2022 report by the Overseas Development Institute identified countries with high per capita income and high cumulative emissions as making them increasingly qualified to pay for climate finance. Given that Singapore ranks 27th out of 142 countries in terms of emissions per capita based on the latest International Energy Agency data, the agreement to set up a loss and damage fund has implications for the Republic. And it is prudent for us to examine them closely ahead of negotiations.
The need to tread cautiously
Most immediately, what is clear is that we should not jump on the loss-and-damage fund bandwagon so quickly.
Singapore does not need to take direct responsibility for the existential climate crisis in least developed nations, as our share of absolute global emissions is very minimal – around 0.11 per cent of global carbon emissions, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
However, studies have shown that our contributions to global emissions in relative terms from the food, speciality chemicals and shipping sectors are not insignificant. On the other hand, costs for research and development are being incurred to facilitate adoption of green fuels, technologies and policies. Singapore has also committed to a $100 billion fund to protect the country against sea-level rises.
Our monetary contribution to the loss and damage fund in our domestic budget may entail additional trade-offs, given our planned climate change mitigation and adaptation spending – and the uncertain global economic and environmental outlook.
For example, COP27’s reluctance to cease the use of fossil fuels may see more countries becoming more protectionist in exporting natural gas, given continuing high demand for relatively cleaner fossil fuels. Even renewable energies are not spared as countries seek to protect this nascent sector. Indonesia is likely to want to reduce the sales volume of piped natural gas to Singapore under the new gas supply contract. Malaysia ceased renewable energy exports to Singapore in 2021, and India has also restricted the export of its carbon credits to protect its renewable energy industry.
Future developments along these lines could pose challenges to Singapore’s energy security and reduce the economic gains from pursuing greener sources of energy.
Another point: Singapore should prioritise countries within our region when investing in the enhancement of international climate resilience before looking to aid countries in other regions.
A study shows that unabated climate change can potentially reduce South-east Asia’s economic growth by 7.5 per cent annually and cost US$28 trillion (S$38 trillion) over the second half of the century.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
COP27 seals climate deal, but no tough action to phase out fossil fuels
Expanding Singapore’s climate finance contributions to be negotiated: Grace Fu
As Ms Fu pointed out to reporters at COP27, Singapore already provides financial support via the South-east Asia Disaster Risk Insurance Facility for Asean states in climate and disaster risk financing.
Strategically, however, there is a lack of studies on integrating relevant parts of each South-east Asian country’s national decarbonisation strategies into a regional framework. For example, there has been much interest over how Singapore’s utilisation of long-distance transmission lines to import green electricity can extend to all countries in the region.
Therefore, the Economic Growth Centre at Nanyang Technological University is engaged in a study, via the Asia headquarters of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, on the feasibility of a greener and well-connected regional electricity grid to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 for the whole region.
Different relationship to the big boys
The politico-economic relationship of Singapore with some of the developing countries campaigning for the loss and damage fund is largely different compared with, say, the United States and China. One attractive tangible benefit of the fund is that it could enable economic stability of vulnerable economies and facilitate trading of valuable commodities between developed and developing countries.
Therefore, more research is needed to find out whether Singapore’s dependence on some of these vulnerable economies for rare earth minerals, such as cobalt and lithium to produce electric vehicle batteries, justifies our contribution to this fund and how much we are expected to contribute.
Other solutions besides throwing around cash
As a low-lying island with high population density, Singapore is also highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. However, the economic profiles of many developing countries of today are different from that of Singapore. Still, some elements from Singapore’s sustainable growth model may be applicable for developing countries.
For example, Singapore is developing cost-effective nature-based solutions such as carbon sequestration and biodiversity preservation. Singapore’s mode of contribution, focusing on delivering technical expertise and capacity building, is likely to be more effective than grant issuance.
That said, even if Singapore decides that it is unable to commit to the fund based on its stated premises, it could still offer a token contribution to vulnerable developing countries as a gesture of being a good global citizen.
Looking at the big picture
Challenges ahead include the fact that some of the biggest emitters are developing countries such as China and India that resist contributing to a loss and damage fund.
Going by the polluter-pay principle, this implies that either the compensation will be inadequate, or that the likes of the US and Europe will have to bear the costs of damage that are not attributed to them.
The polluter-pay principle by itself, therefore, is unlikely to lead to efficient outcomes in compensating victims for the harm done by climate change.
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COP27 climate conference: S’pore’s key role and the battle over finance
Hits and misses at COP27
Furthermore, there are still many uncertainties in determining how much polluters should pay. There is also a need to decide how the fund will be utilised, including how much should go towards necessities such as food and water as well as accommodation for those displaced.
More analyses, involving scientific and economic expertise, are also needed on the relationship between human-induced damage from climate change, emissions and the quantum of compensation.
For Singapore, it is important to analyse the trade-offs and net benefits from drawing down our reserves, which are potentially needed for other economic and environmental projects.
In terms of the nuts and bolts of a loss and damage fund, for it to be effective, at least five things need to be factored in.
One, the costs of adaptation – measures to deal with present and future climate change – should be lower than the costs of damage and destruction resulting from climate change.
Two, financing for adaptation measures should not crowd out funds available for mitigation measures.
Three, as funds are limited, every adaptation measure must undergo a cost-benefit analysis to ensure the money is well spent.
Four, more studies are needed to come up with sound and acceptable yardsticks to measure climate-related loss and damage.
Five, there needs to be guidelines on how to avoid moral hazard problems in vulnerable developing countries. This means that compensation for losses should not remove the incentive for recipient countries to reduce their vulnerabilities once they are in a better position to do so.
It is crucial that these key elements are present in the design of a financing mechanism for the loss and damage fund. Its acceptability and success depend on them. In the meantime, all of us – individuals as well as countries big and small – should work hard to ensure that we do not deviate too far from an emissions pathway that limits warming to 1.5 deg C.
Euston Quah is Albert Winsemius Chair Professor of Economics and director, Economic Growth Centre at Nanyang Technological University. He is also president of the Economic Society of Singapore. Tan Jun Rui is a researcher in the same university.
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Loss and damage fund: Path ahead remains thorny
COP27’s lost ambition endangers the world
David Fogarty
Climate Change Editor
PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO on 3rd Dec 2022 in Straits Times.The marathon COP27 climate talks in Egypt reached agreement on a loss and damage fund, but a worrying lack of ambition on emissions cuts increases the risks from a warming planet. Here is a look at what’s hot from the United Nations climate summit – and what’s not.Hits
1. Loss and damage fund
What is it? It is meant to help developing nations pay for the loss and irreversible damage suffered because of climate impacts such as floods, storms and sea-level rise. The recent Pakistan floods are an example.What was agreed? COP27 agreed to create a fund to help pay for climate change-linked loss and damage that poorer, more vulnerable nations have been calling for for three decades. Talks will take place over the next year on the fund’s design and financing sources.2. Reform of multilateral banks
What is it? The World Bank and other multilateral development banks, or MDBs, are under pressure to channel a lot more climate finance to developing nations to fund green energy projects and programmes to boost adaptation and climate resilience.What was agreed? The Sharm El-Sheikh Implementation Plan, COP27’s overarching political cover text, calls on shareholders of MDBs and international financial institutions to rethink bank practices and priorities, scale up funding and ensure easier access to climate finance.
3. Mitigation Work Programme
What is it? Nations agreed at COP26 in Glasgow last year to create a work programme to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. They aimed to agree on the design of the programme, which is urgently needed, at COP27.
What was agreed? The programme will run for four years at first. Critics say it will be little more than a talk shop focusing on “exchanges of views, information and ideas”, and that any outcomes, which are non-punitive, will impose no new targets or goals. Others say nations will get to talk to, and learn from, one another. There will also be “investment-focused events” with a view to unlocking finance.
Misses
4. Fossil fuels
COP27 could not agree on language calling for the phasing out of all fossil fuels. PHOTO: REUTERS
What is it? Burning coal, oil and gas is the main source of greenhouse gases heating up the planet and causing the climate crisis.
What was agreed? Despite intense pressure from the European Union and many poorer, vulnerable nations, COP27 could not agree on language calling for the phasing out of all fossil fuels. Coal is mentioned, but not oil and gas. This means COP27 failed to send a strong political message to speed up the switch from polluting energy.
5. 1.5 deg C
What is it? This is an upper limit to the earth’s warming above pre-industrial levels, beyond which scientists say the world will face far more extreme climate impacts. The world has already warmed by 1.2 deg C.
What was agreed? Nations resolved to pursue further efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 deg C. But the reality is that global greenhouse gas emissions are still rising, when they should be falling. Add in the weak fossil fuel language, and COP27 dashed hopes that the 1.5 deg C limit could still be achieved.
6. Adaptation
A family taking refuge on a damaged road amid floods in Pakistan on Sept 6. PHOTO: REUTERS
What is it? Developing nations must adapt to climate impacts – such as moving communities away from flood plains or fire-prone forest areas, and building higher seawalls and deeper drains – and they need funding urgently to help them do this.
What was agreed? COP26 decided that developed nations should double adaptation funding from 2019 levels by 2025. But COP27 withdrew this call and instead requested a report on funding. COP27 did make progress in defining a global goal on adaptation – a concept first outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement – to better understand the needs of developing countries.
Sources: Carbon Brief, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
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Tide turning as spotlight falls on oceans’ climate role
COP27: Success or failure?
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UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO on 10th Dec 2022 in ST Forum.
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Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport Chee Hong Tat said during a panel discussion on Dec 5 that Singapore may need to rely on carbon credits to some extent to reach the net-zero target in 2050.While investing in climate technologies may be the preferred option in Singapore’s decarbonisation drive, the purchasing of carbon credits is still an important tool to supplement that.Singapore has stepped up its efforts on that front by signing agreements with countries including Ghana to collaborate on carbon credits (Carbon credit deals boost Singapore’s hub status: Analysts, Dec 3). This will allow us to buy carbon credits from emissions reduction projects in those countries to reduce our carbon footprint.This will give our decarbonisation drive a significant boost.Ong Kim Bock.
Nothing much to shout about in Cairo. UN is lame.
27th was like the past 26 years, and it will be the same till 2050, 28 years.
It is leaving regrets for future generations.
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Key takeaways from the COP27 climate summit in Egypt.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri, heads the closing session of the COP27 climate conference, at the Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Centre in Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of the same name, on Nov 20, 2022.
Published November 21, 2022 in todayonline.com.
Updated November 21, 2022
SHARM EL-SHEIKH — This year’s United Nations (UN) climate summit featured visits by world leaders, proposals by business leaders, and negotiations by nearly 200 nations about the future of global action on climate change.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the two-week COP27 summit held in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh:
FUND FOR “CLIMATE JUSTICE”
After years of resistance from rich governments, nations for the first time agreed to set up a fund to provide pay-outs to developing countries that suffer “loss and damage” from climate-driven storms, floods, droughts and wildfires.
Despite being the standout success of the talks, it will likely take several years to hammer out the details over how the fund will be run, including how the money will be dispersed and which countries are likely to be eligible.
FOSSIL FUEL FLOW
The final COP27 deal drew criticism from some quarters for not doing more to rein in climate-damaging emissions, both by setting more ambitious national targets and by scaling back use of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas.
READ ALSO
What they are saying at the COP27 climate summit
While the deal text called for efforts to phase down use of unabated coal power and phase-out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, some countries had pushed to phase out, or at least phase down, all fossil fuels.
But from the opening speeches to the gaveling of the final deal, the use of fossil fuels was affirmed for the near future.
President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates — host of next year’s COP28 climate summit — said his country would continue to deliver oil and gas “for as long as the world is in need”.
Oil company CEOs were on hand at this year’s summit, after having been pushed to the margins at COP26. Natural gas chiefs were billing themselves as climate champions, despite gas companies having faced lawsuits in the United States (US) over such claims.
Nevertheless, some electricity-poor nations in Africa argued for their right to develop their natural gas reserves, even as they face increasing climate impacts such as drought.
And fossil fuel phase-out clubs launched around last year’s summit in Glasgow were struggling to recruit new members amid this year’s energy crisis caused by the Ukraine war.
“BRAZIL IS BACK”
READ ALSO
COP27: China’s climate envoy says expects cooperation with US to continue
Mr Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was greeted by roaring crowds as he declared “Brazil is back” in the global climate fight, and vowed to host COP30 in 2025 in the Amazon region.
The leftist leader made the Egypt climate summit his first visit abroad since winning Brazil’s presidential election last month against right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, who presided over mounting destruction of the rainforest and refused to hold the 2019 climate summit originally planned for Brazil.
On Monday, Brazil also joined Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo in launching a partnership to cooperate on forest preservation.
The trilateral alliance was negotiated over a decade of on-off talks that continued even as the countries’ national forest policies and leaderships changed. They are expected to press rich nations to pay for forest preservation.
US, CHINA RELATIONSHIP REKINDLED
A critical precursor for the climate talks’ success happened far away from the Red Sea locale.
As the COP entered its second week, China’s President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden met in Indonesia for the G20 where the heads of the world’s two largest greenhouse gas emitters agreed to restart cooperation on climate change after a months-long hiatus due to tensions over Taiwan.
READ ALSO
COP27 climate summit considers new proposal for ‘loss and damage’ fund.
China’s top climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua had previously told reporters that informal dialogue with Mr John Kerry, his US counterpart and a “close friend for 25 years”, had continued.
Mr Xie said on Nov 19 that he expects to keep up direct cooperation on climate change with Mr Kerry after the end of COP27 — and presumably after Mr Kerry recovers from Covid.
BILLIONS IN PRIVATE FINANCE (BUT NOT TRILLIONS… YET)
The world of finance has failed to provide enough money to help countries cut their carbon emissions and adapt their economies to the changes wrought by global warming, yet the COP27 talks suggest change is coming.
Among the steps likely to free up more cash is a plan to reform leading public lenders such as the World Bank so that they can take more risk and lend more money. By doing so, countries hope more private investors will join in.
Deals struck at the talks also give hope for faster action, chief among them a landmark deal between countries such as the United States and Japan, and private investors to help Indonesia shift away from coal-fired power generation more quickly. REUTERS
READ ALSO
Commentary: COP27 sees a growing link between climate and biodiversity crises that Singapore should care about — here’s why
READ ALSO
EU agrees to climate damage fund, energizing bogged-down COP27 talks
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Teo Chee Hean in his Facebook on 17th Oct 2022.
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A day in the life of Grace Fu at COP27
SPH Brightcove VideoMinister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu granted The Straits Times access to follow her for a fully packed day at the UN climate conference.
David Fogarty
Climate Change Editor
PUBLISHED 7 HOURS AGO on 19th Nov 2022 in Straits Times.
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SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — United Nations climate conferences can be punishing. The two-week gatherings bring together tens of thousands of delegates from some 200 nations, civil society groups, businesses and media, most jetting in from around the globe to work long hours and often eat bad food.The schedule can be especially tough on ministers, whose job it is to break the deadlock on a host of thorny political issues. Some ministers are co-facilitators of discussions, doing their best to bridge deep differences.To see just how intense their job can be, The Straits Times followed Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu for a day at the COP27 talks in Egypt, starting first thing in the morning.From attending bilateral meetings and concluding deals, to delivering the national statement on Singapore’s climate actions and hosting an evening fireside chat with young people, the minister barely had time to rest, grabbing a quick bite for lunch before she was on the go again. It’s a good thing she wore comfortable shoes.Join The Straits Times as we show you a day in the life of a busy minister at COP27.
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Singapore among 19 countries in net-zero government initiative
Singapore wants businesses to share solutions, best practices on world stage: Grace Fu
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It’s a shame going green can be a hassle in Singapore
Decisive policies and user-centric design can make the sum difference that takes us into a greener future.
Terence Ho
Singapore’s domestic recycling rate fell from 17 per cent in 2019 to 13 per cent in 2020. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO on 19th Nov 2022 in Straits Times.
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“Our choices today will determine our future.” This timely reminder was articulated by Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu at the United Nations’ COP27 climate conference this week.
In the face of international hesitancy over climate commitments, it is encouraging to see Singapore make a bold pledge to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
But while these big, hairy and audacious goals are often seen as the remit of governments, the vision of a greener Singapore can be realised only if Singaporeans embrace greener habits.
These include recycling correctly, making greater use of public transport or electric vehicles, and switching from paper-based to digital payments.
Getting more to recycle
Under the Zero Waste Masterplan, Singapore aims to raise the national recycling rate from 60 per cent in 2019 to 70 per cent in 2030, and the domestic recycling rate (the amount of household waste recycled as a proportion of total household waste) from 17 per cent in 2019 to 30 per cent in 2030.
The latter now seems an ambitious stretch target, when the domestic recycling rate fell to a mere 13 per cent in 2020 and 2021.
Unlike countries such as South Korea, Switzerland and Germany, Singapore has not mandated household waste sorting or recycling. Instead, the focus has been on educating the public and making recycling convenient through a single-stream collection system.
While three in five households now make the effort to recycle regularly, according to a 2021 survey conducted by the National Environment Agency (NEA), many are not doing so correctly. Contamination and the inclusion of non-recyclables render about 40 per cent of what is placed in recycling bins unrecyclable.
The Extended Producer Responsibility approach which Singapore plans to roll out could be a game changer, by making producers responsible for the collection and end-of-life management of their products.
The first phase of this approach for packaging waste will feature a beverage container return scheme come 2024. Consumers may claim a deposit refund built into the cost of canned and bottled beverages by returning empty beverage containers to a designated return point.
How can we make this convenient for people? The number of return points matters, as does location. If reverse vending machines are deployed, these should have intuitive user interfaces for ease of use.
The ongoing public consultation will hopefully yield useful ideas on how to make it hassle-free for people to recycle.
Beyond pre-packaged beverages, similar incentives could be introduced for other items that are properly recycled through household collection points.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
More options for refillables may lower carbon emissions from packaging disposal: Report
Me And My Car: Electric van makes sense for eco-warrior
While some countries have introduced taxed garbage bags along with strict laws governing refuse disposal, it is also possible to reward recycling that is done correctly. Creative, low-cost solutions that add convenience – possibly leveraging technology or mobile apps – could boost take-up rates.
The recycling bins that the NEA intends to distribute to each household in 2022 could help by bringing recycling instructions upstream, into the home.
This way, people have information on hand on what can and cannot be recycled, instead of being reminded only by signs on the neighbourhood collection bin when they have already bagged their recyclables.
Encouraging adoption of electric vehicles
Besides promoting use of public transport, accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is also important in reducing transport-related carbon emissions. For a long time, adoption of EVs has been held back by the lack of a comprehensive EV charging infrastructure.
This chicken-and-egg problem arises because there is little incentive for building owners or commercial providers to install charging points with so few electric vehicles plying the road, and conversely there has been muted interest in electric cars due to a dearth of charging points.
The tide has begun to turn, however. In the first nine months of this year, EV registrations accounted for over 10 per cent of all new car registrations, nearly three times the adoption rate in 2021.
Last year, the Government announced a target of deploying 60,000 charging points islandwide by 2030, up from an earlier target of 28,000.
New laws announced this month under the Electric Vehicles Charging Bill will require new buildings and those undergoing substantial renovation to install a minimum number of EV charging points, equivalent to about one in every 25 parking spaces.
This could be the needed push to bring electric vehicles fully into the mainstream, rather than adopted only by a handful of environmentally conscious road users.
Even so, user design considerations should be factored in to make EV charging more convenient. For instance, co-locating fast-charging stations with hypermarts and retail amenities would allow EV owners to do their shopping while their vehicles are charging, making for a more seamless experience.
The number, location and type of charging points should be informed by a good understanding of user patterns and habits. Over time, there will be a two-way interplay whereby infrastructure shapes usage patterns, while the latter directs investment in the former.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Singapore’s green transition: How to win hearts and minds
Some green tech is more equal than others
Replacing cheques with digital payments
Digital payments can play a part in reducing paper waste by cutting down the use of cheques. According to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the volume of cheque transactions has declined almost two-thirds from 61 million in 2016 to less than 24 million in 2021.
This reduced volume also means that the cost of processing cheques is set to rise steeply, providing greater incentive to eliminate cheques altogether on top of the need to reduce waste.
At the recent Singapore Fintech Festival, the MAS released a consultation paper to study the possibility of eliminating all corporate cheques and terminating central cheque clearing by 2025.
Such a target focuses the mind to generate creative solutions to overcome the last-mile barriers, instead of accepting the lingering need for some businesses to make paper-based payments.
Individuals, however, will be given a longer runway to switch to other payment methods, given the acknowledged concerns and obstacles facing some groups, including seniors.
The sticking points among end users include unfamiliarity with digital payments and a lack of trust in online banking transfers.
At the same time, it is important to adopt a user-centric approach to better understand the pain points faced by those who continue to rely on cheques, and to devise suitable interventions for them.
After all, it is important not to hinder people from receiving aid or to inadvertently create digital exclusion. In 2020, the Solidarity Payment (a Covid-19 support measure) was still issued through cheques for the minority who had not registered bank accounts with the Government.
What might help is personalised guidance on e-payment methods and how to protect oneself against phishing or fraud. Tweaks to system design to make e-payments easier and more convenient may also move the needle.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Asean can power its green future without nuclear energy, say experts
Green economy pact the way forward
Bringing about desired change
Over the years, there has been progress in climate-action policy goals, but not as quickly as one might have hoped – whether due to lack of public awareness, the difficulty of changing deep-seated habits, or “chicken-and-egg” problems.
So it is heartening that of late, more ambitious targets have been set, and decisive steps taken, to address these issues. Regulation and financial incentives should be paired with user-centric design and behavioural nudges to bring about the desired change.
It will take a combination of ambitious target-setting, regulation, incentives, public education and user-centric design to move us more quickly into a sustainable, digital and inclusive future.
Terence Ho is Associate Professor of Practice at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.=
SPH Brightcove VideoMinister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu granted The Straits Times access to follow her for a fully packed day at the UN climate conference.
David Fogarty
Climate Change Editor
PUBLISHED 7 HOURS AGO on 19th Nov 2022 in Straits Times.
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SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — United Nations climate conferences can be punishing. The two-week gatherings bring together tens of thousands of delegates from some 200 nations, civil society groups, businesses and media, most jetting in from around the globe to work long hours and often eat bad food.The schedule can be especially tough on ministers, whose job it is to break the deadlock on a host of thorny political issues. Some ministers are co-facilitators of discussions, doing their best to bridge deep differences.To see just how intense their job can be, The Straits Times followed Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu for a day at the COP27 talks in Egypt, starting first thing in the morning.From attending bilateral meetings and concluding deals, to delivering the national statement on Singapore’s climate actions and hosting an evening fireside chat with young people, the minister barely had time to rest, grabbing a quick bite for lunch before she was on the go again. It’s a good thing she wore comfortable shoes.
Join The Straits Times as we show you a day in the life of a busy minister at COP27.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Singapore among 19 countries in net-zero government initiative
Singapore wants businesses to share solutions, best practices on world stage: Grace Fu
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Decisive policies and user-centric design can make the sum difference that takes us into a greener future.
Terence HoSingapore’s domestic recycling rate fell from 17 per cent in 2019 to 13 per cent in 2020. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO on 19th Nov 2022 in Straits Times.
FacebookTwitter
“Our choices today will determine our future.” This timely reminder was articulated by Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu at the United Nations’ COP27 climate conference this week.In the face of international hesitancy over climate commitments, it is encouraging to see Singapore make a bold pledge to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.But while these big, hairy and audacious goals are often seen as the remit of governments, the vision of a greener Singapore can be realised only if Singaporeans embrace greener habits.These include recycling correctly, making greater use of public transport or electric vehicles, and switching from paper-based to digital payments.Getting more to recycle
Under the Zero Waste Masterplan, Singapore aims to raise the national recycling rate from 60 per cent in 2019 to 70 per cent in 2030, and the domestic recycling rate (the amount of household waste recycled as a proportion of total household waste) from 17 per cent in 2019 to 30 per cent in 2030.
The latter now seems an ambitious stretch target, when the domestic recycling rate fell to a mere 13 per cent in 2020 and 2021.
Unlike countries such as South Korea, Switzerland and Germany, Singapore has not mandated household waste sorting or recycling. Instead, the focus has been on educating the public and making recycling convenient through a single-stream collection system.
While three in five households now make the effort to recycle regularly, according to a 2021 survey conducted by the National Environment Agency (NEA), many are not doing so correctly. Contamination and the inclusion of non-recyclables render about 40 per cent of what is placed in recycling bins unrecyclable.
The Extended Producer Responsibility approach which Singapore plans to roll out could be a game changer, by making producers responsible for the collection and end-of-life management of their products.
The first phase of this approach for packaging waste will feature a beverage container return scheme come 2024. Consumers may claim a deposit refund built into the cost of canned and bottled beverages by returning empty beverage containers to a designated return point.
How can we make this convenient for people? The number of return points matters, as does location. If reverse vending machines are deployed, these should have intuitive user interfaces for ease of use.
The ongoing public consultation will hopefully yield useful ideas on how to make it hassle-free for people to recycle.
Beyond pre-packaged beverages, similar incentives could be introduced for other items that are properly recycled through household collection points.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
More options for refillables may lower carbon emissions from packaging disposal: Report
Me And My Car: Electric van makes sense for eco-warrior
While some countries have introduced taxed garbage bags along with strict laws governing refuse disposal, it is also possible to reward recycling that is done correctly. Creative, low-cost solutions that add convenience – possibly leveraging technology or mobile apps – could boost take-up rates.
The recycling bins that the NEA intends to distribute to each household in 2022 could help by bringing recycling instructions upstream, into the home.
This way, people have information on hand on what can and cannot be recycled, instead of being reminded only by signs on the neighbourhood collection bin when they have already bagged their recyclables.
Encouraging adoption of electric vehicles
Besides promoting use of public transport, accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is also important in reducing transport-related carbon emissions. For a long time, adoption of EVs has been held back by the lack of a comprehensive EV charging infrastructure.
This chicken-and-egg problem arises because there is little incentive for building owners or commercial providers to install charging points with so few electric vehicles plying the road, and conversely there has been muted interest in electric cars due to a dearth of charging points.
The tide has begun to turn, however. In the first nine months of this year, EV registrations accounted for over 10 per cent of all new car registrations, nearly three times the adoption rate in 2021.
Last year, the Government announced a target of deploying 60,000 charging points islandwide by 2030, up from an earlier target of 28,000.
New laws announced this month under the Electric Vehicles Charging Bill will require new buildings and those undergoing substantial renovation to install a minimum number of EV charging points, equivalent to about one in every 25 parking spaces.
This could be the needed push to bring electric vehicles fully into the mainstream, rather than adopted only by a handful of environmentally conscious road users.
Even so, user design considerations should be factored in to make EV charging more convenient. For instance, co-locating fast-charging stations with hypermarts and retail amenities would allow EV owners to do their shopping while their vehicles are charging, making for a more seamless experience.
The number, location and type of charging points should be informed by a good understanding of user patterns and habits. Over time, there will be a two-way interplay whereby infrastructure shapes usage patterns, while the latter directs investment in the former.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Singapore’s green transition: How to win hearts and minds
Some green tech is more equal than others
Replacing cheques with digital payments
Digital payments can play a part in reducing paper waste by cutting down the use of cheques. According to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the volume of cheque transactions has declined almost two-thirds from 61 million in 2016 to less than 24 million in 2021.
This reduced volume also means that the cost of processing cheques is set to rise steeply, providing greater incentive to eliminate cheques altogether on top of the need to reduce waste.
At the recent Singapore Fintech Festival, the MAS released a consultation paper to study the possibility of eliminating all corporate cheques and terminating central cheque clearing by 2025.
Such a target focuses the mind to generate creative solutions to overcome the last-mile barriers, instead of accepting the lingering need for some businesses to make paper-based payments.
Individuals, however, will be given a longer runway to switch to other payment methods, given the acknowledged concerns and obstacles facing some groups, including seniors.
The sticking points among end users include unfamiliarity with digital payments and a lack of trust in online banking transfers.
At the same time, it is important to adopt a user-centric approach to better understand the pain points faced by those who continue to rely on cheques, and to devise suitable interventions for them.
After all, it is important not to hinder people from receiving aid or to inadvertently create digital exclusion. In 2020, the Solidarity Payment (a Covid-19 support measure) was still issued through cheques for the minority who had not registered bank accounts with the Government.
What might help is personalised guidance on e-payment methods and how to protect oneself against phishing or fraud. Tweaks to system design to make e-payments easier and more convenient may also move the needle.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Asean can power its green future without nuclear energy, say experts
Green economy pact the way forward
Bringing about desired change
Over the years, there has been progress in climate-action policy goals, but not as quickly as one might have hoped – whether due to lack of public awareness, the difficulty of changing deep-seated habits, or “chicken-and-egg” problems.
So it is heartening that of late, more ambitious targets have been set, and decisive steps taken, to address these issues. Regulation and financial incentives should be paired with user-centric design and behavioural nudges to bring about the desired change.
It will take a combination of ambitious target-setting, regulation, incentives, public education and user-centric design to move us more quickly into a sustainable, digital and inclusive future.
Terence Ho is Associate Professor of Practice at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.=
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Mega cities on flat grounds [no hydro or wind power, and lacking solar power] are the big carbon emission polluters.
Will COP27 in Cairo switch to using mega city and stop using country basis to negotiate carbon emission tax and in the fight against global over heating?
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The Straits Times’ Editorial says
Carbon tax plan has flexibility, clarity
PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO on 17th Nov 2022 in ST.
There is no denying that the upcoming carbon tax hikes will add to the cost of doing business here. With such a tax, emitters pay for the social costs of what they generate. Businesses need to eschew the use of fossil fuels and switch to clean, greener energy with a resulting fall in emissions. However, such a move can raise business costs, as it is a pricing mechanism structured to encourage companies to fundamentally change the way they do business.
There was a lengthy debate in Parliament recently on the Carbon Pricing (Amendment) Bill before it was passed. Singapore has committed to raise the carbon tax over the years. From $5 a tonne currently, there will be staggered increments to $25 a tonne in 2024, $45 in 2026, and finally upwards of $50 in 2030.
There is increased momentum in global climate action. Countries are pledging a net-zero commitment with more initiatives on all fronts. More green, cost-effective technologies are also available. The ongoing meetings at the COP27 climate change conference in Egypt have once again brought the need for urgent action into sharp focus.
But as with all policies, there are negatives for the economy. With exports making up more than 170 per cent of Singapore’s gross domestic product, there is a risk that the country’s competitiveness will be affected when carbon tax rates are hiked – not to mention that the higher rates will take place against a backdrop of elevated prices and the increasing likelihood of slowing global growth.
Companies have been given advance notice about the rise, thus allowing them to budget and factor this into their estimates and forecasts. Companies dislike uncertainty.
Giving them enough lead time to knuckle down and make the appropriate changes is important. Were there to be a deferral or proposed reduction to the rates even before implementation, companies might be conditioned to expect even further reversals and would be even more likely to drag their feet on changing their ways.
Still, holding fast to targets should also go hand in hand with a flexible approach. Recognising that the hikes will mark a costly transition, companies in emissions-intensive trade-exposed sectors such as oil and gas, chemicals, manufacturing and semiconductors will be allowed to have a portion of their carbon emissions untaxed to help them adjust to the higher rates.
A carbon tax and a carbon pricing mechanism are only one aspect of a successful policy to combat climate change.
Incentives to build clean energy infrastructure, for example, or addressing the impact on the vulnerable are also necessary.
In addition, while certainty and clarity are key to successful policy implementation, the option of flexibility is also important to help achieve the desired outcomes for all involved.
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COP27: How will paying for climate damages and losses work exactly?
COP27 in Egypt made a breakthrough on “loss and damage”. Now the work must focus on putting together the nuts and bolts of this third pillar of climate financing, which will take time.
Vikram Khanna
Associate Editor
Climate justice activists protesting against the use of fossil fuels on Nov 12 at the COP27 conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
PUBLISHED 2 HOURS AGO on 16th Nov 2022 in Straits Times.
We now stand disabused of the notion that climate change is a distant way off.
The endless headlines spotlighting natural disasters in recent months have underscored how this is a here-and-now crisis with massive ramifications for humankind. And few countries will be spared.
Torrential monsoon rains, coupled with melting glaciers, submerged one-third of Pakistan’s lands in September. The calamity left 1,500 people dead, washed away homes, destroyed livestock and racked up damage worth US$40 billion (S$54.7 billion). Worse, the Pakistan economy will suffer a further projected 3 percentage-point decline in gross domestic product growth in 2023.
Even tested systems are drowning in water. Great powers like China were not spared after floods ravaged cities and wreaked havoc on its mountainous countrysides and busy cities during this year’s monsoon.
Hurricane Ian tore through Florida and North and South Carolina in the United States in late September, with the devastation setting a new US$100 billion global record for insurance claims for a natural disaster.
Worryingly, this partial list does not include droughts and other extreme weather mayhem. From January through September, there were 29 weather-related disasters with losses of at least US$1 billion, according to insurance broker Aon, with the total economic cost still being counted. The estimate for 2021 was US$329 billion.
More valuable are the costs we cannot put figures to as climate change acidifies oceans, raises sea levels, alters ecologies and generates more extreme weather events: the loss of lives, biodiversity, heritage and the dangers to health.
A ‘here and now’ crisis
But loss may finally be giving way to action. At the COP27 climate summit in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt, delegates agreed to include “loss and damage” on the agenda, recognising the unavoidable, destructive impact of climate change even with best-laid plans to cut greenhouse gases and adapt to a changed climate.
This is a long time coming. The most vulnerable developing countries have demanded aid to cover permanent climate-related loss and repairable damage for more than 30 years. In 1991, the Alliance of Small Island States – a coalition of 39 low-lying coastal nations – called for help for countries most exposed to rising sea levels.
But the proposal had little traction, with rich countries – responsible for the bulk of greenhouse gas emissions for the better part of three centuries – resisting the idea.
Some baby steps have been taken in recent years. Countries agreed to set up The Santiago Network to catalyse the provision of technical assistance to vulnerable countries in managing climate risks at the Madrid COP25 in 2019.
But hesitancy continued swirling. At COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, rich countries pledged to start a two-year dialogue to discuss funding, but refused funding commitments. They feared opening themselves up to unlimited liabilities – even though the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change stated that loss and damage would not involve compensation.
While true in a legal sense, the cold hard truth is that developed nations are some of the largest emitters, prospering through highly pollutive industrialisation. Yet it’s poor countries, whose contributions to cumulative greenhouse gas emissions have been minuscule, which bear the brunt of destruction from climate-related natural disasters. It just doesn’t seem fair.
Africa, which has 17 per cent of the world’s population, accounts for less than 4 per cent of current global emissions. Understandably, poor countries believe, as Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados pointed out at Sharm El-Sheikh, that they have “a moral and just cause”.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
COP27 explainer: What is ‘Loss and Damage’ compensation, and who should pay?
Hopes for COP27 – from a reformed climate doomer
Climate justice
At its core, loss and damage is about climate justice. This concept has been barely acknowledged in the climate debate, with scant mention.
The iconic 2015 Paris Agreement mentions the word “justice” only once in the preamble: “The Parties to this agreement… noting the importance for some of the concept of ‘climate justice’…” (my emphasis in italics) – making clear that justice does not have universal support.
But there is a budding change of heart. At the 2021 Glasgow summit, host Scotland committed US$2.2 million to loss and damage – a drop in the bucket, but symbolically important as the first actual commitment of funds.
At this year’s COP27, the president of the European Commission, Dr Ursula von der Leyen, endorsed the idea of separate funding for poor nations affected by loss and damage. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and Ireland stepped forward with contributions.
But conspicuous by its absence from the list was the world’s largest cumulative carbon emitter, the US. Perhaps mindful of the fraught political process required to secure funding for such an outlay from the country’s divided Congress, US climate envoy John Kerry confined himself to supporting further discussion on loss and damage, but committed nothing.
Why have some rich countries changed their tune on funding loss and damage? Maybe with climate-related disasters having hit them, they have come to realise the shared nature of the threat and the tragedy of global commons.
Or maybe they recognise a key consequence of uncompensated climate-related damage long warned before: A surge of climate refugees heading to their shores from the Middle East, Africa and Central America.
Immigration can be a firecracker igniting policy innovation. Already, there are about three times more climate refugees than the number of people forced to flee armed conflicts, according to the Geneva-based research organisation Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. And the number is forecast to rise to 200 million by 2050, from 30.7 million in 2020.
The third pillar of climate finance
While a financing mechanism for loss and damage has yet to be set up, the idea now at least has some support and more momentum. It will be the third pillar of climate finance to supplement funding for mitigation and adaptation.
Vulnerable countries, climate activists and non-governmental organisations have their wish lists on how such a mechanism should work. Its disbursements should be automatic, following incidences of climate-related loss and damage.
They should come primarily from countries that have contributed most to the climate crisis and the contributions should be mandated, not voluntary, ad hoc acts of charity.
The facility should be separate from humanitarian and development aid serving a different purpose. The amount pledged should also be in addition to the US$100 billion in climate finance rich countries had promised to transfer to the developing world by 2020 as part of COP16 in 2009 – a pledge on which they have fallen short.
Some funding can be routed through multilateral institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, as they raise their game on climate finance, but other sources of funding should also be explored.
Formidable obstacles
But the idea of a loss and damage facility faces formidable obstacles, even leaving aside political hurdles. Already, there is a lack of enthusiasm for existing global climate initiatives, particularly in the US.
One issue will be determining what types of loss and damage the facility would cover and the extent to which they are caused by climate change. Many incidences of floods, for instance, are also the result of poor domestic policies, such as drainage channels being built over or the removal of mangroves, as well as deforestation and faulty land-use policies.
Air pollution can also be traced to generous fossil fuel subsidies, the absence of mitigating measures such as carbon taxes, stubble-burning – seen in the seasonal transboundary haze afflicting South-east Asia – uncontrolled construction activities and poor vehicle emission standards.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
What S’pore youth want at COP27: Finalising carbon credits plan, financing for vulnerable nations
In final week of COP27 climate talks, success hinges on ‘loss and damage’
Transfers may have to be conditional on the adoption of minimum standards of mitigation and adaption. Opponents of a loss and damage facility after all would have powerful arguments to deny funding to countries guilty of such self-inflicted malpractices.
Standards and benchmarks must also be set, made transparent and be independently verifiable, to pre-empt gaming, corruption and the diversion of funds to other uses, with transfers to be closely monitored.
Then there are issues around the form that loss and damage funding should take, and its sources. Rich countries rely mainly on insurance, but this works poorly in developing countries. Small farmers and coastal communities most at risk cannot afford the premiums, which will increase as sea levels rise, together with other climate-related risks. More assets will become uninsurable.
Massive subsidies, or the regional pooling of premiums, including from people at lower risk, will be needed.
As for the sources of funding, the “polluter pays” principle suggests some innovative possibilities besides government transfers from rich countries. Among those possibilities mentioned by climate activists are a rollback of fossil fuel subsidies, a windfall tax on the profits of fossil fuel companies (which even US President Joe Biden has proposed), taxes on the extraction of fossil fuels, a levy on frequent fliers as well as taxes on shipping emissions.
An additional allocation of the IMF’s currency, called special drawing rights, could also be made, with pots earmarked for loss and damage compensation.
The abundance of ideas is promising but the devil will be in the details.
The good news from COP27 is that there is, at last, some support for the idea of loss and damage funding, but we are still many steps away from creating an effective mechanism for this.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Asia-Pacific youth at COP27 demand loss and damage compensations over climate change’s impact
COP27: Crazy inspiring reforms to climate financing have finally arrived.
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26 years. Mega cities are the big carbon emission polluters. What the solutions for big cities to become 100% users of green and clean electricity? No solution? Or is it due to money and GDP, the deception over 26 years will continue?
Will the UN be lame at the 27th? And lame for 28 years to 2050?
Who will voice up in Cairo to switch to using mega city and not by country basis to negotiate carbon emission tax and in the fight against global overheating?
Time to end the deception, political wrangling and political blackmailing.
We wait.
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Hopes for COP27 – from a reformed climate doomer
Malavika Menon
Climate change deserves consistent attention from all of us around the world, and overcoming climate doom and inaction is the first step in the process, says the author. PHOTO: AFP
PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO on 13th Nov 2022 in Sunday Times.
I remember the exact moment I unhappily embraced climate “doomism”, the term describing the idea that humankind is past the point of saving ourselves from global warming.
As the world continued to reel from the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that July had been the hottest month since records began 142 years ago.
Reading the news, I remembered feeling a sense of helplessness and deep disappointment, as though all the efforts to tackle climate change that had led up to the moment had been a waste.
According to the NOAA, the combined land and ocean surface temperature was 1.35 deg C above the 20th-century average of 15.7 deg C.
As a resident of Singapore, which is vulnerable to rising sea levels and largely dependent on imports for many resources, I felt the current trajectory of climate change presented an urgent and existential challenge to the future of my home.
Like me, many other youth are struggling with climate doom around the world.
A study in the Lancet Planetary Health Journal found that 50 per cent of 10,000 youth respondents aged 16 to 25 around the world felt sad, anxious, angry, powerless, helpless or guilty about the climate crisis.
More than 45 per cent of respondents said their feelings about climate change negatively affected their daily life.
A new report from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in October suggests these fears are not unfounded.
The report noted that the world is on record to heat up by 2.8 deg C by the end of the century, well more than the 1.5 deg C envisioned by the Paris Agreement, an international climate change agreement adopted by 196 parties in 2015.
A flurry of climate change-related incidents in 2022, such as the destructive floods in Pakistan and the accelerated melting of the “Doomsday” glacier in Antarctica, increased my sense of climate doom.
As with most millennials, my feelings of climate doom led me to seek out answers on the Internet.
Was there anything we had done right in this fight to save our animals, our trees and our communities from the destruction wrought by climate change? Turns out, there were. My search led me to Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case For Hope And Healing In A Divided World by author Katharine Hayhoe, published in September 2021, which looks into the different actions that countries have taken which have helped reduce the catastrophic predictions for global warming.
Twenty years ago, Hayhoe said, scientists laid out an apocalyptical forecast of the world in 2100, where the earth would be 4 deg C warmer, with 30 per cent of wildlife going extinct and food, water and infrastructure systems under strain.
Since then, this forecast has changed dramatically, and the tireless efforts to tackle climate change have led to a revised estimate in 2022 that the earth will be 2.8 deg C warmer by the end of this century.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
The danger of climate ‘doomerism’
The disasters that never happened: How to soothe rising climate anxiety
A quick look at recent national legislation also suggests the world is waking up to the climate crisis and pledging to work together like never before.
In October, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong noted that Singapore will reduce carbon emissions forecasts from 65 to 60 million tonnes for the year 2030, as part of the larger bid to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Almost 65 per cent of the cars sold in Norway in 2021 were electric while Suriname and Bhutan have declared themselves to be carbon negative.
The United States, which has historically been the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, recently signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes provisions for boosting the production of clean energy such as wind and solar energy.
While we are still reliant on fossil fuels for much of our energy, there are more people working in the green energy sector today than in the fossil fuel industry.
The more I read about the positive leaps that the global population has made in the last few decades, the more I felt reassured and cautiously hopeful that enough can be done to mitigate climate change.
COP27: A platform to turn the tide
SPH Brightcove Video
My newfound hope is now pinned on the COP27 conference in Egypt, where global leaders are congregating to decide the future course of action.
I hope leaders will put aside their political differences and commit to better regulating the activities of corporates like Saudi Aramco and Walmart, which have been criticised by entities like the Net Zero Tracker, a collective of non-profit organisations and activists, of failing to account for some parts of their supply chain in their net-zero emissions pledges.
The conference is also an opportunity for the newly minted members of the Climate Youth Negotiators Programme, which was launched on Earth Day in 2022, to voice their concerns and demands and vocalise their aspirations for the planet.
From the Fridays for Future climate change protests by schoolchildren spearheaded by climate activisit Greta Thunberg to COP27, youth have come a long way in getting their voice heard in this fight. No action for climate change is complete without considering their aspirations and ideas.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
What S’pore youth want at COP27: Finalising carbon credits plan, financing for vulnerable nations
COP27 in Egypt: 10 things to watch for
Lastly, and perhaps, most importantly, the conference is a platform for countries to address the stark inequality in the impact of climate change.
While much of the climate crisis we see today is a result of the industrialisation in Western countries, the people who bear the brunt of it are those that live in the least developed regions.
A 2015 study by non-profit organisation Oxfam found that the poorest half of the world’s population is responsible for just 10 per cent of carbon emissions, although they are at risk of weather disasters linked to climate change.
UN chief Antonio Guterres has emphasised that the gap between developed countries and developing states in addressing climate change is the biggest issue facing the conference. While developed countries have contributed the most to the climate crisis, it is vulnerable communities in developing countries that are at high risk of losing life, property and livelihood as a result of natural disasters and changing weather patterns.
Developing states also struggle more to transition to green energy and offset their carbon emissions as compared with developed countries.
One way to correct this inequality is for countries to agree on the setting up of the response fund proposed by the Alliance of Small Island States, of which Singapore is a member, which will help climate victims recover from loss or damage caused by events due to climate change. The proposed fund would be financed through regular rounds of voluntary donations by both government and private organisations looking to support poorer countries in their reconstruction process after a disaster.
At the end of the day, we might do all that we can and still fall short. But the earth is worth fighting for.
Climate change is a complicated issue that deserves consistent attention from all of us around the world, and overcoming climate doom and inaction is the first step in the process.
As the leaders gathered at COP27 know, inaction is not an option when the high stake is the welfare of our future generations.
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Fighting ‘climate doomism’ with positive news
Glitz and glamour, but COP27 needs to deliver=
===========What are the solutions for mega cities on flat ground [no hydro or wind power and lacking solar power] able to become 100% users of green and clean electricity? Who will bother or dare to raise this at the UN 27th Conference in Cairo? And ask for the switch to using mega city and not by country basis to negotiate carbon emission tax, and in the fight against global overheating? Is the UN lame? The UN has been lame for 26 years. Will it be more talk only at the 27th, and will it go on for 28 years to 2050?
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Grace Fu in her Facebook on 9th Nov 2022.
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EVs are not 100% green and clean unless and until the source of generating electricity at the power stations does not use fossil oil, LNG or coal. The deception must end. Who will bother and dare to voice up at the 27th UN Conference in Cairo to expose this deception?=
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EVs… it is not 100% green and clean unless and until the source of generating electricity at the power stations does not use fossil oil, coal or LNG.
Building multi-storey car parks at HDB estates do not benefit the poor.
Time for HDB to review their carpark policies in support of car-lite.
First, HDB should not allow overnight parking of expensive cars in HDB carparks.
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Forum: Electric vehicles over weight limit cannot easily get season parking
PUBLISHED NOV 9, 2022, 5:00 AM SGT in ST Forum.
I applaud the Government’s recent announcement on the installation of at least 12,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging points across HDB carparks by the end of 2025 (5 operators picked to run at least 12,000 charging points in HDB carparks by end-2025, Nov 2).
This investment will help encourage more motorists to convert to EVs. It is as good as having a refilling station right on one’s doorstep.
However, more needs to be done on the ground to make EVs more compelling.
My colleagues who drive commercial EVs tell me they cannot obtain HDB season parking in their neighbourhood because of HDB’s weight limit of 2,000kg.
HDB had asked them to submit their vehicle catalogue or brochure to verify the weight, and approval is on a case-by-case basis.
In view of the growing adoption of EVs, HDB should review this weight limit for season parking. Unlike traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, an EV tends to be heavier due to the battery. This is especially so for commercial vans.
An internal combustion engine model would weigh easily 200kg less than its EV counterpart despite having the same physical dimensions. Many of the bigger passenger cars also weigh above 2,000kg. Is HDB going to deal with each parking application one by one painstakingly instead of amending the weight limit once and for all?
Also, with digitalisation, shouldn’t HDB work with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to obtain vehicle details seamlessly? Would a mere vehicle brochure or catalogue be good enough to prove its weight?
This season parking issue seems to suggest a lack of collaboration between government agencies. LTA should work with HDB on this issue before committing to the mass installation of charging stations.
Henry Ong Ling Tiong.
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The Govt does listen…. Substations only? Please install at bus depots and MRT train depots too.
When will the Govt install the Turkish-designed roadside wind turbines along the streets, expressways along MRT tracks, high-rise roof tops, airport taxi-ways, etc, to generate clean and green electricity?
When will the Govt extract geothermal power at the Sembawang hot spring?
When will the Govt have JVs with Australia and Indonesia to extract geothermal power and build solar farms on their inhabited islands or desert south of Darwin?
When will the Govt look into the solutions to generate clean and green electricity in mega cities on flat ground where there is no hydro or wind power, or lack solar power?
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Mega cities on flat ground…. Sharing the link:
https://tankoktim.wordpress.com/2018/02/23/mega-cities-two-solutions-for-clean-and-green-energy/
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Solar panels to cover 37 substations and contribute to Singapore’s electricity network
The solar panels will have a total installed capacity of 15.7 megawatt-peak (MWp). PHOTO: ST FILE
Gabrielle Chan
PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO on 8th Nov 2022 in Straits Times.
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SINGAPORE – Rooftop solar panels will cover 37 substations islandwide and generate enough energy to power more than 4,500 four-room Housing Board (HDB) flats a year.
By 2025, the green initiative by utility firm SP Group will deliver up to 21,000 megawatt-hour (MWh) of renewable electricity into Singapore’s power network annually.
The solar panels will have a total installed capacity of 15.7 megawatt-peak (MWp), SP said on Tuesday.
The installation will be done in three phases. In the first phase, six substations will have a combined solar power capacity of 7.1MWp by next year.
The second phase is set to be completed in 2024 across 12 substations harnessing a combined capacity of 6MWp. The final phase involving 19 substations with a combined capacity of 2.6MPw will be completed by the end of 2025.
SP is determined to leverage its substations and roof spaces to contribute to Singapore’s transition to clean energy, said its group chief executive Stanley Huang.
“We will continue to work closely with the Energy Market Authority to optimise our existing electricity infrastructure and assets to provide reliable and efficient electricity supply, and to support developments to meet Singapore’s sustainability targets,” he added.
The authority has set a target of installing at least 2 gigawatt-peak of solar capacity by 2030.
To meet the target, Singapore’s first 17.6MWp solar farm by Sembcorp was opened in May. This temporary facility in Tuas contributes enough energy to power about 4,700 four-room HDB flats a year.
In addition, an initiative by HDB and the Economic Development Board will see the installation of solar panels on 1,290 HDB blocks by 2025. These will have a capacity of 380MWp, generating enough energy to power 95,000 four-room HDB flats.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
S’pore power market to use model that can predict solar output in advance by 2023
S’pore power market to use model that can predict solar output in advance by 2023.
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Global warming cannot be limited to 1.5 deg C
The EconomistDisplaced people stand on flooded highway, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Pakistan, on Sept 16. PHOTO: REUTERS
PUBLISHED 2 HOURS AGO on 7th Nov 2022 in Straits Times.
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To accept that the world’s average temperature might rise by more than 1.5 deg C, declared the foreign minister of the Marshall Islands in 2015, would be to sign the “death warrant” of small, low-lying countries such as his. To widespread surprise, the grandees who met in Paris that year, at a climate conference like the one that has started in Egypt this week, accepted his argument. They enshrined the goal of limiting global warming to about 1.5 deg C in the Paris Agreement, which sought to coordinate national efforts to curb emissions of greenhouse gases.
No one remembered to tell the firing squad, however. The same countries that piously signed the Paris Agreement have not cut their emissions enough to meet its targets; in fact, global emissions are still growing. The world is already about 1.2 deg C hotter than it was in pre-industrial times. Given the lasting impact of greenhouse gases already emitted, and the impossibility of stopping emissions overnight, there is no way the earth can now avoid a temperature rise of more than 1.5 deg C. There is still hope that the overshoot may not be too big, and may be only temporary, but even these consoling possibilities are becoming ever less likely.
The consequences of the world’s failure to curb emissions are catastrophic, and not just for coral atolls in the Pacific. Climate-related disasters are proliferating, from Pakistan, much of which was inundated by this summer’s unusually intense monsoon, to Florida, which in September endured its deadliest hurricane since 1935. Even less lethal distortions of the weather, such as this summer’s extraordinary heatwave in Europe, do enormous economic damage, impeding transport, wrecking infrastructure and sapping productivity.
The response to all this should be a dose of realism.
Many activists are reluctant to admit that 1.5 deg C is a lost cause. But failing to do so prolongs the mistakes made in Paris, where the world’s governments adopted a Herculean goal without any plausible plan for reaching it. The delegates gathering in Egypt should be chastened by failure, not lulled by false hope. They need to be more pragmatic, and face up to some hard truths.
First, cutting emissions will require much more money. Roughly speaking, global investment in clean energy needs to triple from today’s US$1 trillion (S$1.4 trillion) a year, and be concentrated in developing countries, which generate most of today’s emissions. Solar and wind power can be cheaper to build and run than more polluting types, but grids need to be rebuilt to cope with the intermittency of the sun and the wind. Concessionary lending and aid from rich countries are essential and a moral imperative. However, the sums required are far greater than what might plausibly be squeezed out of Western donors or multilateral organisations such as the World Bank.
So the governments of developing countries, especially middle-income ones, will have to work with the rich world to mobilise private investment. On the part of developing countries, that will involve big improvements to the investment climate and an acceptance that they will have to cede some control over energy policy.
On the part of donors, it will involve focusing spending on schemes that “crowd in” private capital, such as indemnifying investors against political and regulatory risks, taking equity stakes in private projects and agreeing to absorb the first tranche of losses if things go wrong. They will have to do things they dislike, such as helping the poorest countries shut coal plants. But without give on both sides, the world will bake.
The second hard truth is that fossil fuels will not be abandoned overnight. Europe is scrambling to build import facilities for natural gas, having lost access to Russian supplies, precisely because it cannot come up with any immediate alternative. For some poorer countries, investments in gas, in conjunction with renewables, are still necessary; helping more citizens get life-enhancing electricity is a moral imperative, too.
The third truth is that because 1.5 deg C will be missed, greater efforts must be made to adapt to climate change. Adaptation has always been the neglected step-child of climate policy, mistrusted by activists as a distraction from cutting emissions or, worse, an excuse not to make any cuts. But no matter what, the world now faces more floods, droughts, storms and wildfires. For developing countries especially, but also for rich ones, preparing for these calamities is a matter of life and death.
Fortunately, a lot of adaptation is affordable. It can be as simple as providing farmers with hardier strains of crops and getting cyclone warnings to people in harm’s way. Better still, such measures tend to have additional benefits beyond helping people cope with climate change. This is an area where even modest help from rich countries can have a big impact. Yet they are not coughing up the money they have promised to help the poorest ones adapt. That is unfair: Why should poor farmers in Africa, who have done almost nothing to make the climate change, be abandoned to suffer as it does? If the rich world allows global warming to ravage already fragile countries, it will inevitably end up paying the price in food shortages and proliferating refugees.
Cool it
Finally, having admitted that the planet will grow dangerously hot, policymakers need to consider more radical ways to cool it. Technologies to suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, now in their infancy, need a lot of attention. So does “solar geoengineering”, which blocks out incoming sunlight.
Both are mistrusted by climate activists, the first as a false promise, the second as a scary threat. On solar geoengineering, people are right to worry. It could well be dangerous and would be very hard to govern. But so will an ever hotter world. The worthies in Egypt need to take that on board.
Overshooting 1.5 deg C does not doom the planet. But it is a death sentence for some people, ways of life, ecosystems, even countries. To let the moment pass without some hard thinking about how to set the world on a better trajectory would be to sign yet more death warrants. © 2022 The Economist Newspaper Limited. All Rights Reserved.
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Last year’s deforestation pledge is off to a slow start
The rising tides of climate change=
First, HDB should not allow the parking of expensive cars overnight in HDB estates.
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Forum: Improve availability EV charging points in condos
An EV charging station at Watertown condo in Punggol which is not available for use. PHOTO: YEO WEE PING
PUBLISHED 11 HOURS AGO on 3rd Nov 2022 in ST Forum.
I welcome the news that more electric vehicle (EV) charging points are now available in Punggol where I live (More EV charging points rolled out in the north, north-east, Oct 30).
My family recently decided to switch to an EV and we started sourcing for charging points about two months ago.
There are a number of charging points in the carpark of our condominium, Watertown, but none of them is available for use.
We wrote to the condo management and visited its office to inquire, but did not get a conclusive reply. About a week ago, a notice reading “Not in use” was put up beside the charging points.
As a result, we have had to charge our EV in nearby HDB carparks.
I wonder how many more such “white elephants” exist in other private estates, and hope that the situation improves soon.
Fighting climate change should not be the sole responsibility of the Government. The provision of convenient charging points should be more widespread to encourage more to adopt EVs.
Yeo Wee Ping.
The COP27 climate conference in Egypt gets under way on Sunday.
The two-week gathering of thousands of delegates from nearly 200 nations is a critical test of global resolve to tackle climate change.
However, it risks being overshadowed by crises, including soaring energy prices caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, deepening tensions between the United States and China, and fears of a global recession.
Next month’s meetings of the Group of 20 (G-20) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec), as well as the US midterm elections, will likely continue to dominate headlines, too.
But at COP27, nations must remain focused and engaged to tackle what is a man-made crisis, one that can no longer be ignored, put off or downplayed.
Climate change is gathering speed, as this year’s cascade of disasters, such as the floods in Pakistan, the heatwaves, drought and wildfires in Europe, painfully show.
These disasters are causing immense suffering, spiralling damage bills and deepening debt, especially for poorer, more vulnerable nations.
To achieve a truly global and fair deal to fight climate change, wealthy nations need to finally come up with the money to help poorer nations fund clean energy investments, projects to adapt to climate impacts, and compensation for irreversible loss and damage.
All big emitters, especially G-20 nations – which are responsible for 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas pollution – must urgently pledge deeper emission cuts.
Last week, several major reports underscored how precarious things are. Among them, a United Nations analysis of climate plans by 193 parties under the Paris climate agreement underlined that these efforts remain insufficient to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 deg C by the end of the century.
The world is on track for around 2.5 deg C of warming by 2100, the report said. Current commitments will also increase emissions by 10.6 per cent by 2030, compared with 2010 levels.
The UN’s climate science panel says that to have a reasonable chance of limiting warming to 1.5 deg C above industrial levels, emissions need to fall 45 per cent from 2010 levels by 2030.
The International Energy Agency’s annual World Energy Outlook released last week had some better news. Carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels are expected to grow by just under 1 per cent in 2022 because of the strong expansion of renewable energy and electric vehicles.
But while investment in clean energy has been spurred by the energy crisis, it is not growing fast enough. COP27 must show that nations can come together to fight existential threats and drive the green transition.
Failure will further delay climate action, to the detriment of current and, especially future, generations.
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The former prexy of Indonesia asked for financial support and technology to tap geothermal power. Has Singapore looked into JV with Indonesia on geothermal extraction?
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HO Ching in her FaceBook on 29th Oct 2022:
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Indonesia and Sg signed 2 contracts in the early 2000s for supply of gas via pipelines.
Both contracts run for 20 years.
This enabled Sg to switch from oil to a less pollutive gas feedstock for electricity generation for some 20 years now.
It is a win win, as the Sg contract provided a base load for Indonesia to develop its gas resources, onshore in South Sumatra and deep offshore in the Natunas area.
This enabled the Riau Islands like Batam to enjoy long distance gas supply as part of the piped gas supply.
This enabled Batam to grow as a key industrial with a reliable gas supply from South Sumatra. Batam quickly became a strong anchor for the Golden Growth Triangle of Riau Islands, Johor and Sg.
Indeed, Batam soon was responsible for 50% of Indonesia’s exports in electronics. Its population grew to over a million, from a low base of mostly rural villages.
Kudos to the industry players like Sembcorp and their Indonesian partners for getting such complex large scale project off the ground smoothly.
However, it was clear even in the early 2000s, that Indonesia demand for cleaner fuel source would rise in time as they continue to grow and develop.
And so it is not a surprise that the gas contract in South Sumatra is being extended for only 5 years after the current contract ends in 2023. It would likely be also for a smaller volume than the current contract.
As mentioned by the Indonesian Energy and Mining Minister Pak Arifin Tasrif, the short extension of 5 years is partly due to the depletion of gas. It is also partly due to the rising demand within Indonesia itself, with Sumatra also growing and developing with emerging demand for its own gas.
This is a natural development.
Meanwhile, even in the early 2000s, energy security experts were already proposing that Sg developed its own LNG terminals as a longer solution.
Thanks to MTI, the first LNG terminal was launched sometime around the late 2000s, even when the world was in the throes of a global financial crisis.
Today, Sg is facing another transition.
While Sg will need to rely on gas for quite a while, in decades to come, esp through long term contracts and spot purchases of LNG, it needs to transit as quickly as possible to green and sustainable sources of energy.
Already, solar generated electricity has reached grid parity in Sg. This means the cost of electricity from solar is competitive against electricity from gas power plants.
It has taken Sg a longer time to reach grid parity bcos we only have clear sunny skies 30% of the time. Most times, we would have large cloud cover that reduces the energy capacity from the solar panels.
Nonetheless, many landed homes, big and small, have installed their own solar roofs and were thrilled that they could earn money supplying back to the power grid.
But even if we cover the whole island with solar panels, we would at most supply about 5% of our needs. This is one reason why Sg also supports research into transparent solar panels which can be used as windows and high efficiency panels which can be mounted vertically as walls. But at best, this could push capacity up another 5%.
In the long run, to achieve a carbon neutral economy for a more sustainable planet, we would need to look for other sources of zero carbon and clean fuel source like hydrogen, or other options like nuclear fusion.
So the next 20 years will see a lot of challenging but exciting transition for Sg’s zero carbon energy future, even as we continue to rely on the cleanest of the fossil fuels during the run up to 2050, and probably beyond.
What will world leaders bring to Cairo next month? I hope the UN will encourage US, China and Russia to research into tapping lightning power, creating artificial lightning, and transmitting clean and green electricity from outer space to earth for the sake of mankind by using wireless technology to end the use of fossil oil, LNG, coal and even nuclear.
If these three superpowers cannot do it alone, I hope the UN will invite all three countries to offer their top scientists to cooperate and conduct joint research under the UN auspices for the sake of mankind. What is the US$10 billion UN Green Climate Fund for? The UN should use it to speed up the breakthrough in research and avoid duplicating efforts and the wasting of limited and precious resources by these three countries.
We do not have the luxury of time or another 28 years for the trio to go separate ways trying to outsmart one another in finding what is actually a need for a common solution now, and not by 2030 or 2050. Time is the essence and critical in overcoming this crisis.
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Do we have the technology now or until 2050? Or is it due to our GDP that we have to delay it till 2050?======
We need clean and green electricity in abundance to power the equipment to keep our public places like bus stops, walkways and park connectors cool in our humid climate to bring about a more comfortable way of life, the way we live, work and play in a humid city.
When will some countries try out installing the Turkish-designed vertical and horizontal roadside wind turbines along the streets, expressways, MRT tracks, airport taxiways, high-rise-roof tops, etc. to generate electricity?
Grace Fu in her Facebook on 29th Oct 2022.
Green hydrogen will constitute 50% of our energy mix. We will increase our investment in R&D, hydrogen technologies, and infrastructure to support our hydrogen deployment.
The Government will work closely with carbon-intensive sectors on decarbonisation. This includes leveraging low-carbon technologies such as hydrogen and carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), as well as international collaborations in areas such as carbon credits and renewable energy imports.
The public sector will aim to achieve net zero emissions around 2045. For example, all public sector cars will run on cleaner energy by 2035.
Jurong Lake District (JLD) will aim to achieve net zero emissions for new developments around 2045. You will see solar energy deployment on buildings around JLD, and cleaner energy and electric buses serving the area.Political will – the sort of determination used to confront Covid-19 – is needed to tackle climate change, humanity’s gravest risk, at the UN climate summit in Egypt in November.
Vinod ThomasClimate action calls for more resources across countries than previously thought. PHOTO: REUTERS
PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO on 28th Oct 2022 in Straits Times.
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The COP27 United Nations climate summit will open in Egypt on Nov 6 at a time when the light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel is getting brighter. But the prospects of averting a climate catastrophe seem nowhere in sight, as global and country policies fall far short of the drastic measures needed to decarbonise economies and put them on a sustainable path. Frustratingly, the economic and technical solutions, as well as the financial resources, to do this are within reach. What is lacking is the political will – the sort of determination used to confront Covid-19 – to tackle climate change, humanity’s gravest risk.Relief over the subsiding pandemic must not lead to complacency over the climate crisis. A breakthrough is needed to convince governments and the private sector that the immense resources necessary for climate mitigation will not slow economic growth compared with doing nothing – a tough task, especially amid fears of a global recession. COP27 will register some success if it can send a resounding message that the societal cost of climate inaction, even during a time of sluggish economic growth, will dwarf the cost of climate action.In line with such a direction, Singapore has announced net-zero emissions by 2050. It is imperative that others, especially China and India, do the same.For the decarbonisation message to have traction, the top priority is to connect the dots in the climate conundrum. Climate impacts, such as the losses from Australia’s bush fires or Pakistan’s epic floods, need to be attributed squarely to the relentless rise in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions originating in human activity. The tobacco-cancer experience suggests that establishing a clear link between cause and effect is key to accountability and action. Regardless of whether it is the 2022 flooding in southern China or the super storm in the south-eastern United States, causation in an extreme climate event begins with the link between carbon emissions and temperatures, followed by the ferocity of hydrometeorological (floods and storms) and climatic (heatwaves and droughts) events.
Ironically, mainstream economics has not underscored this critical link. The connection between GHGs and climate damages should direct attention to diminished economic growth from the continued use of fossil fuels. Instead, the preoccupation with short-term gross domestic product, a faulty measure of progress, diverts attention to losses in the transition to a low-carbon economy, leaving the public with the perception that climate action is inimical to growth.
Decision makers should also be discouraged from overly discounting or marking down the benefits from climate investments because they occur over time – for example, the value of Singapore’s $100 billion climate adaptation plan through 2100. Economists, however, have made the right call on pricing carbon, Singapore’s carbon tax being an example, which will make a difference if adopted and scaled up by all the major economies.
Clear communication is vital precisely because climate links are indirect, going from fossil fuels to GHG emissions to global warming and disasters, rather than direct, as in the case of infection leading to hospitalisation with Covid-19. Descriptions of hazards of nature are plentiful, and so are stories of people’s bravery in withstanding tragedies.
But understandable reports about attribution, accountability and action are lacking. Weather reports, television coverage and policy statements need to link disasters and emissions, especially in the middle of a storm or a forest fire, when people’s attention is most focused on such events. Even where the messaging has been powerful, the scenarios often refer to faraway places and the distant future, detracting from the truth that climate change is here and now.
The stock of effluents that have already accumulated in the air over decades adds to the reality of growing dangers. In this picture of rising risks, strengthening resilience is no longer about just bouncing back from disasters, but building back better in anticipation of higher physical and technological hurdles. Climate change also warns of events spinning out of control in a downward spiral; for example, extreme weather hurting energy supplies, rising energy prices and the pressure to use more fossil fuels – all of which aggravate global warming.
The hope is that adoption of breakthrough technologies will happen in time to counter such negative scenarios. For example, green hydrogen and carbon capture have shown glimpses of the possibilities in averting climate catastrophes. But they too, even more than in the case of the renewable technologies of solar, wind and nuclear, call for vast investments and consumer demand to enable them to go commercial and to scale.
The bottom line, as COP27 in Sharm el–Sheikh from Nov 6–18 approaches, is that the price of delays in climate investments is mounting. Climate action calls for more resources across countries than previously thought. That vast sums can be quickly mobilised to fix global problems, if the political will is there, was dazzlingly demonstrated by the US$15 trillion (S$21.1 trillion) drummed up in 2020 by major Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries to fight Covid-19.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Fossil fuel emissions to peak soon, green transition needs to speed up: IEA
UN warns ‘time is running out’ as greenhouse gases surge
But the world is struggling to raise the UN-targeted US$100 billion annually in climate finance for developing countries for mitigation and adaptation. More funding needs to be complemented by innovative approaches to build resilience as countries and localities face shortages in staff and financial resources.
Moreover, all investment projects need to adopt climate proofing from here on. Also, countries need to conduct climate stress tests, much as the central banks routinely carry out stress tests to assess the health of financial systems.
All this amounts to a greater emphasis on pre-disaster preparedness and prevention, and efforts to build back better, which comprise key elements of a paradigm shift or transformational change necessitated by runaway climate change. Technological and economic solutions remain essential, but what is needed more than ever is the recognition that climate action, even during an economic downturn, is far better for sustained economic growth than inaction.
Dr Vinod Thomas, a former senior vice-president at the World Bank and director-general of the Asian Development Bank, is a visiting professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore
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The A-Z of energy transition
Singapore’s strategy towards net zero
Learn what the UHI effect is: https://www.facebook.com/Climate…/videos/1550447911798539/ Some ways in which Singapore is tackling the UHI effect: https://www.facebook.com/ClimateC…/videos/862722087540462/
: Incorporating greenery onto infrastructure is a key pillar in the Singapore Green Plan 2030. (NParks)=
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United Nations on Facebook on 28th Oct 2022.
United Nations in Facebook on 15th Nov 2022.
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=Please place the environment in the foremost and of the utmost of importance over all else now, not 2030, 2050 or 2070. Is it due to money and greed that the UN is lame from getting this done now? The UN should gather funding from developed countries to have a joint research for all mega cities to become 100% users of clean and green electricity now, not 2030. When mega cities do not pollute anymore, it will transform the whole world immediately.=
===When the environment is fixed, all else will fall in place overing the climate crisis, deforestation, desertification, clean potable water, reduce hunger, refugees, and greed for fossil oil, LNG and coal. ==================No environment, no nature, no life, and no humans [no more humans around] to find a cure for Covid-19.
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=Please place the environment in the foremost and of the utmost of importance over all else now, not 2030, 2050 or 2070. Is it due to money and greed that the UN is lame from getting this done now? The UN should gather funding from developed countries to have a joint research for all mega cities to become 100% users of clean and green electricity now, not 2030. When mega cities do not pollute anymore, it will transform the whole world immediately.=
===When the environment is fixed, all else will fall in place overing the climate crisis, deforestation, desertification, clean potable water, reduce hunger, refugees, and greed for fossil oil, LNG and coal. ==================No environment, no nature, no life, and no humans [no more humans around] to find a cure for Covid-19.
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Bill Gates is backing a plan to turn CO2 into fuel
Could the future of clean energy be to turn air into petrol? It may sound too good to be true, but Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his partners are experimenting with a technology that could potentially help stop global warming as well as provide clean fuel. At their facility in Squamish, western Canada, engineers have already succeeded in extracting CO2 from the air and using it to produce a mix of petrol and diesel. They hope to eventually replicate the process on an industrial scale, the Guardian reports.
Carbon Engineering, a company set up by Gates, physicist David Keith and oil sands magnate Norman Murray Edwards, and its partner, Canadian energy company Greyrock, announced last December that they had made a vital breakthrough. Carbon Engineering had succeeded in using captured CO2 to synthesize a mix of petrol and diesel.
The individual technologies, such as carbon capture and fuel synthesis, are not new. But combined, scaled up and powered by solar energy, they could clean up the planet while offering a new source of carbon-neutral fuel that uses less land and water than biofuels. Carbon Engineering estimates that once scaled up, the technology could produce fuels for less than $1 per litre.
Their process, known as “air to fuels” (or A2F) consists of three main steps. First, CO2 is captured from the air and purified. The facility in Squamish already removes one tonne of CO2 per day from the atmosphere, but previously, this was simply released back into the air as the rest of the process was not developed enough. Next, clean electricity, such as solar power, is used to split hydrogen from water. In the final step, the CO2 and hydrogen are synthesised into fuel, such as diesel and jet fuel. Fuels produced this way are also cleaner burning than fossil fuels, according to Carbon Engineering.
“A2F is a potentially game-changing technology,” it says on its website. It “offers an alternative to biofuels and a complement to electric vehicles in the effort to displace fossil fuels from transportation”. While electric vehicles are more suited to shorter distances, long-haul transport, ships and airplanes still need the high-energy density of liquid fuels, according to the company.
However, critics argue that the world’s main priority should not be to capture CO2, but to emit less of it in the first place.
In the journal Science, Professor Kevin Anderson, deputy director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, and Glen Peters, research director at the Centre for International Climate Research (Cicero) in Norway, argue that the technologies to remove carbon may not work at scale.
Anderson warns that governments are assuming that these technologies will clean up the atmosphere in the future, according to the Guardian. This gives them less of an incentive to cut emissions now. Anderson points out that it is also a dangerously optimistic assumption given how new and unproven these technologies are on a large scale.
“They are not an insurance policy; they are a high-risk gamble with tomorrow’s generations, particularly those living in poor and climatically vulnerable communities, set to pay the price if our high-stakes bet fails to deliver as promised,” Anderson says. If the technologies are not as successful as promised, “our own children will be forced to endure the consequences of rapidly rising temperatures and a highly unstable climate.”
Bill Gates has argued that governments and companies need to invest in a wide range of cutting-edge energy technologies, from solar fuels to more efficient grids, even though it may take many years for them to work at scale.
“Breakthroughs in energy technologies could reduce air pollution, help people escape poverty, and avoid the worst effects of climate change,” he said in an opinion piece on clean energy last year. “But here’s the tricky part: we don’t yet know which ones will succeed. So we need to explore lots of ideas with investments from both the government and the private sector.”
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Let’s make recovery our resolution for 2022
UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message of hope for the New Year
The world welcomes 2022 with our hopes for the future being tested.
By deepening poverty and worsening inequality.
By an unequal distribution of COVID vaccines.
By climate commitments that fall short.
And by ongoing conflict, division, and misinformation.
These are not just policy tests.
These are moral and real-life tests.
And they are tests that humanity can pass — if we commit to making 2022 a year of recovery for everyone.
Recovery from the pandemic — with a bold plan to vaccinate every person, everywhere.
Recovery for our economies — with wealthier countries supporting the developing world with financing, investment and debt relief.
Recovery from mistrust and division — with a new emphasis on science, facts and reason.
Recovery from conflicts — with a renewed spirit of dialogue, compromise and reconciliation.
And recovery for our planet — with climate commitments that match the scale and urgency of the crisis.
Moments of great difficulty are also moments of great opportunity.
To come together in solidarity.
To unite behind solutions that can benefit all people.
And to move forward — together — with hope in what our human family can accomplish.
Together, let’s make recovery our resolution for 2022.
For people, planet and prosperity.
I wish you all a happy and peaceful New Year.
Follow the UN here on Medium
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An ‘anxious’ youth’s call for Singapore to make stronger climate commitments amid disappointing Glasgow summit
By SHAUNE CHOW
Published NOVEMBER 10, 2021
Updated NOVEMBER 12, 2021 in Today newspaper
Grace Fu/Facebook
Cabinet minister Grace Fu delivered Singapore’s national statement at a global climate summit in Glasgow on Nov 9, 2021, calling for urgent collective action and saying Singapore would not shy away from taking bold action.
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“We are at the point of no return.”
That was the message I got from reading the latest assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) earlier this year.
It left me anxious.
Experts and activists have pointed to the ongoing 26th edition of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) as the world’s last best chance to save itself from planetary crisis.
It is with this odd mix of hope and anxiousness that I followed news emerging from the summit, waiting with bated breath for leaders from Singapore and the world to step up and create a habitable future for my generation and the ones to come.
Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu delivered Singapore’s national statement at the conference on Tuesday (Nov 9), calling for “urgent collective action” and saying that Singapore would “not shy away from taking bold action”.
READ ALSO
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While I commend these strong statements, I can’t help but feel disappointed by Singapore’s existing climate policies and commitments made at COP26 so far.
They do little to reflect the urgent and bold action needed.
Though Ms Fu pointed again to Singapore’s Green Plan as a “concrete near-term plan” to achieve Singapore’s net-zero ambition, it promises only to halve its 2030 peak greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050.
This remains a far cry from the IPCC’s recommendation to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
The Government previously said the aim was to reach net-zero emissions “as soon as viable” in the second half of the century.
Our commitments at COP26 have done little to inspire hope.
READ ALSO
Carbon copy? COP26 confronts familiar roadblocks on market rules
Singapore was not a signatory to the landmark Declaration on Forest and Land Use, which pledges to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 as a tool to fight climate change and limit the rise in global temperatures.
And of our large local banks, only DBS has committed to the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, which strives for net-zero emissions by 2050.
While it is heartening to hear that Singapore has joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance to phase out unabated coal power by 2050, I can’t help but feel it is merely incremental with coal making up just 1.2 per cent of our electricity generation. Coal and peat form only about 0.3 per cent of our energy imports.
There has been no detailed commitment made in relation to the other unclean energy sources of natural gas and petroleum, with petroleum products forming 62 per cent of our energy imports.
We need to walk the talk and take “bold action” that Ms Fu calls for in her statement. As the COP26 nears its close, I urge stronger and more inspiring commitments from Singapore.
We are already teetering on the brink of no return.
The future of my generation lies in the climate commitments Singapore can make, and I wait with bated breath in the hope that Singapore punches above its weight to protect us from unprecedented planetary devastation.
ABOUT THE WRITER:
Ms Shaune Chow, 21, is an undergraduate at the Singapore Management University.
Have views on this issue or a news topic you care about? Send your letter to voices@mediacorp.com.sg with your full name, address and phone number.
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Carbon Copy: Draft COP26 text mentions fossil fuels for first time in history of UN climate talks
GLASGOW – It is day 10 and everyone can sense COP26 talks are in the final stretch. Early on Wednesday (Nov 10), the British hosts of the conference released the first draft of the conference conclusion.
The cover text, which reflects the views of negotiators in Glasgow, gives the first clues as to what a deal might look like. The draft will now be discussed and debated by delegates from nearly 200 nations.
There is every chance that parts of the draft text will change over the course of the next two to three days. That is normal in climate talks as nations press their demands and work to a compromise. In the end, there must be consensus from all nations for any final set of decisions to be adopted.
Any decisions taken at COP26 would help implement the Paris Agreement, the world’s main climate treaty, which enshrines temperature targets for nearly 200 nations to well below 2 deg C above pre-industrial levels and aims for 1.5 deg C if possible.
Developing nations are unhappy about some aspects of the draft text, including fuzzy language around finance to help them green their economies and adapt to climate impacts. There is not enough clarity on the amount and source of the climate cash or how it will be mobilised.
For example, the text “notes with regret” that the goal of developed countries to contribute US$100 billion (S$135 billion) a year by 2020 to poorer nations has not yet been met. It does mention the growing financial needs of developing countries, in particular, due to the increasing impacts of climate change and increased indebtedness, and calls for greater financial support for them.
Other elements, though, may be grounds for some cautious optimism.
Here is a short rundown on some of the key areas in the new text, which could prove crucial in determining the final outcome of COP26.
1. Global climate pact mentions fossil fuels for the first time
For the first time in the nearly 30-year history of the United Nations climate conferences, the term “fossil fuels” has emerged in the draft cover text, with nations “called upon” to accelerate the phasing out of coal and subsidies for fossil fuels.
Mr Mohamed Adow, director of climate group Powershift Africa, told a press conference on Wednesday: “For the first time, we now have a COP text that explicitly calls for the phasing out of coal and fossil fuel subsidies, and that is a welcome step.”
The burning of fossil fuels is driving climate change, he said, and explicitly mentioning it means that the world is on the path to addressing the problem.
“For the first time in 30 years, we’re able to get it in a formal legal text in a draft form. So our task now is to protect that text, and to strengthen it by making it happen faster, but also in an equitable manner.”
But though its inclusion has been praised by multiple climate groups, observers have noted the possibility that the sentence could be removed in the final iteration of the cover text as negotiations progress.
Ms Melissa Low, a climate policy observer from the National University of Singapore’s Energy Studies Institute, who is following the negotiations from Singapore, said she expects there to be backlash from certain countries on the inclusion of this statement in the final text.
“The Paris Agreement allows for bottom-up nationally determined contributions – meaning nations decide, on their own terms, what they want to do for the climate,” she said.
Ms Low explained: “It will be challenging to ask countries to phase out fossil fuel use when they get to decide their own climate pledges.”
2. Carbon markets (Article 6)
Article 6 under the Paris Agreement lays out broad guidelines on carbon markets but leaves the detailed rules on how to create and implement the markets unresolved. Article 6 is just one page in the Paris Agreement.
Although not specifically mentioned in the COP26 presidency draft on Wednesday, this ongoing branch of the negotiations has proved particularly hard to finalise after several years of talks – and it is proving tricky at COP26 too.
The stalemate is holding up potentially billions of dollars of investments in projects, especially in poorer nations, which can cut greenhouse gas emissions and help countries meet their climate action plans as pledged under the Paris Agreement.
One part of the Article 6 negotiations covers trading of emissions between countries to meet emissions reduction obligations, while the others deal with non-market mechanisms such as projects to reduce emissions, as well as legacy emissions reduction credits from an earlier UN scheme.
The negotiations are highly technical and a key focus is avoiding double counting of credits.
The talks are still bogged down on the rules around “corresponding adjustments”, which are a tool designed to promote the integrity of emissions accounting under the Paris Agreement.
This is intended to prevent countries from counting an emission reduction more than once towards their national climate plans.
A second area of dispute is whether to allow the use of legacy credits under the Clean Development Mechanism. Some countries such as Brazil have large amounts of these credits but there are concerns that using them will weaken national efforts to ramp up efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
A third contentious area is over sharing of the proceeds of carbon markets. Poorer, more vulnerable countries want certainty over a percentage share of carbon market revenues, with that money feeding into the UN-administered Adaptation Fund to help poorer nations cope with increasingly extreme weather events and rising sea levels.
However, there is no clarity yet on whether a percentage of revenues will be shared, whether it will be mandatory or how much it might be.
Developing countries need more money to green their economies, cope with climate impacts and offset the costs of those impacts to reduce their national debt levels.
3. Mind your language
The language in the draft cover text can seem tentative, usually “urging”, “inviting” or “calling on” nations to pursue certain climate actions.
But observers have pointed out that there is a continuum of weight to these words, with “urges” carrying more weight than “calls on”, which is more significant than just “invites”, noted Dr Simon Evans, deputy editor of news site Carbon Brief.
Ms Yamide Dagnet, director of climate negotiations at think-tank World Resources Institute, said the language used in the draft cover text was not decisive enough.
She said: “What some countries want is more direct language, instead of just ‘urging’ or ‘inviting’, but also having programmes, having dates, deadlines and milestones to make it real.”
4. More frequent updates on climate pledges
Under the Paris Agreement, new climate pledges must be submitted every five years.
The first round of pledges was made in 2015. This year’s conference – which was postponed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic – marks the second round of submissions from countries, setting out national climate targets for 2030.
But the draft cover text includes a provision for these climate pledges to be updated yearly instead.
Paragraph 30 of the seven-page document “urges” countries to revisit and strengthen their 2030 targets in their climate pledges by the end of 2022.
Revisiting climate pledges yearly could spur countries to progressively ratchet up their climate ambition so the world has a greater chance of limiting warming to 1.5 deg C above pre-industrial levels.
But new research released during COP26 showed that temperature rise under the targets set by countries for 2030 would be more than 2.4 deg C above pre-industrial levels by the end of this century.
Climate impacts such as extreme weather events, droughts and wildfires are set to worsen with every degree of warming, climate scientists have shown.
So certain countries, especially vulnerable nations that bear the brunt of the warming, want parties to come back every year to negotiate how to take stronger climate action so that the 1.5 deg C threshold can be met.
But Energy Studies Institute’s Ms Low noted that it could also be hard to get countries to reach a consensus on this issue as this was not what they signed up for when they adopted the Paris Agreement.
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US, China pledge to work together to fight climate change
WASHINGTON – The United States and China pledged on Wednesday (Nov 10, 2021) to work together to combat climate change in this decade, including cutting methane emissions and phasing out coal.
The deal by the US and China, the world’s two largest emitters of planet-warming greenhouse gases overall, was announced at the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow by American climate czar John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua.
Experts say the pledge could be the very push that the gathered nations need to unveil a more robust agreement at the end of the summit, informally known as COP26, later this week.
In a joint statement, both countries recognised that the world had so far fallen short of the 2015 Paris Agreement targets to limit global warming, ideally to 1.5 deg C, and stressed “the vital importance of closing that gap as soon as possible”.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement, writing on Twitter: “Tackling the climate crisis requires international collaboration and solidarity, and this is an important step in the right direction.”
Methane emissions, in particular, must be reduced in the current decade given their role in increasing temperatures, said Washington and Beijing.
The often overlooked greenhouse gas traps more heat than carbon dioxide – meaning that efforts to reduce its emissions can quickly have an effect, buying the world time to reduce fossil fuel usage.
China will develop a national plan on methane, “aiming to achieve a significant effect on methane emissions control and reductions in the 2020s”, said the joint statement.
It follows the Joe Biden administration’s national action plan to reduce America’s methane emissions, released last Tuesday.
The US and China will also meet in the first half of next year to discuss how to better measure and cut methane emissions, including through standards to reduce methane from the fossil fuel and waste sectors, as well as incentives and programmes to reduce methane from the agricultural sector, said the statement.
They also pledged to work together to eliminate global illegal deforestation through effectively enforcing their respective laws on banning illegal imports.
Experts say that China’s pledge to cut methane is significant, given its silence so far on the issue.
Georgetown University Associate Professor Joanna Lewis, an expert on US-China climate change cooperation, said that non-CO2 greenhouse gases were “notably absent” from China’s nationally determined contribution (NDC), its updated climate pledge to the UN released in October.
Nor did China sign the global pledge to cut methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030, said Prof Lewis on Twitter.
There is much pressure for China to do more in the 2020s, she said, adding that Wednesday’s joint declaration “sets the stage for more movement”.
China will also phase down coal consumption during the 15th Five Year Plan, which will cover 2026 to 2030, said the statement.
“Putting China’s language on coal phase-down from domestic plans on paper in an international agreement is useful,” said Prof Lewis.
She added: “The value here is putting several things down on paper that China has been saying in domestic plans and speeches, but had been absent from its NDC. And, of course, this can hopefully push a strong Glasgow agreement over the finish line.”
The two countries also pledged to start a working group on enhancing climate action in the 2020s. It will meet regularly.
Welcoming the announcement, Prof Lewis said: “We now finally have a formal mechanism for ongoing bilateral cooperation which was so far missing from this administration.”
Mr Xie and Mr Kerry said that Wednesday’s joint declaration was the result of nearly three dozen negotiation sessions over the course of the year.
Experts welcomed the agreement, calling it reminiscent of the climate deal struck by the US and China in 2014, which paved the way for the Paris Agreement a year later.
It was also notable, coming amid US-China tensions and acrimony in other arenas, from technology to trade as well as human rights.
Mr Thom Woodroofe, a senior adviser at the Asia Society Policy Institute and a US-China climate cooperation expert, wrote on Twitter that both countries benefited from the announcement.
For the US, it shows that it is coming away from Glasgow with “at least a signal by China” that it hopes to be able to do more and with ways to hold its “feet to the fire”, he said.
For China, it helps to stem the perception that it “came to Glasgow entirely empty-handed”, he added.
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Is Singapore, other than testing the hot water at Sembawang Hot Spring, be prepared to spend money on research how mega cities on flat ground no hydro or wind power, and insufficient solar power, able to generate clean and green electricity 24/7, day and night, 365 days?
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China pledge could trigger big drop in new coal plants in Asia: Study
GLASGOW – China’s pledge to stop building coal power plants abroad could lead to a sharp drop in the number of coal plants being completed in Asia, according to a study released on Wednesday (Nov 10).
President Xi Jinping’s announcement in September that China would no longer build coal plants overseas could significantly limit the financing of such projects in the developing world, especially those that have yet to secure funding, said an analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (Crea) and Global Energy Monitor, which tracks fossil fuel projects.
Prior to Mr Xi’s announcement, more than 65 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired power plants were planned for construction in Asian countries outside of China and India.
If all power plants dependent on Chinese support were cancelled, it would remove two-thirds of these planned projects, leaving 22GW remaining in just eight countries, according to the report.
And of the remaining 22GW – totalling 28 projects – less than a third have secured finance, suggesting some of these might not be built, the authors said.
The findings come as United Nations climate talks in Glasgow are trying to agree a deal that will stabilise the world’s climate. Achieving this means slashing fossil fuel emissions, especially polluting coal.
But while the findings point to a shrinking number of coal plants in most of Asia, China still has the world’s largest pipeline of projects by far.
The “pre-construction pipeline” in China is still 160GW, said Mr Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at Crea.
For comparison, Singapore’s total operating power generation capacity is about 12GW.
“This is in addition to 100GW under construction. With coal-fired power generation in China expected to peak before 2030, there’s a need to control new construction starts and that’s what the government is vowing to do,” he told The Straits Times.
“We can therefore expect a lot of the pre-construction projects not to go ahead, but coal power capacity additions will nevertheless be large in China in the next years and increasingly out of step with the rest of the world,” he noted.
China is the world’s top greenhouse gas polluter and coal is the single largest source of China’s emissions. The nation is also the world’s top coal consumer and producer and, while it is also the top renewable energy investor, coal remains the main energy source.
That dependency has put China squarely in the sights of the United States and poorer more vulnerable nations, who say China’s climate commitments are not strong enough to prevent global warming of more than 1.5 deg C.
Keeping the world on track to limit warming to 1.5 deg C above pre-industrial levels is a key focus of the COP26 talks and climate scientists say breaching this threshold will trigger more violent storms and floods, longer droughts and accelerate sea level rise.
China has pledged that its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will peak before 2030, reach net zero before 2060 and that it will increase the efficiency of its coal plants.
Mr Myllyvirta said India’s pre-construction pipeline was 21GW, representing a major reduction from just a few years ago, and also showing a reduced appetite for coal.
China’s pledge to end overseas coal projects bolsters a global trend away from coal. Earlier this year, major coal funders South Korea and Japan also committed to ending overseas coal power financing, followed by a recent commitment from all Group of 20 countries.
The study’s authors said China’s pledge will affect plans for coal power plants in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Laos, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.
Cancellation of the remaining 22GW pipeline would save over US$27 billion (S$36 billion) in capital costs that could be spent on renewable energy investments as well as electricity grid expansion and modernisation, they said.
It would also avoid adding approximately 103 million tonnes of CO2 emissions a year – the equivalent of Bangladesh’s total CO2 emissions in 2019.
But China’s pledge is not likely to affect the approximately 43GW of coal projects already under construction in the region, the authors noted.
“Building new coal capacity is incompatible with many of the pledges made by Asian countries at the COP26 talks. It also makes little financial sense as the price of new solar and wind projects continues to drop to a point where it’s cheaper than generating power from existing coal,” said Ms Isabella Suarez, energy analyst at Crea.
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Climate-vulnerable nations demand more financial support in COP26 draft deal
GLASGOW (REUTERS) – Vulnerable countries at the COP26 UN climate talks have urged stronger commitments on finance to help them adapt to climate change impacts and repair the damage they are suffering, in response to an early draft deal for the Glasgow summit released on Wednesday (Nov 10).
The two-week annual conference is due to finish on Friday but often runs overtime as countries squabble over wording and hammer out their differences on how to push forward lagging climate action.
Wednesday’s provisional texts urged countries to step up their targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions by the end of 2022, acknowledging that current pledges fall short of what is needed to limit warming to 1.5 deg C and avert the worst impacts of climate change.
Mr Aubrey Webson, United Nations Ambassador for Antigua and Barbuda and chair of the Alliance of Small Island States, said the deal needed to be strengthened to help the most vulnerable, particularly with finance to adopt clean energy and cope with climate change impacts.
“We won’t get the ambition on emissions (cuts) we need for 1.5 deg C if we don’t scale up the provision of finance,” he warned in a statement, noting “long overdue” money to deal with growing climate loss and damage was particularly key.
One of the texts noted “regret” that developed countries have yet to meet a promise to channel US$100 billion (S$135 billion) a year in climate finance to poorer nations starting from 2020 – something they have now promised to do by 2023.
The text urged governments to accelerate efforts to meet the goal sooner.
Mr Abul Kalam Azad, Bangladesh’s special envoy for the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), a club of 55 vulnerable nations in Africa, Asia and Latin America, said there was “no excuse” for meeting the already overdue US$100 billion goal later than 2022.
“Without financial support, little can be done to minimise damaging effects for vulnerable communities around the world,” he said.
He noted the CVF wants negotiators at COP26 to mandate that financing options for “loss and damage” – from impacts such as higher seas and stronger storms, droughts and floods – be studied and then presented at COP27 next year.
That request has not been included in the decision texts so far.
Ms Vanessa Nakate, a young Ugandan climate activist, also called for a separate fund to help vulnerable countries like hers cope with losses, adding they would experience “suffering, suffering, suffering” if warming tops 2.4 deg C.
“You cannot adapt to starvation, you cannot adapt to extinction, you cannot adapt to lost cultural heritage and you cannot adapt to lost biodiversity,” she said, calling for loss and damage to be put at the centre of the COP26 negotiations.
‘Challenging’
Mr Mohamed Adow, the director of Power Shift Africa, a Nairobi-based think-tank, said the COP26 decision text was currently “a very lopsided document”.
Its dominant advances include a push to accelerate emissions reductions, and it calls for action to phase out the use of coal and fossil fuel subsidies, the first time such an appeal has appeared in negotiating text at the talks.
“But on the key demands of vulnerable countries, there is very little,” he told journalists. “On helping these countries adapt to climate impacts and deal with permanent loss and damage, it is very fuzzy and vague.”
A 2022 deadline in the text for all countries to come back with stronger emissions reduction targets was welcomed by many, although some developing nations wanted that targeted at mainly large emitting nations that have submitted weak national action plans this year.
Some climate campaigners said the text lacked a needed commitment to revise emissions-cutting goals every year, given the urgency of the changes needed.
The conference’s overarching aim is to “keep 1.5 alive” – a reference to the Paris Agreement’s most ambitious goal to pursue efforts to limit average global temperature rise to 1.5 deg C above pre-industrial times.
But a leading tracker for national climate policies this week said the world will hit 2.4 deg C of warming this century with current plans for 2030 emissions cuts – if they are fulfilled.
“This draft deal is not a plan to solve the climate crisis. It’s an agreement that we’ll all cross our fingers and hope for the best,” said Ms Jennifer Morgan, executive director of Greenpeace International. “It’s a polite request that countries, maybe, possibly, do more next year.”
Mr Alok Sharma, the British official leading the COP26 talks, said the British government was aiming for a “high ambition” outcome from the summit.
But there was still a lot of work to do to achieve a satisfactory outcome on finance in line with the hopes of vulnerable countries, he noted. He said he hoped new pledges this week would smooth the way.
“We all know what is at risk if we do not reach an ambitious outcome. Climate-vulnerable countries on the front line of the climate crisis will continue to bear the brunt before it engulfs us all,” he added.
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India holds back on climate pledge until rich nations pay US$1 trillion
NEW DELHI (BLOOMBERG) – India has declined to update its official climate goal at the United Nations climate negotiations, holding out for rich countries to first offer US$1 trillion (S$1.35 trillion) in climate finance by the end of the decade.
The resistance from India stands in contrast to its surprise announcement on Nov 1, 2021, just as COP26 negotiations got underway, that it would set an ambitious new goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2070.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the talks in Glasgow, Scotland, with a decision to increase his nation’s share of renewable electricity generation capacity alongside the long-term target to zero out carbon.
At the same time, Mr Modi demanded that rich countries provide as much as US$1 trillion in climate finance just for India – far more than the US$100 billion a year for all poor countries sought under previous deals.
Until now, however, it was not clear whether India’s demand came with a fixed timeline.
Officials on Wednesday (Nov 10) confirmed that India is seeking that sum by 2030 to fund the build out of renewables, energy storage, decarbonisation of the industrial sector and defending infrastructure to a warming planet.
Even as 121 countries have submitted their official climate pledges to the UN in documents know as nationally determined contributions (NDC), India has held back.
“Let’s be clear,” an unnamed delegate told the Hindustan Times, “India will not update its NDC till there is clarity on climate finance.”
The Indians want a clear promise on making the funds available “as soon as possible”, an official told Bloomberg News.
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Six automakers and 31 countries say they’ll phase out fossil-fuel vehicles by 2040
GLASGOW (NYTIMES) – At least six major automakers – including Ford, Mercedes-Benz, General Motors and Volvo – and 31 national governments pledged on Wednesday (Nov 10, 2021) to work towards phasing out sales of new gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles by 2040 worldwide, and by 2035 in “leading markets”.
But some of the world’s biggest car manufacturers, including Toyota, Volkswagen and the Nissan-Renault alliance, did not join the pledge, which is not legally binding. The governments of the United States, China and Japan, three of the largest car markets, also abstained.
The announcement, made during international climate talks here, was hailed by climate advocates as yet another sign that the days of the internal combustion engine could soon be numbered.
Electric vehicles continue to set new global sales records each year and major car companies have recently begun investing tens of billions of dollars to retool their factories and churn out new battery-powered cars and light trucks.
“Having these major players making these commitments, though we need to make sure that they follow through, is really significant,” said Ms Margo Oge, a former senior United States air quality official who now advises both environmental groups and auto companies.
“It really tells us that these companies, and their boards, accept that the future is electric.”
The automakers that signed the pledge accounted for roughly one quarter of global sales in 2019.
Countries that joined the coalition included Britain, Canada, India, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden. The addition of India was especially notable, since it is the world’s fourth-largest auto market and has not previously committed to eliminating emissions from its cars on a specific timeline.
Other countries vowing for the first time to sell only zero-emissions vehicles by a set date included Turkey, Croatia, Ghana and Rwanda.
California and Washington state also signed the pledge. Last year, Governor Gavin Newsom of California signed an executive order saying that only new zero-emissions vehicles would be sold in the state by 2035, though regulators have not yet issued rules to make that happen. Washington had not previously made such a formal pledge.
The agreement states that automakers will “work towards reaching 100 per cent zero-emission new car and van sales in leading markets by 2035 or earlier, supported by a business strategy that is in line with achieving this ambition, as we help build customer demand”.
Zero-emissions vehicles could include either plug-in electric vehicles or hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, although the latter have struggled to gain market share.
Electric cars can still indirectly produce emissions if, for instance, they are recharged with power from plants that burn coal or natural gas. But they are generally considered cleaner overall than combustion engine vehicles and do not create pollution from their tailpipes.
Two dozen vehicle fleet operators, including Uber and LeasePlan, also joined the coalition, vowing to operate only zero-emissions vehicles by 2030, “or earlier where markets allow”.
Worldwide, transportation accounts for roughly one-fifth of humanity’s carbon dioxide emissions that are responsible for climate change, with a little less than half of that coming from passenger vehicles such as cars and vans.
In recent years, spurred by concerns about global warming and air pollution, governments around the world – including China, the US and European Union – have begun heavily subsidising electric vehicles and imposing more stringent emissions standards on new gasoline- and diesel-fuelled cars.
The cost of lithium-ion batteries has also declined by roughly 80 per cent since 2013, according to BloombergNEF, an energy research group, making electric vehicles increasingly competitive with traditional combustion engine vehicles, though many consumers remain wary of the new technology because of concerns like the availability of charging stations.
“We have the technology to make clean road transport a reality and today it’s clear we have the willpower to do it in the next decade,” said Mr Nigel Topping, who was appointed by the British government to the United Nations to be a “high level climate action champion”.
Some of the automakers that signed the agreement had already pledged to clean up the cars they produce. GM said in January that it aimed to stop selling new gasoline-powered cars and light trucks by 2035 and will pivot to battery-powered vehicles. Volvo had said it expected its car line-up to be fully electric by 2030.
But the pledge appeared to commit some of the signatories to doing more than they had previously promised. Ford, which this year introduced an electric version of its bestselling F-150 pickup truck, had previously said it expected only 40 per cent of its global vehicle mix to be electric by 2030.
“We are moving now to deliver breakthrough electric vehicles for the many rather than the few,” said Ms Cynthia Williams, global director of sustainability at Ford.
The other two automakers that signed the pledge were BYD, a Chinese automaker that has made major inroads selling electric cars in Europe, as well as Jaguar-Land Rover.
Some of the major automakers that did not sign the agreement are nonetheless investing heavily in electric vehicle technology. Volkswagen, which six years ago confessed to rigging its diesel cars to conceal illegally high emissions, has since outlined plans to spend tens of billions of dollars to build six battery factories, install a global network of charging stations and roll out more than 80 new electric models by 2025.
Mr Nicolai Laude, a Volkswagen spokesman, said while the German automaker was committed to a rapid shift towards electric vehicles, it did not join the new pledge. This is because the global nature of its business meant it had to be mindful that “regions developing at different speed combined with different local prerequisites need different pathways” to zero emissions.
Toyota, the world’s bestselling automaker last year, was also notably missing from the list of signatories, though it announced plans this year to sell 15 electric vehicle models around the world by 2025.
The Japanese automaker has been more cautious on electric vehicle technology, continuing to bet on alternatives like hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles.
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, with analysts quick to point out big gaps remaining on key issues, particularly around finance to help poorer nations.========
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World leaders must protect the environment now, not 2030 or 2050, and leave no cause for regret for future generations.
No deceit on mankind, please. Enough is enough. Stop it now, not in 2030 or 2050.
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. They traveled all the way to Glasgow to lend their voices and advocate for greater climate action at this critical juncture. I am grateful to hear their valuable perspectives, and thanked them for their support and efforts to fight #ClimateChange..
COP26: Singapore urges developed countries to deliver strong support package for developing nations
GLASGOW – Singapore called on developed countries to make good their promise to channel funds to help developing nations deal with climate change, even as the Republic committed to doing its part in tackling the global crisis.
“COP26 must deliver a strong support package for developing countries,” said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow on Tuesday (Nov 9).
“This will enable developing countries to implement effective adaptation strategies and achieve their climate pledges, so that we can collectively fulfil the Paris Agreement’s goals,” she said as she delivered Singapore’s national statement to world leaders gathered at the conference.
Ms Fu urged developed countries to fulfil their commitment to mobilise US$100 billion (S$135 billion) per year in climate finance to support the climate actions of developing countries.
Rich countries have missed a 2009 commitment to jointly transfer US$100 billion each year by 2020 to help poorer nations. In 2018, wealthy countries contributed only about US$80 billion.
The mobilisation of climate finance for developing nations is a major point of contention at COP26.
Also being negotiated is the increase in climate finance from rich nations from 2025, with the funding quantum and how the money can be mobilised to be agreed by 2024.
Poorer nations have said that any climate finance available needs to be split 50/50 between adaptation and steps to cut emissions, or mitigation. Only about 20 per cent of climate cash at present goes to adaptation efforts.
Adaptation efforts can reduce climate impacts on societies, and include things such as the building of sea walls to keep sea level rise at bay or the development of drainage infrastructure to cope with heavier rainfall.
Ms Fu said: “Looking ahead, we must address the longstanding imbalance between mitigation and adaptation financing. This is particularly important for many vulnerable low-lying small island developing states for which rising sea levels already threaten lives and livelihoods.”
She added that Singapore looks forward to constructive deliberations over the new collective quantified goal on climate finance.
“We hope that the lessons gained from the US$100 billion goal can be applied to the (new goal) to achieve a post-2025 climate finance goal that is mutually agreed and in line with the Paris Agreement.”
The Paris Agreement adopted by almost 200 nations in 2015 set out targets to limit global warming to well below 2 deg C – preferably 1.5 deg C – above pre-industrial levels. This threshold will help the world avoid harsher climate impacts, which become more severe with every degree of warming, climate scientists have shown.
The COP26 climate meeting aims to flesh out an action plan on how this target can be achieved, with outstanding issues such as climate finance and a set of rules on global carbon markets to be hammered out.
Under the Agreement, all countries must commit to taking climate action, such as setting emissions-cutting targets, and adapting to climate impacts. But those who need more help to achieve their goals must explain the circumstances that bar them from doing more.
As a result, climate finance still mainly flows from rich, industrialised nations to developing ones. Industrialised countries are those listed under Annex I of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the parent convention of the Paris Agreement, and include the United States, Britain and Japan.
While Singapore is not an Annex I country, the Republic contributes to the effort to help other nations in other ways.
Ms Fu said that through the Singapore Cooperation Programme and the country’s Climate Action Package, the Republic has shared its experiences with more than 132,000 government officials from over 180 countries, territories, and intergovernmental organisations in areas such as the green economy, sustainable development, urban planning, flood and water management, and disaster risk reduction.
Singapore also committed $5 million over five years, from 2018 to 2022, through the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre to help build capabilities in weather forecasting and haze monitoring. Forest fires in South-east Asia contribute to the transboundary haze that plagues the region almost every year.
Ms Fu added: “Together with Japan and the World Bank, we jointly established the South-east Asia Disaster Risk Insurance Facility in Singapore to enable Asean countries to access disaster risk financing solutions and increase financial resilience to climate and disaster risks.”
At COP26, another important area under negotiation, in which Singapore plays a key role, is the global trade in carbon credits.
The discussions on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement will determine if countries can trade carbon credits to meet their national climate plans, and also establish rules on who gets the emissions savings if one nation pays to set up a green initiative – say a wind farm instead of a coal plant – in another country.
But this is an issue fraught with challenges and competing national agendas so carbon market negotiations remain a major unresolved area under the so-called Paris Rulebook, which guides nations on how to implement the Paris Agreement.
Major points of contention that remain include how to prevent double counting of carbon credits, and the use of legacy credits from an earlier UN scheme called the Clean Development Mechanism.
But if designed well, carbon markets could unlock billions of dollars of emission reduction projects in poorer nations and represent a potentially significant flow of money to them.
Ms Fu is facilitating the ministerial consultations on Article 6 alongside Norwegian Climate and Environment Minister Espen Barth Eide.
Ms Fu said: “Singapore will work with all parties in this final stretch to identify pragmatic solutions to achieve a credible and balanced package under this track that meets the needs of all parties, while safeguarding environmental integrity.”
In her speech, Ms Fu also outlined Singapore’s decarbonisation efforts, citing its plans to import renewable energy, plant trees, and ramp up the Republic’s ability to tap more sunshine by deploying solar panels in a greater number of places, even on water.
But she conceded that the speed of deeper cuts to its carbon footprint is limited by the maturity of emerging low-carbon technology, such as carbon capture and low-carbon hydrogen.
While more than 130 nations have pledged to have their emissions reach net-zero by 2050, meaning they absorb as much greenhouse gases as they release, Singapore’s plan is to reach this target in the second half of the century.
Its goal has been sharply criticised at home and internationally, with climate research consortium Climate Action Tracker labelling the Republic’s climate targets as being “critically insufficient” – the worst rating on a five-point scale.
Ms Fu said Singapore will review and enhance its climate goals when international collaborations and new enabling technologies materialise.
“International collaboration, in areas such as carbon markets and regional power grids, is crucial for Singapore to achieve our decarbonisation goals,” she added.
For instance, regional power grids can help to accelerate the investments in and development of low carbon energy in the region, and enhance electricity security and resilience for connected countries, she said.
Calling for nations to come to an agreement to put the Paris Agreement into action, Ms Fu said: “The completion of the Paris Rulebook will see us shifting from negotiations to concrete implementation and collaboration. It is time for us to put an end to this chapter that has gone on for six years.”
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Grace Fu in Facebook:
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.Your Say: An ‘anxious’ youth’s call for Singapore to make stronger climate commitments amid disappointing Glasgow summit
By SHAUNE CHOW
Published NOVEMBER 10, 2021
Updated NOVEMBER 10, 2021 in Today newspaper
Grace Fu/Facebook
Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu delivered Singapore’s national statement at the 26th edition of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on Nov 9, 2021, calling for “urgent collective action” and saying that Singapore would “not shy away from taking bold action”.
“We are at the point of no return.”
That was the message I got from reading the latest assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) earlier this year.
It left me anxious.
Experts and activists have pointed to the ongoing 26th edition of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) as the world’s last best chance to save itself from planetary crisis.
It is with this odd mix of hope and anxiousness that I followed news emerging from the summit, waiting with bated breath for leaders from Singapore and the world to step up and create a habitable future for my generation and the ones to come.
Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu delivered Singapore’s national statement at the conference on Tuesday (Nov 9), calling for “urgent collective action” and saying that Singapore would “not shy away from taking bold action”.
READ ALSO
5 things the COP26 climate summit should address
While I commend these strong statements, I can’t help but feel disappointed by Singapore’s existing climate policies and commitments made at COP26 so far.
They do little to reflect the urgent and bold action needed.
Though Ms Fu pointed again to Singapore’s Green Plan as a “concrete near-term plan” to achieve Singapore’s net-zero ambition, it promises only to halve its 2030 peak greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050.
This remains a far cry from the IPCC’s recommendation to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
The Government previously said the aim was to reach net-zero emissions “as soon as viable” in the second half of the century.
Our commitments at COP26 have done little to inspire hope.
READ ALSO
Carbon copy? COP26 confronts familiar roadblocks on market rules
Singapore was not a signatory to the landmark Declaration on Forest and Land Use, which pledges to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 as a tool to fight climate change and limit the rise in global temperatures.
And of our large local banks, only DBS has committed to the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, which strives for net-zero emissions by 2050.
While it is heartening to hear that Singapore has joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance to phase out unabated coal power by 2050, I can’t help but feel it is merely incremental with coal making up just 1.2 per cent of our electricity generation. Coal and peat form only about 0.3 per cent of our energy imports.
There has been no detailed commitment made in relation to the other unclean energy sources of natural gas and petroleum, with petroleum products forming 62 per cent of our energy imports.
We need to walk the talk and take “bold action” that Ms Fu calls for in her statement. As the COP26 nears its close, I urge stronger and more inspiring commitments from Singapore.
We are already teetering on the brink of no return.
The future of my generation lies in the climate commitments Singapore can make, and I wait with bated breath in the hope that Singapore punches above its weight to protect us from unprecedented planetary devastation.
ABOUT THE WRITER:
Ms Shaune Chow, 21, is an undergraduate at the Singapore Management University.
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Carbon Copy: The state of play on the six key issues at UN climate conference COP26
SINGAPORE – The United Nations climate change conference, COP26, will begin on Oct 31, 2021 in Glasgow.
Background
In 2015, almost 200 nations adopted the Paris Agreement, which sets out global aims, but not how they can be achieved.
After three years of negotiations, nations agreed in 2018 to adopt the Paris Rulebook – a guide on how the Agreement can be implemented – at COP24 in Poland.
Currently, the Rulebook is like an almost complete jigsaw puzzle that is missing a few key pieces: The main outline is there, but a number of thorny issues need to be worked out for a global consensus to be reached.
Aims of the Paris Agreement
– Limit global warming to well below 2 deg C, preferably to 1.5 deg C, above pre-industrial levels. This threshold is needed to avoid harsher climate impacts.
– Achieve net zero emissions by 2050
– Take action to adapt to climate change impacts, such as building coastal infrastructure to keep out rising seas.
– Direct capital towards a low-carbon future.
The COP26 meeting aims to finalise details of how the Paris Agreement can be implemented.
The Straits Times highlights six key issues that negotiators will be discussing – the six pieces of the jigsaw that help pave the way for putting the agreement into effect.
The Glasgow meeting is all about limiting warming – meaning the world needs to make deeper, faster cuts to emissions from burning fossil fuels or deforestation.
COP26 host Britain says a key outcome is to “keep 1.5 deg C within reach”.
The only way to achieve this is for nations to beef up their climate pledges, called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
Why is it important?
Under the Paris Agreement, new climate pledges must be submitted every five years. The first round of pledges was made in 2015.
This year’s conference – which was postponed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic – marks the second round of submissions from countries.
Countries are expected to collectively pledge much more ambitious emissions reductions.
But in an analysis of submitted NDCs in September, the UN said the pledges still put the world on a path to warming by 2.7 deg C by the end of the century.
Sticking point
Rapid emissions cuts would require trillions of dollars of investment in renewable energy and slashing reliance on fossil fuels, something many countries, especially developing nations, are unable or reluctant to do.
If the Glasgow conference is all about cutting emissions, it is money that is going to make this happen.
Poorer nations want wealthier ones to make good on a pledge they made over a decade ago to channel US$100 billion (S$135 billion) in annual climate finance by 2020 to green their economies and help them adapt to climate impacts.
Why is it important?
Developing nations are the least responsible for the decades of planet-warming emissions in the atmosphere. But they are feeling the impacts most keenly, from rising sea levels and more powerful storms that batter their coastlines and wipe out homes and crops to severe droughts and heatwaves.
Climate cash has become an issue of trust, that rich nations will do as they say.
Sticking point
Rich nations have dragged their feet on this issue, with climate funding hitting only US$79.6 billion in 2019.
The issue of finance also extends to the irretrievable loss and damage caused by climate impacts, such as loss of life and damage to infrastructure.
Poorer nations are seeking additional finance to cope with the rising and repeated costs of climate change.
Why is it important?
This is a critical issue for the poorest and most vulnerable nations, such as small island nations greatly threatened by rising sea levels and storms.
Repeated losses and damage threaten livelihoods and economic development.
Sticking points
This has been a long-running issue as vulnerable nations regard themselves as innocent victims of impacts caused by big polluting nations.
While a mechanism has been created to help look at the issue, developing nations want commitments on new and additional financial resources. But there remains knowledge gaps on the scale of loss and damage and the financing and technical assistance needed.
Industrialised nations are also wary of liability risks and compensation claims.
The outcome of discussions on carbon markets, coded under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, will determine whether countries can trade carbon credits to meet their NDCs.
It will also establish rules on who emissions savings accrue to if one nation pays to set up a green initiative – say a wind farm instead of a coal plant – in another country.
Why is it important?
This is the biggest unresolved piece of the Paris Rulebook, and the only one that failed to reach a consensus at COP24. A consensus was also not reached at COP25.
Carbon markets can enable cost-effective emissions reductions.
In the short term, for example, it might be cheaper for one country to pay to conserve a forest elsewhere rather than replace its entire fossil fuel-based energy grid with one based on renewables.
Carbon credits can also direct public and private capital to green ventures, such as clean cookstoves for poor villages or forest conservation projects.
But an international carbon market that lacks clear rules could increase global emissions if, for example, both buyers and sellers of carbon credits claim the reductions under their NDCs.
Sticking points:
The problem of double counting – where the countries selling the carbon credits count the carbon savings under their own national targets – could be tough to overcome.
The aim is still to achieve a reduction in overall emissions, so carbon markets will have to go beyond offsetting, but there may be conflict over which carbon credits are to be set aside and not used for any country’s NDCs.
A debate is still ongoing on whether a porting over of credits generated under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism, which expired in 2020, to the Paris Agreement, with opponents saying this could prevent new, additional mitigation activities from being developed.
Nations agreed at COP24 in 2018 to adopt the enhanced transparency framework by 2024.
This framework requires all countries to report, among other things:
– Their greenhouse gas emissions;
– Their progress in achieving their NDCs;
– How they will be impacted by climate change and how they plan to adapt to these impacts;
– The support they have received from others, such as financial aid or training, and how these were used.
Presently, the reporting requirements and the timetable for the submission of national reports are different for developed and developing countries.
The current framework is also less onerous in that countries mainly have to report their emissions inventory, and not other aspects such as adaptation plans or support received.
Why is it important?
Transparency in measurement, reporting and verification of emissions will allow observers to monitor progress in limiting global warming.
Sticking points:
Some countries have NDC targets that aim to reduce emissions across their entire economy, while others focus on emissions reductions from certain sectors, such as their energy or forestry sectors. It will not be easy to finalise a common reporting format that can accommodate these different types of pledges.
An enhanced framework will require nations to find common ground over the kinds of technical assistance that will be provided to developing countries to help them meet it.
Currently, NDCs have different end dates. Some countries set five-year targets, while others set 10-year ones.
For example, Singapore’s NDC is a 10-year one. In its second NDC announced last year, Singapore said it will aim to have its emissions peak around 2030.
Countries had agreed at COP24 that NDCs should have a common timeframe from 2031.
Why is it important?
Further delays on setting common timeframes will mean that countries have less time adjusting their domestic planning and review processes to meet their targets.
There is also a concern that a longer timeframe will lock in high-emitting infrastructure, such as new fossil fuel plants, that would make it more challenging to limit global temperatures in the long term.
Sticking points:
There is likely to be negotiations over the three options on the table: Whether NDCs should follow a five- or 10-year cycle , or a 5 + 5 cycle that would require countries to use a five-year timeframe with tentative 10-year targets.
- Sources: Carbon Brief, Melissa Low, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Resources Institute
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.Your Say: An ‘anxious’ youth’s call for Singapore to make stronger climate commitments amid disappointing Glasgow summit
By SHAUNE CHOW
Published NOVEMBER 10, 2021
Updated NOVEMBER 10, 2021 in Today newspaper
Grace Fu/Facebook
Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu delivered Singapore’s national statement at the 26th edition of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on Nov 9, calling for “urgent collective action” and saying that Singapore would “not shy away from taking bold action”.
“We are at the point of no return.”
That was the message I got from reading the latest assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) earlier this year.
It left me anxious.
Experts and activists have pointed to the ongoing 26th edition of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) as the world’s last best chance to save itself from planetary crisis.
It is with this odd mix of hope and anxiousness that I followed news emerging from the summit, waiting with bated breath for leaders from Singapore and the world to step up and create a habitable future for my generation and the ones to come.
Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu delivered Singapore’s national statement at the conference on Tuesday (Nov 9), calling for “urgent collective action” and saying that Singapore would “not shy away from taking bold action”.
READ ALSO
5 things the COP26 climate summit should address
While I commend these strong statements, I can’t help but feel disappointed by Singapore’s existing climate policies and commitments made at COP26 so far.
They do little to reflect the urgent and bold action needed.
Though Ms Fu pointed again to Singapore’s Green Plan as a “concrete near-term plan” to achieve Singapore’s net-zero ambition, it promises only to halve its 2030 peak greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050.
This remains a far cry from the IPCC’s recommendation to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
The Government previously said the aim was to reach net-zero emissions “as soon as viable” in the second half of the century.
Our commitments at COP26 have done little to inspire hope.
READ ALSO
Carbon copy? COP26 confronts familiar roadblocks on market rules
Singapore was not a signatory to the landmark Declaration on Forest and Land Use, which pledges to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 as a tool to fight climate change and limit the rise in global temperatures.
And of our large local banks, only DBS has committed to the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, which strives for net-zero emissions by 2050.
While it is heartening to hear that Singapore has joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance to phase out unabated coal power by 2050, I can’t help but feel it is merely incremental with coal making up just 1.2 per cent of our electricity generation. Coal and peat form only about 0.3 per cent of our energy imports.
There has been no detailed commitment made in relation to the other unclean energy sources of natural gas and petroleum, with petroleum products forming 62 per cent of our energy imports.
We need to walk the talk and take “bold action” that Ms Fu calls for in her statement. As the COP26 nears its close, I urge stronger and more inspiring commitments from Singapore.
We are already teetering on the brink of no return.
The future of my generation lies in the climate commitments Singapore can make, and I wait with bated breath in the hope that Singapore punches above its weight to protect us from unprecedented planetary devastation.
ABOUT THE WRITER:
Ms Shaune Chow, 21, is an undergraduate at the Singapore Management University.
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Forum: Raising carbon tax not the right move
I feel that raising the carbon tax rate would cause more harm than good. An increase would cause a spike in the prices of various goods and services. To remain profitable, firms would likely raise the prices of products in tandem with the tax rate.
A carbon tax on polluters is ineffective if firms continue to produce goods regardless of the costs due to consumers’ willingness to pay for the goods.
For instance, since there are no affordable substitutes for carbon-based commodities such as electricity and petrol, there would be little change in demand even if prices increase due to a higher carbon tax rate.
Financial strain would be put on low- and middle-income families. Higher commodity prices might not affect higher-income households as only a fraction of their income is used to cover their daily necessities. Consequently, increasing the tax rate will only amplify income inequality.
Instead of raising the tax rate on carbon, the Government could consider a corporate tax break for firms producing sustainable commodities. In return, the authorities should mandate that firms producing sustainable commodities keep their prices affordable by setting a price ceiling on those goods.
This way, consumers could consider these sustainable goods as viable substitutes. Firms that produce goods with a carbon footprint would then respond to consumer dollar voting by producing fewer goods or making the switch to the production of sustainable goods instead.
Bryan Thng Wei Feng Asian Insider: Malaysia Edition
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The path to carbon pricing
Published NOVEMBER 03, 2015 in Today newspaper
Updated NOVEMBER 03, 2015
The transition to a cleaner future will require both government action and the right incentives for the private sector. At the centre should be a strong public policy that puts a price on carbon pollution. Photo: AP
In a few weeks, world leaders will meet in Paris to negotiate a new global climate-change agreement. To date, 150 countries have submitted plans detailing how they will move their economies along a more resilient low-carbon trajectory.
These plans represent the first generation of investments to be made in order to build a competitive future without the dangerous levels of carbon-dioxide emissions that are now driving global warming.
The transition to a cleaner future will require both government action and the right incentives for the private sector. At the centre should be a strong public policy that puts a price on carbon pollution.
Placing a higher price on carbon-based fuels, electricity, and industrial activities will create incentives for the use of cleaner fuels, save energy and promote a shift to greener investments.
Measures such as carbon taxes and fees, emissions-trading programmes and other pricing mechanisms, and the removal of inefficient subsidies can give businesses and households the certainty and predictability they need to make long-term investments in climate-smart development.
At the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the focus is on reforming its member countries’ fiscal systems in order to raise more revenue from taxes on carbon-intensive fuels and less revenue from other taxes that are detrimental to economic performance, such as taxes on labour and capital.
Pricing carbon can be about smarter, more efficient tax systems rather than higher taxes.
Carbon taxes should be applied comprehensively to emissions from fossil fuels.
The price must be high enough to achieve ambitious environmental goals, in alignment with national circumstances, and it must be stable in order to encourage businesses and households to invest in clean technologies.
Administering carbon taxes is straightforward and can build on existing road-fuel taxes, which are well established in most countries.
Carbon pricing will be in many countries’ best interests, owing to the many domestic environmental benefits.
For example, burning cleaner fuels helps to reduce outdoor air pollution, which, according to the World Health Organization, currently causes about 3.7 million premature deaths a year.
It is vitally important to address the impact of energy-price reforms on vulnerable groups in every society. So, these reforms will need to be accompanied by adjustments to fiscal systems and safety nets, among other things, to ensure that the poor are not harmed.
CLIMATE-FRIENDLY POLICIES
The World Bank Group is supporting countries and businesses as they develop climate-friendly public policies, invest in carbon markets, and explore financial innovations to ease into low-carbon transitions. The Group is leveraging its experience and global reach for learning and knowledge exchange through programmes such as Partnership for Market Readiness.
From that experience, we have developed, alongside the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), initial principles to help guide and inspire future carbon-pricing schemes. By drawing on these principles, countries, regions, states, and businesses can move faster to tackle the climate challenge confronting us all. The principles are based on fairness; alignment of policies and objectives; stability and predictability; transparency; efficiency and cost-effectiveness; and reliability and environmental integrity.
We need to promote dialogue about the necessary policy measures before and beyond the climate-change conference in Paris. That is why we are announcing a Carbon Pricing Panel, which will bring together heads of state, city and state leaders, and representatives of top companies to urge countries and businesses around the world to put a price on carbon.
These leaders have taken steps to price carbon pollution and catalyse greener investment in their own countries and regions. They include German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, French President Francois Hollande, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Philippines President Benigno Aquino III, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, Governor Jerry Brown of California, and Mayor Eduardo Paes of Rio de Janeiro.
Carbon-pricing policies are already being implemented by some 40 national governments, including that of China, the world’s largest emitter, and 23 cities, states and regions that are putting a price on carbon.
Many other governments also are reforming energy prices, and more than 400 companies report using a voluntary, internal carbon price. That makes sense. Top companies must effectively manage exposure to climate risk in order to generate higher profits and ensure more stable earnings.
All of these actions are welcome; but we view them as being only initial steps. Together with the leaders of the Carbon Pricing Panel, we call on governments to seize the moment — for the sake of the planet and future generations — to put a price on carbon pollution that reflects the environmental damage it causes. We stand ready to support governments that act. The longer we wait, the costlier and more difficult it will be for us — and our children and grandchildren — to protect the planet. PROJECT SYNDICATE
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Jim Yong Kim is President of the World Bank Group. Christine Lagarde is Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.
Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/world/path-carbon-pricing?
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“Sukyo Mahikari in Ivory Coast, Africa, has ben promoting the Great Green Wall Project over many years. This tree-planting activity gained in prominence and attracted the attention of the Ivorian government. On August 1, 2014, in the city of Abidjan, Sukyo Mahikari was given an award by the President of Ivory Coast, Mr Alassane Ouattara, for being exceptionally earnest and consistent in carrying out reforestation programs.” – Source: SMIJ Jan 2015 page 17.
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Deforestation Agreement signed at the UN COP26 in Glasgow….
COP26 news: What happened on Day 2?
Our guide to COP26, including daily news updates from the Glasgow climate changesummit. Keep scrolling down for information on who is attending COP26, why COP26 is so important, and what’s on the agenda.
COP26 NEWS UPDATES: DAY 2
- In the first major deal of this year’s summit, over 100 countries have committed to end deforestation by 2030.
- Countries including Russia, Brazil, Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, China, the US and UK have said that they will sign the deforestation agreement. This is a huge coup, given that deforestation in the Amazon reached a 12-year high last year. But, campaigners have pointed out that a similar deal was made in New York in 2014, which failed to deliver.
- Accusations of hypocrisy have been made after Amazon founder Jeff Bezos arrived in a private jet, as did Prince Albert of Monaco and many other chief executives. Around 400 private jets will fly into Glasgow for the summit. It’s been confirmed that Boris Johnson will fly back to London after the conference.
- Meanwhile, the Cambridges arrived yesterday by train – and it’s thought they will use electric cars to travel within the city.
- The royal couple attended a glamorous reception at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, along with the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, plus world leaders including Joe Biden, Angela Merkel and Justin Trudeau. Boris Johnson made a short speech, praising Prince Charles.
- The prime minister also compared climate change to a James Bond “doomsday”, saying that the clock is ticking to save the world.
- The Queen addressed the conference from Windsor by pre-recorded video, telling leaders they must act now for our children and our children’s children, urging them to “rise above the politics of the moment and achieve true statesmanship”
- She said: “It is the hope of many that the legacy of this summit – written in history books yet to be printed – will describe you as the leaders who did not pass up the opportunity; and that you answered the call of those future generations.”
- Her Majesty also praised Charles and William for their environmental work, saying: “I could not be more proud of them.”
- Greta Thunberg was less gushing – telling protestors at an earlier event that politicians are “pretending to take our future seriously”. She said: “This COP26 is so far just like the previous COPs and that has led us nowhere. They have led us nowhere.”
- Crowds of activists gathered nearby the glittering reception – including groups from Extinction Rebellion and Stop Cambo.
COP26 NEWS UPDATES: DAY 1
- The conference got off to an eerie start on 31st October, with extreme weather leaving hundreds of attendees stranded at Euston Station. Torrential rain and 80mph winds caused damage to tracks – a fitting reminder of the severe weather events caused by a warming climate.
- The chaos didn’t deter Greta Thunberg, who arrived by train from Amsterdam via London Euston on Saturday, clutching a ‘Fridays for Future’ placard, along with 150 youth activists. Surrounded by police, crowds mobbed her as she made her way through Glasgow’s Central Station.
- At 6pm on Saturday evening, the bells at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow tolled, along with many others across the UK, in a warning that humanity must “pay heed to the climate crisis.”
- World leaders began to descend on a slightly gloomy Glasgow on Sunday night, many of them arriving from the G20 summit in Rome, where the heads of the planet’s 20 major economies, including Joe Biden, Boris Johnson, Mario Draghi and Angela Merkel, agreed to limit climate change with “meaningful and effective actions.” Prince Charles was in Rome, too. He addressed the summit, saying that leaders have an “overwhelming responsibility to generations yet unborn”.
- Back in Glasgow, campaigners were out in full force, despite the drizzly weather. Shunning gas-guzzling transport, many opted to walk to Scotland. One group of Spanish activists, Marcha a Glasgow, took a ferry from Bilbao to Portsmouth, before embarking on a 30-day hike to the city. Meanwhile, the Young Christian Climate Network walked 1,200 miles from Cornwall.
- Extinction Rebellion activists are patrolling the streets of Glasgow. Four protestors have already locked themselves to the University’s Memorial Gates.
- During Sunday’s ceremonial open day, Abdulla Shahid – president of UN General Assembly and Foreign Minister of the Maldives – made a rousing speech, saying “we are on the edge of a cliff”, highlighting the need for a “final brave decision to save humanity.”
- Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon met with indigenous people from the Americas, declaring that Scotland would “do everything and anything we can” to help poorer nations more vulnerable to the impact of climate change.
- Today (Monday 1st November), climate scientists from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) are expected to report on the state of the climate, comparing this year’s temperatures to previous years.
Why is COP26 important?
The conference has been called our “last hope” to reverse the climate crisis. A recent report by the IPCC warned that the world’s pledge to keep global heating within 1.5C is fast becoming a pipe dream – meaning flooding, droughts, extreme heat waves and wildfires are set to get much worse. COP26 is a rare opportunity for world leaders to get together and make meaningful change, so there’s a lot at stake.
Where and when is COP26 being held?
Each year, a different world city plays host, and in November it’s Glasgow’s turn. The UK was poised to do the honours last November, but COP26 was postponed because of the pandemic. Delegates will begin to descend on the Scottish city from 31st October 2021, with the conference continuing until 12th November.
Why is it called ‘COP26’?
COP stands for ‘Conference of the Parties’ and this year will be the 26th. There are 197 ‘Parties’, mostly individual countries, although the EU acts as one big group during negotiations. COP26 will be the first time the UK will stand alone, as a result of Brexit.
What will be discussed at COP26?
After launching with a world leaders’ summit, each day will centre around a theme – from green transport to protecting nature.
During Energy Day (4th November), Alok Sharma will call to “make coal history”, while on Transport Day (10th November), the focus will shift to cutting petrol cars. Greta Thunberg is expected to lead her protest through Glasgow’s streets on Youth Empowerment Day (5th November).
Formal negotiations are at the heart of the event, though. The main goals are securing global net zero by 2050 and keeping the world within 1.5C of warming. Developed countries will also be asked to deliver on their promise to raise $100bn a year for those most vulnerable to climate change. This was agreed at COP15 in Copenhagen, but is yet to materialise. COP26 is said to be the most important summit since Paris in 2015.
Which world leaders will at COP26 and which world leaders are not attending?
More than 190 world leaders are expected to attend, from Boris Johnson to Emmanuel Macron. US president Joe Biden arrived in Europe early to discuss the climate crisis with the Pope ahead of the event. Meanwhile, Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, has made the long journey from Down Under. Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari will be there, too.
Alok Sharma, former Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary, is COP26 President, meaning he’ll lead preparations and chair meetings. There’ll also be UN officials and environment ministers.
It’s estimated that over 30,000 people will be there, including film star Matt Damon. While he won’t be present in person, he is expected to give a speech by video link – bringing a touch of Hollywood glamour to proceedings.
Vladimir Putin received a personal invite from Boris Johnson, but declined. Chinese president Xi Jinping also announced he would not be attending, but would address the conference by video link. Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro will not be there either. This is bad news, as these countries are some of the world’s highest polluters.
Will the royal family be at COP26?
Our 95-year-old Queen has said that she “regretfully” won’t be attending, following medical advice. But other members of the royal family will be there in full force, with the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall and the Cambridges all expected to show up. Passionate conservationist Prince Charles is expected to deliver the opening address. The Sussexes are not expected to attend.
Will Greta Thunberg be at COP26?
The teenage activist has confirmed she will attend the conference – and she doesn’t plan to come quietly, having called on Glasgow workers to join her in a climate strike on Friday 5th November.
At first, the 18-year-old said she might not be at COP26, having called for the summit to be postponed until global vaccination rates have risen (there are concerns that developing countries will be excluded if attendees need a vaccine passport). This isn’t the first time events have overtaken Greta. In 2019, when political unrest in Santiago meant that Madrid had to step in at the eleventh hour, she had to hitchhike across the Atlantic due to the last-minute change of plans.
What about David Attenborough?
He certainly will be there. Indeed, the broadcaster and naturalist has been named COP26 People’s Advocate, meaning he’ll address world leaders and the public at the summit. It’s thought he’ll make an impassioned plea, calling on the international community to put protection of nature at the top of the agenda. He has previously called COP26 “our last opportunity to make the necessary step-change towards protecting the planet.”
What happened in Paris COP21?
It was a landmark event. During COP21, all nations agreed to limit global heating to no more than 2C above pre-industrial levels, or ideally 1.5C. That contract became The Paris Agreement, said to be the world’s most important climate change treaty. Countries agreed to create plans to reduce emissions known as ‘Nationally Determined Contributions’ or NDCs – which should be updated every five years. This year’s talks are particularly significant because each nation is expected to present these all-important proposals.
So, what will actually be agreed at COP26?
Countries will be asked how they intend to reach ‘net zero’ – producing fewer emissions than they suck up – by 2050. It’s hoped that leaders will make ambitious pledges to end coal use, invest in renewables and switch to electric vehicles.
How can you get involved?
While applications to attend the summit are now closed, there will be plenty going on in Glasgow during the two-week event. Greta Thunberg has invited people to join her protest march from Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Park on 5th November. There will be protests across the UK on Saturday 6th November, too. Visit Greenpeace for more information.
Alternatively, you could join your local COP26 Coalition to help organise action in your area. The government has also launched Together For Our Planet, a campaign to engage the nation in conversations around climate change. To learn more, follow @COP26 on Twitter.
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Cop26 Glasgow news – live: Forests ‘indispensable’ in climate fight, says Joe Biden as 100 nations sign pledge
Joe Biden has said forests are an “indispensable” element of the effort to halt runaway global heating, in an address at Cop26. The US intends to “lead by example”, he claimed, in a worldwide effort to reverse deforestation to which some 110 nations have signed up.
Leaders plan to restore some 200 million hectares of deforested land by 2030. Mr Biden said Washington would use “diplomatic, financial and policy” levers to achieve this, and that markets and financiers must “recognise the true value of natural carbon sinks”.
The group of countries which have signed up to the anti-deforestation effort includes Brazil, whose government under Jair Bolsonaro has been accused of wanton destruction of the Amazon rainforest in favour of agriculture.
Meanwhile, Britain has apologised to an Israeli politician after she was unable to enter Cop26 in her wheelchair. Karine Elharrar, the country’s energy minister, said she could not reach the conference grounds because the only transport options from the gathering area were to walk or board a shuttle not kitted out for disabled people.
Key Points
- US plan to combat deforestation will use ‘diplomatic, financial and policy’ levers to protect ‘indispensable’ carbon sinks
- UK apologises after Israeli minister says she could not access summit in wheelchair
- Queen urges leaders to ‘rise above the politics of the moment’ to beat climate crisis
- 100 nations make commitment to ‘halt and reverse’ deforestation
- Modi sets net zero target of 2070 in demand for urgent cash
- Biden accused of hypocrisy over ‘science is clear’ tweet
- ‘World is looking to you’, Attenborough tells delegates
- Future generations ‘will not forgive us if we fail to take action’, says Johnson
Bezos’ space trip reminded him of Earth’s fragility, multibillionare tells Cop26
10:46 , Jon Sharman
Earth is beautiful but fragile, Jeff Bezos has told Cop26 – something he said he realised when he went briefly to space on his Blue Origin rocket.
The Amazon founder and multibillionaire said: “I was told that seeing the Earth from space changes the lens through which you view the world.
“But I was not prepared for just how much that would be true. Looking back at Earth from up there the atmosphere seems so thin, the world so finite and so fragile.”
Mr Bezos has announced a £1.4bn investment from his £7.34bn “Earth fund” for anti-erosion projects and land restoration on the African continent.
He said: “We must conserve what we still have, we must restore what we’ve lost and we must grow what we need to live without degrading the planet for future generations.
“Two thirds of the land in Africa is degraded, but this can be reversed. Restoration can improve soil fertility, raise yields and improve food security, make water more reliable, create jobs and boost economic growth, while also sequestering carbon.”
The total value of Mr Bezos’ “Earth fund” rivals the £8.75bn scraped together by 110 world governments to tackle deforestation, in a project trumpeted by Joe Biden and Boris Johnson today.
Biodiversity and climate change tightly linked, says Johnson
10:29 , Jon Sharman
Boris Johnson has said climate change and biodiversity loss were two sides of the same coin in an address to Cop26.
“We can’t deal with a devastating loss of habitats and species without tackling climate change, and we can’t deal with climate change without protecting our natural environment and respecting the rights of indigenous people who are its stewards,” he said ahead of Joe Biden’s speech.
“It’s central to the ambition of the UK’s Cop presidency that we act now and we end the role of humanity as nature’s conqueror and instead becomes nature’s custodian.
“We have to stop the devastating loss of our forests, these great teeming ecosystems, three trillion-pillared cathedrals of nature that are the lungs for our planet,” he urged.
He said 110 leaders had come together, representing over 85 per cent of the world’s forest estate had made “a landmark commitment to work together to halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030, not just halt but reverse.”
And he said: “What is most significant about this declaration is not just the range of countries coming together, but also that we’re working in partnership with the private sector, with philanthropists, with indigenous people in those communities to address the economic drivers of deforestation.”
What are the Covid rules at Cop26?
10:18 , Jon Sharman
At the Cop26 summit, a maskless Boris Johnson has been seen sat among guests wearing face coverings – including David Attenborough.
While the prime minister faced criticism on social media, other images showed him wearing a mask while the veteran broadcaster, who was sat next to him, had his off.
The Glasgow meeting of world delegates – which got underway this week – was pushed back a year due to the Covid pandemic, writes Zoe Tidman.
What are the Covid rules at Cop26?
US plan to combat deforestation will use ‘diplomatic, financial and policy’ levers to protect ‘indispensable’ carbon sinks
10:05 , Jon Sharman
The US plans to help the global effort to restore forests using “diplomatic, financial and policy” levers, Joe Biden tells Cop26.
The plan is to restore some 200 million hectares by 2030.
“We’re going to work to ensure markets recognise the true value of natural carbon sinks,” the US president has said.
The private sector must work with government, he added, saying also that “sustainable supply chains” must become a focus.
Washington intends to “lead by example” Mr Biden said. “I’m confident we can do this,” he said. “All we have to do is summon the will to do what we know is right. … Let’s get to work.”
He added: “Conserving our forests and other critical ecosystems is an indispensable piece of keeping our climate goals within reach, as well as many other important objectives we have together – ensuring clean water, maintaining biodiversity, supporting rural and indigenous communities, and reducing the risk of the spread of disease.
“Our forests are also nature’s carbon capture, cycling CO2 out of our atmosphere.”
Joe Biden speaking now
10:01 , Jon Sharman
Joe Biden is addressing Cop26 now.
He kicks off by saying protecting forests is a key part of tackling the climate crisis.
Clean water and protecting biodiversity are also important, he said.
Mr Biden has also praised the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon, who are on stage along with him and Boris Johnson, for their pledges on forests.
Analysis: Cop26 off to shaky start as queues and travel chaos marr first 24 hours
09:59 , Jon Sharman
Chaos and confusion. Those are two words that describe the first 24 hours of Cop26, the most important UN climate summit in years, writes Daisy Dunne.
Around 25,000 people are attending the UK-hosted UN event, which has taken over Glasgow’s SEC Centre and other venues across the city. The conference brings together world leaders, activists, political negotiators and observers from across the world.
But despite the gravity of the proceedings, things are off to a shaky start. Thousands of people failed to get to the conference on time after bad weather and system failures caused train cancellations across the country.
Cop26 off to shaky start as queues and travel chaos marr first 24 hours
Insulate Britain protesters stopped from blocking M25
09:40 , Jon Sharman
Insulate Britain activists tried to block the M25 on Tuesday morning but were arrested by police before their protest could begin, writes Holly Bancroft.
A number of protesters attempted to target Junction 23 of the ring-road at morning rush hour but more than a dozen officers and seven police vehicles were already on the scene.
Insulate Britain protesters stopped from blocking M25
Green energy a chance for economic growth, says PM
09:37 , Jon Sharman
Boris Johnson, addressing Cop26 on the subject of today’s deforestation pledge, has called a switch to green energy an “unparalleled economic opportunity for growth and job creation”.
As part of the new anti-deforestation drive signed by 110 leaders, Mr Johnson gave an example of how it would work, saying cocoa farmers in west Africa should be paid more for their products in exchange for protecting forests in the region.
UK-Australia trade deal: Did ministers cut climate pledges to clinch agreement?
09:19 , Jon Sharman
Liz Truss has poured cold water on reports the UK dropped key climate pledges from its trade deal with Australia – despite other ministers, as well as the Australian PM, previously signalling this was the case, writes Sam Hancock.
This latest twist follows a leaked government email from September, which revealed a decision by Ms Truss, then the trade secretary, and Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, that the UK government could “drop both of the climate asks” from the text of the post-Brexit Free trade agreement.
Did the UK cut climate pledges to clinch Australia trade deal?
Huge queues to enter Cop26 on second day
09:18 , Jon Sharman
Our climate correspondent Louise Boyle reports from Glasgow that there are massive queues to enter the Cop26 summit again today.
Israel didn’t ‘communicate particular access needs’ for disabled minister, Eustice suggests
09:24 , Jon Sharman
George Eustice has apologised to a disabled Israeli minister for being unable to access the Cop26 climate summit, but appeared to place blame on the country’s failure to communicate “particular” access needs, writes Ashley Cowburn.
The environment secretary’s remarks came after Karine Elharrar, an energy minister, suggested it was “sad” the United Nations event did “not provide accessibility” after she was she was left unable to participate in proceedings.
Eustice suggests Israel didn’t ‘communicate particular access needs’ for minister
US to make climate pledges today
09:10 , Louise Boyle
Good morning from Glasgow where we will be covering the second day of Joe Biden’s attendance at Cop26, writes Louise Boyle.
The US administration will be announcing today a plan to tackle emissions of methane – a potent greenhouse gas in the short term – by 2030.
The US will also announce a global plan to conserve forests, which are crucial carbon sinks and without which, the goal of limiting heating to 1.5C is ultimately out of reach.
It involves a four-part plan – conservation/restoration, using tech for accountability, private sector investment, and $9bn (£6.6bn) by 2030 of international funding.
Analysis: What does India’s 2070 net zero target mean for the world?
08:55 , Jon Sharman
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s surprise announcement of a 2070 target for net zero carbon emissions has come with several ambitious pledges, writes Stuti Mishra.
India, which is one of the three largest emitters of greenhouse gases after China and the US, had earlier stayed away from net zero commitments and instead demanded more action from developed nations.
Before the UN climate negotiations, India also emphasised that net zero targets were less important than the path towards achieving reduced emissions. However, pressure had been building on India ever since China announced its 2060 net zero target last year.
What does India’s 2070 net zero target mean for the world?
UK apologises after Israeli minister says she could not access summit in wheelchair
08:47 , Jon Sharman
Israel’s energy minister has said she was left unable to take part in yesterday’s proceedings at Cop26 as the venue was not wheelchair accessible.
Karine Elharrar was unable to reach the grounds of the conference as the only available options for transport were shuttle buses that were unsuitable for wheelchairs or walking, Israel’s Channel 12 told Reuters.
Tweeting about the event, she expressed her sadness that the UN “does not provide accessibility to its events” despite it promoting the importance of increasing accessibility for those with disabilities.
The UK said it deeply regretted the incident and had apologised.
Israeli minister says she could not access Cop26 summit in wheelchair
‘We’re already in a living hell’: Greta Thunberg joins young climate activists outside Cop26 to demand faster action
08:34 , Jon Sharman
Young climate activists from across the world took to the streets of Glasgow on Monday to demand faster action from world leaders arriving at the Cop26 climate summit, writes Daisy Dunne.
Greta Thunberg and Vanessa Nakate were among those taking part in a wave of demonstations across Glasgow. They were joined by young environmentalists from countries including Argentina, the Philippines, Mexico and Colombia.
Greta Thunberg joins young climate activists demanding action outside Cop26
PM criticised for failing to wear a mask while sitting next to Attenborough
08:28 , Jon Sharman
Boris Johnson is facing criticism after he was pictured sitting near David Attenborough at Cop26 without a mask on. Sir David and the others pictured alongside the PM were wearing face coverings.
Bill Esterson, a Labour MP, tweeted that the naturalist was “95 and is at a very high risk from Covid”, while musician Tim Burgess told Mr Johnson: “you really should be ashamed of yourself”.
However, other photos taken at about the same time show the situation was not entirely clear-cut. At times Mr Johnson is seen wearing a mask while Sir David does not have his on, and at others neither is wearing one.
‘Game changing’ EU satellite programme to provide real-time greenhouse gas emissions monitoring
08:15 , Jon Sharman
A “constellation of dedicated satellites” is to be launched into orbit by the European Union to monitor humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions in detail, writes Harry Cockburn.
Scientists working on the project said the “game changing” tool, will be able to detect carbon dioxide and methane emissions “with unprecedented accuracy and detail – and close to real time”,
The satellites – which will form part of the EU’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (Cams) – will even be capable of looking at individual carbon dioxide and methane sources such as power plants and fossil fuel production sites, the service said.
‘Game changing’ EU satellite programme to monitor greenhouse gas emissions in detail
Biden announces plan to slash methane emissions
07:50 , Jon Sharman
Joe Biden has committed the US to slashing methane emissions as part of a global effort to reduce by 30 per cent the amount of the potent greenhouse gas being pumped into the atmosphere.
The target year for the 30-per-cent reduction is 2030, which Mr Biden has promised to work with the EU and other nations to achieve.
The centerpiece of US actions is a long-awaited rule by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to tighten methane regulations for the oil and gas sector, as laid out in one of Mr Biden’s first executive orders.
The proposed rule would for the first time target reductions from existing oil and gas wells nationwide, rather than focus only on new wells as previous regulations have done.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the new rule, established under the Clean Air Act, would lead to significant reductions in methane emissions and other pollutants and would be stricter than an Obama-era standard set in 2016.
Congress reinstated the Obama standard last summer in a rare effort by majority Democrats to use the legislative branch to overturn a regulatory rollback under Donald Trump.
Why is targeting methane emissions important? Read on below to find out…
Why must the world quickly tackle methane?
Queen tells leaders to ‘rise above politics’ to solve climate crisis
07:23 , Jon Sharman
The Queen has urged world leaders to “rise above politics” and find a common cause in solving the climate crisis.
In a video address played to Cop26 delegates, which was recorded at Windsor on Friday, the monarch said action was vital to preserve the environment for “our children’s children”.
The monarch said: “In the coming days, the world has the chance to join in the shared objective of creating a safer, stabler future for our people and for the planet on which we depend.
“None of us underestimates the challenges ahead: but history has shown that when nations come together in common cause, there is always room for hope. Working side by side, we have the ability to solve the most insurmountable problems and to triumph over the greatest of adversities.
“I, for one, hope that this conference will be one of those rare occasions where everyone will have the chance to rise above the politics of the moment, and achieve true statesmanship.
“It is the hope of many that the legacy of this summit – written in history books yet to be printed – will describe you as the leaders who did not pass up the opportunity; and that you answered the call of those future generations.
“That you left this conference as a community of nations with a determination, a desire, and a plan, to address the impact of climate change; and to recognise that the time for words has now moved to the time for action.”
How green are the key sponsors of Cop26?
07:15 , Stuti Mishra
The sponsors of the Cop26 climate summit have made bold pledges to get to net zero, but an investigation by The Independent has uncovered a substantial – and often hidden – reliance on controversial carbon offsets to get there, which environmentalists have branded “a license to keep polluting” and “a greenwashing scam”.
These 11 firms – Microsoft, Unilever, Sky, SSE, Scottish Power, Sainsbury’s, Reckitt, National Grid, Hitachi, GSK, and NatWest Group – have had their logos plastered all over the website of the biggest climate change event of the year, and inside its Glasgow venue, with each company hyped as a leader in their sector trailblazing the way “towards net zero”.
Most have committed to reducing their carbon output to net zero by 2050, and in many cases much sooner, but when you dig below the surface, there is a very significant reliance on carbon offsetting that environmentalists say “hugely undermines their credibility as climate change leaders”.
The Independent’s investigations editor David Cohen reports.
How green are the Cop26 climate summit’s key sponsors?
Investors warn Big-4 auditors to start climateaccounting
07:00 , Stuti Mishra
World’s top audit firms have been warned to start integrating climate risk in a letter by major investors, according to Reuters news agency.
The challenge, laid out in letters from an investor group managing around $4.5 trillion that were seen by Reuters, marks an escalation in the group’s efforts to ensure investors were armed with robust information.
The investors have been pushing auditors to improve for several years amid concern they were misrepresenting the true health of companies by not factoring in potential hits from the impact of climate change and associated policy changes.
Ahead of the COP26 climate talks in Scotland, the group had called for governments to force companies and auditors to file accounts in line with the world’s goal of limiting global warming by mid-century.
Additional reporting by Reuters
Worst emitters of greenhouse gases accused of ‘greenwashing’ their reputations
06:37 , Stuti Mishra
The world’s leading carbon polluters, such as ExxonMobil and Shell, have been accused of spending millions of dollars on “dark” Facebook adverts to influence the debate over the climate crisis and renewable energy at the most critical of moments.
As more than 100 global leaders and business heads gather in Glasgow to try to set ambitious targets to cut the emission of CO2 and move the world towards renewable energy, some of the worst emitters of greenhouse gases have been accused of “greenwashing” their reputations and trying to influence debates over fossil fuels.
Andrew Buncombe reports.
World’s worst polluters accused of Facebook greenwashing campaign using ‘dark ads’
‘It’s time to end youth tokenism’
06:10 , Stuti Mishra
“I am 19 years old, and in 2050 I will be 48 years old – and may have children who I will be worrying about,” climate activist Dr Mya-Rose Craig says.
For members of Gen Z, it’s almost impossible to recall a time when the climate crisis was not a looming reality. They grew up with a ticker-tape of bad news scrolling before their eyes: warnings of record-breaking floods, wildfires and heatwaves that are now coming to pass.
So it’s perhaps no surprise that this generation, which roughly encompasses young people under 25, is leading the way in confronting the climate emergency.
Emma Snaith speaks to some of these remarkable activists.
Gen Z climate activists on how we can save the planet as Cop26 begins
How energy wars could replace climate concerns from headlines
05:42 , Stuti Mishra
While larger climate concerns like flooding and fires, rising global temperatures and rising sea-levels – all summed up as the climate emergency – are being discussed at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow, they could very soon be replaced in the headlines by a more local and immediate emergency, as winter bears down on the northern hemisphere and tightens its annual grip on Europe.
Before any of the long-term promises of Cop26 come due, some very short-term considerations of geopolitics could start to play out in potentially life-threatening ways. Or, to look on the bright side, the opposite could happen, with a recognition of the current reality governing energy supplies, which could lead to a more durable system of mutually beneficial exchange.
Mary Dejevsky writes that, despite all the political posturing, it’s still business as usual.
Cop26: The energy wars will continue to rumble
India’s net-zero announcement may have have put summit back ‘on track’
05:12 , Stuti Mishra
India’s pledge to slash carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes has lifted some of the gloom over Cop26, experts say, after it opened to stark warnings of the terrible price of climate failure.
The world’s third-biggest carbon emitter disappointed Downing Street by naming 2070 as its target date to reach net zero – 20 years later than the summit’s aim – but won praise for its first climate plan nevertheless.
Hailing “real leadership” that suggested India’s emissions will peak by 2030, Professor Nicholas Stern, of the London School of Economics, said: “This was a very significant moment for the summit.”
After China’s refusal to budge on its CO2-cutting plans, India’s announcement offered hope of keeping the Glasgow summit “on track”, The Independent was told.
India’s pledge to slash 1 billion tonnes of emissions ‘lifts Cop26 gloom’
Israeli minister left out because of wheelchair access issues
03:45 , Lamiat Sabin
Israeli minister Karine Elharrar has said she could not attend the Cop26 summit because the transport to the venue was not wheelchair accessible.
She tweeted that it was “sad” that the United Nations “does not provide accessibility to its events” for disabled people.
Ms Elharrar reportedly told Israeli TV network Channel 12 that she could not get onto the grounds of the conference because the only options were to either walk or take a shuttle that was not suitable for wheelchairs.
Her office told the Times of Israel that she waited outside the venue in Glasgow for two hours, and she was eventually forced to return to her hotel in Edinburgh, about 50 miles away.
An official in Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s delegation said they had formally complained to organisers, the BBC reported.
UK ambassador to Israel Neil Wigan tweeted that he had apologised “deeply and sincerely” to Ms Elharrar.
James Cleverly, a UK foreign office minister, said he was “deeply disappointed and frustrated” Ms Elharrar could not access the summit.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reportedly aware of the incident, and has invited Ms Elharrar to join a meeting between him and Mr Bennett today (2 November).
Nations to vow to cut methane emissions as well as save forests
02:45 , Lamiat Sabin
World leaders at Cop26 are outlining commitments to cut methane emissions as well as curb deforestation.
The US and EU are launching a global initiative to cut emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas which comes from sources including fossil fuel extraction and livestock farming. Dozens of countries are expected tp cut their methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030.
More than 100 world leaders will sign up to a landmark agreement today (2 November) to protect and restore the Earth’s forests by the end of the decade, the UK Government has said.
The announcements come after the Queen issued a rallying cry to the attendees of the climate summit, urging them to work together in “common cause” to tackle climate change and “solve the most insurmountable problems”.
XR activists eat ‘beggar’s banquet’ while VIPs dine in luxury
01:45 , Lamiat Sabin
World leaders were being driven this evening under police escort to a fancy dinner at Kelvingrove Art Gallery.
Hundreds of police officers from round the UK protected the route and closed nearby streets in Glasgow.
In Kelvingrove Park – about 800 metres from the Art Gallery reception – Extinction Rebellion (XR) members gathered to protest by banging drums and delivering speeches.
Afterwards, a group with many members from Pembrokeshire in South Wales served supper, including vegan haggis on paper plates with wooden cutlery, at a so-called “beggar’s banquet”.
Reporting by Mark Davey, PA Scotland
Biden’s ‘beast’ limo spotted on way to VIP dinner
00:45 , Lamiat Sabin
The stretch limo that ferries about US President Joe Biden has been seen being driven through the Finneston district of central Glasgow this evening.
It is believed that Mr Biden and his extensive entourage were going under police escort to a dinner hosted at Kelvingrove Art Gallery.
Mr Biden has been accused of hypocrisy since the Cop26 conference started today over travelling in his motorcade consisting of dozens of vehicles and then going on to lecture the world on the dangers of climate change.
Greta graces Indy’s front page tomorrow
Monday 1 November 2021 23:45 , Lamiat Sabin
World leaders to vow to restore destroyed forests
Monday 1 November 2021 23:00 , Lamiat Sabin
More than 100 leaders of as many countries will make a promise during the Cop26 summit to stop deforestation and begin restoring the world’s forests by 2030, the UK government has announced.
Leaders representing countries that are home to 85 per cent of the planet’s forests will commit on Tuesday to “halt and reverse” deforestation by the end of the decade.
Downing Street said the pledge was backed by £8.75bn of public funding from governments aimed at restoring ripped-up land, with a further £5.3bn coming from private investment.
The full story by my colleague Adam Forrest here:
Over 100 countries make Cop26 pledge to halt deforestation by 2030
Biden accused of hypocrisy over ‘science is clear’ tweet
Monday 1 November 2021 22:30 , Lamiat Sabin
US President Joe Biden has been criticised for travelling in a motorcade of dozens of cars to give speeches about climate change.
At the closing of day one of the Cop 26 climate conference, he tweeted: “The science is clear: We have only a brief window to raise our ambition and rise to meet the threat of climate change. We can do it if the world comes together with determination and ambition.
“That’s what Cop26 is about — and that’s the case I made today in Glasgow.”
Commenters on the social network said that he posted a “empty, meaningless tweet”, and that he is failing to “lead the way” in efforts to improve the environment.
Some channeled activist Greta Thunberg by replying to Mr Biden’s tweet “blah blah blah” – her dismissal of politicians paying lip service to the movement.
FM of Wales says collective action is key to ‘greener future’
Monday 1 November 2021 22:05 , Lamiat Sabin
First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford has tweeted about his presence at the Cop26 summit.
He said: “Great to be here in Glasgow for #COP26 and to see so many countries coming together to discuss what the world needs to tackle climate change.
“By working together and taking collective action, we can ensure a greener future for the next generation.”
Leaders mingle at Cop26 evening event where Queen speaks
Monday 1 November 2021 21:35 , Lamiat Sabin
World leaders and some members of the Royal Family are (almost) rubbing shoulders at an evening reception closing the first day of the Cop26 summit.
Some familiar names at the event include the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Boris Johnson, German chancellor Angela Merkel, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, and US President Joe Biden.
The Queen, who has been advised by doctors to rest, addressed attendees at the reception in a pre-recorded video in which she pays tribute to her “late dear husband” Prince Philip, as well as encourages the world leaders to agree on a plan to tackle climate change.
India’s 2030 climate targets ‘ambitious’ – Boris Johnson
Monday 1 November 2021 20:40 , Lamiat Sabin
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tweeted about India’s “ambitious plans” for half its energy to come from renewables by 2030.
He said: “India has today announced ambitious plans for half its energy to come from renewables by 2030.
“This will cut carbon emissions by a billion tonnes, contributing to a worldwide decade of delivery on climate change.
“PM Narendra Modi has for the first time made a commitment for India to become net zero, meaning 90% of the world’s economy is now committed to this goal.
“The UK will work with India to make even more progress, including through the Clean Green Initiative we discussed today.”
Britain tens of billions short on its own green investment
Monday 1 November 2021 20:31 , Alastair Jamieson
Britain’s ambitious target to become a net-zero economy is in doubt even as it hosts the Cop26.
Rishi Sunak’s budget fell as much as £21bn short of the investment needed to meet the government’s own carbon reduction targets up to 2025, according to exclusive analysis shared with The Independent.
The revelation from the Resolution Foundation follows Boris Johnson’s claim that Cop26 will have failed unless the world has committed to “halve emissions by the end of this decade”.
Here’s the full story from Anna Isaac…
The Queen pays tribute to ‘dear husband’ in Cop26 video
Monday 1 November 2021 20:20 , Lamiat Sabin
The Queen has paid tribute to her “dear late husband” the Duke of Edinburgh in a pre-recorded video message played to the welcoming reception of the Cop26 summit.
The monarch, who was due to attend the conference of world leaders, has been resting at home after being advised to by doctors.
Prince Philip, her husband, died just days short of his hundredth birthday in April this year.
Read the full story here:
Queen pays tribute to Prince Philip in Cop26 video message
Prince Charles backs Africa tree plan as Bezos pledges £730m
Monday 1 November 2021 20:00 , Lamiat Sabin
An initiative to plant 8,000 kilometres of trees across the width of Africa presents a “precious opportunity” in the fight against climate change, the Prince of Wales has said.
The Great Green Wall was devised in 2007 and a funding drive culminated in more than £14 billion from a number of sources to plant more than 20 million trees across 11 countries, which is estimated to create up to 350,000 jobs.
The Prince of Wales spoke at an event alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Meanwhile, Mr Bezos pledged £730 million (1 billion USD) through the Bezos Earth Fund for land restoration throughout Africa, including the Great Green Wall.
Greta tells leaders to ‘stick your climate crisis up your a***’
Monday 1 November 2021 19:40 , Lamiat Sabin
Greta Thunberg has been getting to grips with slang since arriving in Glasgow yesterday.
The Swedish environmental activist has been seen today leading protesters’ chants of “stick your climate crisis up your a***” while world leaders have begun their two-week-long climate summit.
It comes after Ms Thunberg accused leaders of paying lip service to the movement as they began to kick-off the event.
Congressman: ‘Subpoenas for oil industry papers was justified’
Monday 1 November 2021 19:20 , Lamiat Sabin
Senior climate correspondent Louise Boyle interviewed congressman Ro Khanna, who is attempting to hold the oil industry accountable for global warming.
He has told The Independent that he and his Democratic colleagues were left with no choice but to issue subpoenas for internal documents as it was “justified by their record”.
“They thought they would just sit there, survive this and then move on with their lives. And that’s not going to happen,” Mr Khanna said.
Read the full story here:
India’s 2030 climate targets ‘demonstrate real leadership’
Monday 1 November 2021 18:40 , Lamiat Sabin
While a number of Cop26 officials expressed surprise at the 2070 target for India, some said the 2030 targets were significant and could mean it hits the net-zero goal before its planned date.
Lord Stern, who wrote a key economic review of climate change, and is chairman of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics (LSE), said it was a significant moment for the summit, with the five new targets from India.
He said: “Together this might mean that India’s annual emissions of greenhouse gases could peak by 2030.
“This demonstrates real leadership, based on a track record of action and ambitious targets, that can deliver on both economic development and climate change, from a country whose emissions per capita are about one-third of the global average.
“The rich world must respond to prime minister Modi’s challenge to deliver a strong increase in international climate finance.”
India’s net zero target is at least a decade behind the world’s largest polluter China, which has previously announced it plans to hit carbon neutrality before 2060, and to peak its emissions before 2030.
Reporting by PA
Modi sets net zero target of 2070 in demand for urgent cash
Monday 1 November 2021 18:20 , Lamiat Sabin
India will meet a target of net zero emissions by 2070, the country’s prime minister Narendra Modi has told the Cop26 summit.
This was one of five pledges he listed, including that India will increase its non fossil energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030 and it will get half of its energy from renewable resources by the same date.
He also pledged that India will reduce its projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes between now and 2030, and reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by 45 per cent.
Modi demanded that developed countries has £730 billion (one trillion USD) available as climate finance “as soon as possible today”.
India won’t hit net-zero emissions until 2070, Modi tells Cop26
Justin Welby apologises for making comparison linked to Nazis
Monday 1 November 2021 18:00 , Lamiat Sabin
The Archbishop of Canterbury has apologised for suggesting in a BBC interview that failure to act at Cop26 would be possibly more grave than leaders who ignored warnings about the Nazis in the 1930s.
He tweeted: “I unequivocally apologise for the words I used when trying to emphasise the gravity of the situation facing us at Cop26.
“It’s never right to make comparisons with atrocities brought by the Nazis and I’m sorry for the offence caused to Jews by these words.”
Young activists call for climate justice outside Cop26
Monday 1 November 2021 17:40 , Lamiat Sabin
Our climate correspondent Daisy Dunne is in Glasgow where the Cop26 summit is taking place.
Young activists in the Fridays for Future campaign are protesting while world leaders gather for the start of the two-week conference.
Some held a banner saying “blah blah blah” – which is what Greta Thunberg said when accusing world leaders of paying lip service to the movement to halt climate change.
Greta accuses leaders of paying lip service to climate cause
Monday 1 November 2021 17:30 , Lamiat Sabin
Greta Thunberg said change will not come from the Cop26 conference as she criticised the “blah blah blah” of world leaders.
The Swedish climate activist accused the leaders of paying lip service to the climate change cause when addressing young protesters in Festival Park in Govan, across the River Clyde from the Cop26 venue.
“Change is not going to come from inside there – that is not leadership, this is leadership,” she said.
“We say no more blah blah blah, no more exploitation of people and nature and the planet. No more exploitation. No more blah blah blah. No more whatever the f*** they are doing inside there.”
In September, Ms Thunberg, 18, mocked Prime Minister Boris Johnson by quoting parts of his speeches on climate change and adding “blah, blah, blah”.
Mr Johnson referenced the campaigner’s remarks during his speech to the Cop26 opening session.
The PM will be flying home from Glasgow to London, his spokesman has confirmed, after making his speech in which he warned of the dangers that climate change poses.
Majority of scientist group say world will warm by 3C by 2100
Monday 1 November 2021 17:10 , Lamiat Sabin
The world will warm by at least 3C by 2100, some Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scientists have warned.
Nearly two thirds of IPPC authors who responded to a survey said that they expect the planet to warm by this much.
However, 20 per cent of them said they expect nations to limit global warming to 2C, while four per cent of them said the world might meet the target of 1.5C.
Released in August, the latest IPCC climate-science report, approved by 195 governments, concluded that fossil fuel emissions are driving planetary changes, threatening people and the ecosystems humans rely on for food and other resources.
The Nature journal conducted an anonymous survey of 233 authors who are part of the IPCC working group. The 92 scientists who took part did so in a personal capacity, not as representatives of the IPCC.
Rainbow Warrior vessel allowed into Cop26 zone
Monday 1 November 2021 16:50 , Lamiat Sabin
Climate activists are to sail into Glasgow on board a Greenpeace boat after officials agreed to allow the ship into the Cop26 restricted zone.
Port authorities wanted to block the Rainbow Warrior vessel from entering the area, which bans vessels from the stretch of the Clyde next to the SEC conference centre.
But Police Scotland has now confirmed that the boat will be allowed in after ship captain Hettie Geenen had a meeting with port authorities.
Activists Jakapita Faith Kandanga, 24, Edwin Namakanga, 27, Maria Reyes, 19, and Farzana Faruk Jhumu, 22, who are from Namibia, Uganda, Mexico, and Bangladesh – countries which would be most affected by a changing climate – are on the ship.
In a joint statement they said: “It’s ridiculous to think that climate talks could be held without the most affected people there and it’s positive that the police and port authorities have changed their minds.
“World leaders attending the talks could learn a lot from this co-operation. We have been ignored long enough, and now, with a safe passage to Glasgow, our voices must be heard at Cop26.”
Cop26: Boris Johnson offers extra £1bn for climate crisis fund, but only if UK economy bounces back
Boris Johnson is pledging to put an extra £1bn into a climate crisis fund for poor nations – but only if the UK economy bounces back from Covid.
The pledge comes alongside a warning from the prime minister that it is “one minute to midnight” in the fight against the climate disaster and an appeal for the world “to act now”.
“If we don’t get serious about climate change today, it will be too late for our children to do so tomorrow,” Mr Johnson is expected to tell 120 world leaders at the Cop26 opening ceremony in Glasgow.
But the United Nations summit gets underway with some of those leaders being accused of having already “fluffed their lines” after the G20 summit in Rome failed to beef up commitments to cut carbon emissions fast enough.
A gloomy prime minister has downgraded his hopes for Glasgow – calling it only a stopping point towards halting climate change, with “no chance” of a deal to keep global temperature warming to 1.5C.
There was anger when wealthy nations announced last week that they would not achieve a long-promised $100bn (£73bn) annual target for the fund for developing countries until 2023 – three years late.
The UK is currently contributing around £2.3bn a year, but had refused to increase its share in the run-up to Cop26, even as other countries did so.
It also stands accused of breaking the rules of the initiative because, as The Independent revealed, the cash will be swiped from the overseas aid budget – despite a requirement that it be “additional”.
Think tank Overseas Development Institute also suggested the UK was short-changing poor countries by around £1.9bn a year, based on its population size and historic carbon emissions.
Now Mr Johnson has pledged the extra £1bn – but only by 2025 and if the UK economy grows fast enough to revert the aid budget back from 0.5 per cent of national income to 0.7 per cent.
The cash would fund programmes for developing nations to cope with the devastating impact of climate change, helping to protect nature and supporting a transition to clean and green energy.
In Glasgow, the prime minister will also say: “Humanity has long since run down the clock on climate change. It’s one minute to midnight and we need to act now.”
Mr Johnson will add: “We have to move from talk and debate and discussion to concerted, real-world action on coal, cars, cash and trees.
“Not more hopes and targets and aspirations, valuable though they are, but clear commitments and concrete timetables for change.”
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: The “Knotted Gun” sculpture, pictured at UNHQ in New York, is an inspirational symbol of non-violence.=======
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How should mega cities on flat land no hydro or wind power able to generate clean and green electricity, 24/7 day and night, 365 days replacing fossil oil, LNG, coal and even nuclear? Solutions? Many cities along the coasts are on flat land.
Sharing: https://tankoktim.wordpress.com/…/mega-cities-two…/
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Will China research into tapping lightning power, creating artificial lightning, and transmitting clean and green electricity from outer space to earth using wireless technology to replace the use of fossil oil, LNG, coal and even nuclear to generate C&G electricity? We wait.
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29 years of deception by world leaders on mankind at the First Earth Summit in 1992 at Rio Di Janeiro.
Time to expose all at Glasgow on 1st Nov 2021. Enough is enough of chicanery at the Summits from 1992 to 2021.
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1st Nov 2021 in Glasgow. Talk only like in Paris 2015, or the First Earth Summit in 1992?
1st Nov 2021…Glasgow… 29 years of deception by world leaders on mankind since 1992 [1992 to 2021]…
Time to expose all at Glasgow. Enough is enough of chicanery at the Summit. 1992 First Earth Summit in Rio Di Janeiro was a great deception by world leaders on mankind. All the COP conferences so far are no better in deception at the highest level, and will it be the same on 1st Nov, 2021?
Is the UN GA lame? Is the UN SG lame?
Why the world needs a new and powerful UN Environment Council?
Who will bring this up in Glasgow?
Sharing: More at this link: https://tankoktim.wordpress.com/2018/05/04/united-nations-21st-century-and-beyond/
Also, https://tankoktim.wordpress.com/2018/08/29/global-overheating-not-global-warming/
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Climate change: Going to Glasgow to save the world (or not)
There is greater public awareness of global warming after a quarter century of summits, but political dilemma remains.
Bilahari Kausikan
Action on climate change poses a fundamental political dilemma, says the writer.PHOTO: REUTERS
PUBLISHEDOCT 16, 2021, 5:00 AM SGT in Straits Times.
On Oct 31, world leaders will gather in Glasgow, Scotland, for the United Nations Climate Change Conference or COP26. This will be the 26th COP. What can we expect from Glasgow? The short answer is hopefully quite a lot, but probably not very much. The first COP was held in 1995 in Berlin, marking the first international collaborative commitment for international climate action. Yet, 26 years later, we are still racing against the clock to prevent the permanent damage that carbon emissions will cause. We have perhaps less than a decade to take effective action. Why have more than a quarter century of global summits to address climate change somehow resulted only in minimal action? The answer is simple: action on climate change poses a fundamental political dilemma. The costs of effective action are extremely high, both in financial terms and in terms of economic opportunities foregone, and must be paid up-front, whereas the benefits are reaped only many decades in the future. For any politician, this is not an attractive proposition. This is particularly so in political systems that require reelections, but the dilemma of balancing short-term political and policy imperatives against long-term benefit is no less painful in authoritarian systems too. The dilemmas are real and cannot be wished away. It is a fallacy to believe that a global problem, however compelling, necessarily engenders a solution. There are always multiple logics at play, and on climate, political logic and scientific logic are not naturally aligned. Governments generally agree on the science behind the sorely needed emission reductions, but they cannot agree on how to distribute the responsibility or on how to effectively implement the needed changes. Public pressures, political dilemma There is growing public awareness of the urgent need to deal with climate change. Governments and corporations realise that they cannot ignore these public pressures. But public pressures do not in themselves automatically resolve the fundamental policy and political dilemma I have outlined. Thus, the COP system generates, year after year, discussions, producing commitments which are not, indeed perhaps never can or not intended to be followed through. To a very large degree, COP serves as an alibi. Engaging in the process is too often a substitute for politically risky hard decisions by governments and corporations. Rather than being a guide to long-term action, COP commitments are intended to assuage the short-term pressures generated by being in the international spotlight. This sets up something of a vicious circle, where the sensation or promise of action substitutes for real, effective action. MORE ON THIS TOPIC Climate finance – the make-or-break issue at upcoming COP26 Road to COP26 climate summit paved with uncertainty The Kyoto Protocol of 1997 was the first legally binding climate treaty and it called on developing countries to reduce emissions by an average of 5 per cent below 1990 levels. This goal was not met. The Paris Accord 2015 on climate change has been described as the most significant commitments on the climate to date, requiring all countries to reduce emissions in order for the world to eventually become carbon neutral. But there are no binding enforcement mechanisms to ensure this will occur and the grand pledges made in Paris seem unattainable. Financing the need to address carbon emissions still presents a major challenge. Developing countries do not have the money to acquire and use the necessary technology; rich countries are struggling to cope with the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, while trying to reduce their own emissions. Yet there is no substitute for the COP process. Breaking the vicious circle So, how do we break the vicious circle and make the process more meaningful? It would be a mistake to ask governments to commit to any more than they already have. That just reinforces the vicious circle. Instead, COP26 should look at existing pledges, assess the progress each country has made, and address how the necessary funds to implement prior commitments can be raised. I do not think there is any substitute for more public pressures to change the calculation of cost and benefit for governments and corporations. MORE ON THIS TOPIC We’re in a climate casino. Here’s how to fight against the odds Economic Affairs: Time to raise ambitions for a greener world I am normally very sceptical about the Great and the Good gathering to lecture governments. I remain highly sceptical. But this is such a crucial issue that I direct the attention of Singaporeans to a new organisation, the Scotia Group. The Scotia Group aims to address the fact that the world is facing a diplomatic emergency as a result of a climate emergency. The climate emergency will not be adequately addressed unless the diplomatic emergency is resolved, and the vicious circle the COP system has generated is broken. The Scotia Group comprises a diverse network of lawyers, academics, politicians, scientists and policy experts. It works with leading international institutions including Harvard, Oxford and St Andrews universities; the International Bar Association; and the Transatlantic Leadership Network to host monthly dialogues, around a variety of pressing climate issues. The group has joined others in underscoring the need to reduce carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 and highlighted COP26 as the platform for the change previous COPs failed to catalyse. The Scotia Group has published a statement of urgency as an open letter to the UN Secretary-General. The statement makes three main points which it hopes can, in some form, be agreed in Glasgow: First, the United States and China, the world’s largest carbon emitters, must act resolutely and lead by example by agreeing to a phased programme to close their existing coal-fired power plants, or to retrofit them with carbon capture technology, and to ban the financing and construction of new coal plants. It also calls upon the Gulf countries to lead Opec (Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) to halt investment in additional oil production. Second, commitments made to poorer countries must be honoured. Their governments must be able to ensure access to cheap and reliable power. The US$100 billion (S$135 billion) a year promised by the rich countries to poor countries must be delivered. Third, the estimated US$5 trillion a year in clean technology investment needed to halve emissions by 2030 is certainly not going to be raised. A more realistic path to reducing emissions is carbon pricing. Something around US$100 per tonne of carbon dioxide at the upper range will probably be needed to deter companies from increasing their carbon emissions, while helping countries meet their emission reduction targets. These goals are easy to state but immensely difficult to implement. All of them come with a cost. I do not know if the Scotia Group will be any more effective than other such groups in getting governments to act rather than just talk about acting. The odds are against it. MORE ON THIS TOPIC Asia, be ambitious on climate action 2021 – a year of hope in climate battle On the eve of the Glasgow COP26, it is unclear if growing public recognition of the problem will be sufficient to overcome conflicting political and policy priorities. The public may want climate action, but are people willing to pay the price? How much are they willing to pay? Human nature being as it is, I suspect the majority in every country would rather someone else pay the price. This is not a problem that can be solved by governments alone. The Singapore Government is one of the few that take climate action seriously. But Singaporeans should not forget that those questions apply to us too. Bilahari Kausikan, a former diplomat, is chairman of the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore.=
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Which country has the authority to promote climate change strategies and measures to others when that country talks only but not a 100% user of clean and green energy, strictly not using fossil oil, LNG, coal and nuclear?
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A long-term view and strategy is good by educating the young in schools.
But the immediate critical situation is at hand, and has to be fixed now, not in 2031 or 2050.
When the present is not fixed, the future will not be there for the next generation to continue.
No environment, there will be no nature, and no life on earth. Pollution destroys the environment. No environment, lives of all living things will be in danger.
Why mankind needs a new and strong UN Environment Council now to reverse the situation by placing the cart behind the horse?
Time for the UN GA to vote and set up this Council now.
What could go badly wrong and be damaged when the whole of mankind becomes 100% users of green and clean energy now, not 2031 or some hope for it further into the future?
Make the use of fossil oil, LNG and coal become history fast and soon. But who are the people who are blocking this, and why?
Does the UN know why? Do the world leaders bother to know why?
More at this link: https://tankoktim.wordpress.com/2018/05/04/united-nations-21st-century-and-beyond/
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Forum: Nurture the young to be green envoys for life for a sustainable future 7 HOURS AGOPUBLISHED on 2nd Feb 2021 in ST Forum
Education Minister Lawrence Wong called for Singapore to go greener for a more sustainable future, as one of three reset responses to emerge stronger from the ongoing pandemic (Covid-19 challenges and 3 resets: Lawrence Wong, Jan 26).
Going greener starts with the young, who will inherit the future. Some schools have been practising, teaching and advocating environmental sustainability and responsibility for many years.
Students learn to love nature, protect the environment and co-exist with wildlife by observing what their schools are doing, picking up green habits in school and participating in their schools’ green activities.
They also follow the examples set by teachers. They come up with solutions to environmental problems through projects and competitions, and take the lead to motivate and mobilise other students, and the community, to embark on the green journey.
In the process, they become green ambassadors for life.
The Ministry of Education can chart and open up new possibilities for schools and students through its policies and provisions, notably in green funding and teacher training on environmental sustainability.
Joachim Sim Khim Huang
The time is past when the main purpose of industry was to make money. Now is the divine era when all must work to establish a divine government using materials preciously. [PB page 187].
Whatever your profession, you will not be able to avoid failure if you do not harmonise with others to create a divine government. [page 188].
Humankind is now facing a great turning point in human history. Humans must start to make efforts to correct the errors of history in light of the Truth. [page 189] and pray for divine government to be established for all mankind. [page 189],
Now is the divine era of spiritual medical science, which must work to make humankind eternally free from disease. Past practices just to keep the medical and pharmaceutical professions in business will not be sustainable forever. [page 187].
Ideology, another name for mankind’s one-sidedness, is over. [page 188],
Democratic governments of humankind centered on human, demonstrations, protest, friction and conflict as the foundation cannot last forever. It is destined to collapse.
.Disease on humans, and the fate of all mankind:
Resentful spirits [in the Unseen world] hide and wait for an opportunity to take revenge [on an individual, a family, a group, a community, a nation or the whole world, an entire mankind]. The art of True light [John 1:9] is the means to eliminate their negative influence before they are able to cause diseases or other unhappy phenomena [on the physical world].
PB: page 145.
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Should the UN General Assembly vote to set up a new and powerful UN Environment Council to unite and take the lead, take the bulls by the horns?
Time for talk only is over.
Time is to act now.
Time not to have humans bring back pollution of pre-COVID19.
It is to make fossil oil, LNG and coal obsolete and be worthless.
Companies Worth $2 Trillion Are Calling for a Green Recovery
A group of companies worth a combined $2.4 trillion have added their voice to a growing chorus calling for the economic recovery from the coronavirus to be green.
Adobe Inc., Unilever NV and more than 150 other companies have signed a statement asking officials to ensure their response to the pandemic is “grounded in bold climate action” and to prioritize moving to “a green economy by aligning policies and recovery plans with the latest climate science.”
Governments around the world are preparing rescue packages worth trillions of dollars, and the choices they make on how to spend this will have an impact on the environment for decades to come. Demands for a green recovery have already come from institutional investors, globalfinancial institutions, and officials in finance ministries and central banks.
“Climate change will continue, regardless of Covid,” said Annica Bresky, president and chief executive officer of Stora Enso Oyj, a Finnish paper and packaging company that signed the statement. “We should use this opportunity that we have been given when restarting and recovering the economy to have the strategies in place that align with climate goals.”
The announcement Tuesday from global businesses was arranged by Science Based Targets initiative, a body set up by the United Nations and other global environmental organizations to help companies align with the climate goals set under the Paris Agreement on climate change. SBTi works with more than 800 businesses that have pledged to create, or have already put in place, plans to drastically cut emissions within the next few decades.
If governments align recovery policies with climate science, these companies will need to spend less to reach their climate goals, said Paul Simpson, chief executive officer of CDP, a charity that runs the global environmental disclosure system.
Cutting emissions to zero would require a firm to, say, convert its fleet of vehicles from combustion engines to electric ones. Public money spent on building a charging infrastructure and providing subsidies for such vehicles means the conversion won’t be as costly.
“You can say it will be cheaper for companies, but what it actually means is that companies will go faster” if spending aligns with climate goals, said Simpson, who is also a board member of SBTi. “These companies are committed to [cutting emissions] and what they need is an economic system that enables them to do it.”
Similarly, this is a chance for governments to move away from subsidies for fossil fuels and support clean energy, said Kim Hellstrom, climate strategy lead at Hennes & Mauritz AB. The fast fashion retailer signed the statement, and among its environmental pledges is a goal to use 100% renewable energy by 2030.
“This is the optimal opportunity to do something about what we have been doing wrong for so long,” he said.
About two-thirds of the companies that signed the statement have their headquarters in Europe. It’s a reflection of the fact that the continent has the strictest environmental regulations, said Simpson. The European Union is working to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, and companies will need to align with the regulations that governments set.
Ultimately, even as the world is coping with a downturn whose damage might dwarf that wrought by the Great Recession about a decade ago, it is in these companies’ self-interest to operate in a world that’s stable and growing rather than battered by climate impacts and struggling. It’s a sentiment echoed by Carine de Boissezon, sustainable development director at French energy company EDF SA.
“What is critical is how we will recover from the crisis,” she said. “What we learned from 2008 is that the choices that are being made now will shape the future.”
–With assistance from Hayley Warren.
To contact the authors of this story:
Akshat Rathi in London at arathi39@bloomberg.net
Thomas Seal in London at tseal@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Giles Turner at gturner35@bloomberg.net
Jennifer Ryan
Jeremy Hodges
© 2020 Bloomberg L.P. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
The main message of Covid-19 to mankind is for them to end materialism and pollution.
When there is no environment but only intensive pollution, there will be no nature, but more diseases [mankind will be closer to disease], and end of life.
The 21st century is for mankind to live a non-materialistic way of life, which is to stop diseases, ill health, and sufferings.
Every human life is precious from the day of birth till the last breathe on physical earth.
Protect all life must be mankind’s foremost mission to have more happy people.
So long as a child is born deformed with congenital issues it means that the unseen has impurities and sufferings.
It means man’s pollution and contamination of nature and human beings due to materialism have not ended but only lip service.
Unless the new born is healthy and has no deformity, the suffering of humans continue.
This unfavourable situation must be reversed, and stopped. It is in man’s hands to stop it.
The main mission of mankind is to bring all newborn into this world free of birth defects and deformity. It is in man’s hands.
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The world is now undergoing intensive cleansing, the impurities are tremendous and have to be cleansed for the advent of a purer world, not a contaminated one.
Astral Particle Information System is the next frontier for the IT industry. It will allow mankind to communicate with the Unseen.
We are using the unseen in transmitting data at 186,000 miles per second [not per minute] when we use the wifi.
IT has to connect us to the unseen when sending data in the wifi mode. It will allow us to communicate with the unseen, which is one step ahead of the seen.
When that happens, we can avoid making mistakes by stopping an event or situation before it happens.
This ability to stop events before it happens will transform the whole world and how we live, and how we can end all kinds of negative thoughts, actions, and misdeeds.
This is the 21st century of a fast changing world that we live in. It is the best of time and yet for many, the worst of time.
Sharing what is APIS…. the link:
https://tankoktim.wordpress.com/2017/08/30/ai-must-evolve-to-take-over-coding-for-maximum-benefits/
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Reuse, Reduce, Repair and Recycle
Runaway materialism has caused pollution, which affects land, sea and air.
The greatest impact of pollution on all three comes from industrialization and transportation [due to demands from a materialistic way of life], which can be addressed and fixed with Green and Clean Energy to bring environmental degradation to a halt, an end, and to re-establish a new civilisation based on Reduce, Repair, Reuse and Recycle [the four Rs in this 21st non-materialistc civilisation].
A new century where humans have awakened and accepted that when there is no environment, there will be no nature, and there will be no life.
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The time is past when the main purpose of industry was to make money. Now is the divine era when all must work to establish a divine government using materials preciously.
Whatever your profession, you will not be able to avoid failure if you do not harmonise with others to create a divine government.
Humankind is now facing a great turning point in human history. Humans must start to make efforts to correct the errors of history in light of the Truth, and pray for divine government to be established for all mankind.
Now is the divine era of spiritual medical science, which must work to make humankind eternally free from disease.
Past practices just to keep the medical and pharmaceutical professions in business will not be sustainable forever. Ideology, another name for mankind’s one-sidedness, is over.
Democratic governments of humankind centered on human, demonstrations, protest, friction and conflict as the foundation cannot last forever. It is destined to collapse.
What will replace democracy, capitalism and communism? Do humans know using mankind’s intellect and wisdom?
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Will red dot or Houston be the last city to stop the use of fossil oil and LNG? Why these two cities will be the last few?
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What could go wrong or badly damaged for the whole world to become 100% users of abundance, green, clean and cheap energy?
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What are the three possible solutions for big and mega cities on flat land to generate green and clean electricity non stop, 24/7?
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Why politicians and their oil major backers will continue to go against efforts to combat climate change and global warming?
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What should UN 2.0 transform into and why a need for a third council, and call it UN Environment Council?
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Sharing:
https ://tankoktim.wordpress.com/2018/05/04/united-nations-21st-century-and-beyond/
and,
https ://tankoktim.wordpress.com/2018/02/23/mega-cities-two-solutions-for-clean-and-green-energy/
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‘Halve emissions or face catastrophe’: Landmark UN report warns the world has just 12 YEARS to halt global warming before the planet is plunged into extreme heat, drought, floods and poverty
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- The dramatic report warned that the planet is currently heading to warm by 3C
- Keeping warming to less than 1.5C will require ‘unprecedented changes’
- This will include huge changes to power generation, industry and transport
- Use of coal needs to fall from around 38 per cent to ‘close to 0 per cent’ by 2050
- The report – backed by the UN – says the scale of the challenge is vast
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A landmark report by the UN has warned that the world has just 12 years to halt global warming before the planet is plunged into extreme heat, drought, floods and poverty.
Preventing an extra single degree of heat could make a life-or-death difference in the next few decades for multitudes of people, scientists found.
However, they provide little hope the world will rise to the challenge.
Overall, the Earth has to reduce the amount of CO2 produced each year by 45 per cent by 2030 – and reduce CO2 production to zero by 2050.
The dramatic report warned that the planet is currently heading to warm by 3C and keeping warming to less than 1.5C as laid out in the Paris agreement will require ‘rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society’.
It is widely believe that warming of 2C above pre-industrial levels is the threshold beyond which dangerous climate change will occur.
Pre-industrial levels refers to the climate before the industrial revolution when greenhouse gas emissions were stable. Since the mid-1800s the climate has already warmed by 1C.
Scientists have said the impacts of climate change, from droughts to rising seas, will be less extreme if temperature rises are curbed at 1.5C above pre-industrial levels than if they climb to 2C, the UN-backed study said.
At the current rate of global warming, the world’s temperatures would likely increase by another 1.5C between 2030 and 2052.
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A landmark report by the UN has warned that the world has just 12 years to halt global warming. Use of coal needs to fall from around 38 per cent to ‘close to 0 per cent’ by 2050, the report found (stock image)
Here are key things that need to happen to keep warming less than 1.5C:
- Burning of coal needs to fall from 38 per cent to ‘close to 0 per cent’ by 2050
- Renewables need to provide 85 per cent of global electricity by 2050
- We need a radical change in diet as eating meat makes more CO2 than vegetables
- Extensive planting of forests will be needed to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere
- Need to start storing carbon underground, known as bioenergy and carbon capture and storage (Beccs)
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This will include huge changes to power generation, industry, transport, buildings and potential shifts in lifestyle such as eating less meat, according to the International Panel on Climate Change.
It will also require a vast ramp-up in renewables so they generate 70-85 per cent of electricity supplies by 2050, while use of coal needs to fall from around 38 per cent to ‘close to 0 per cent’ by 2050.
The report – backed by the United Nations – says the scale of the challenge is vast and will be expensive to carry out.
To illustrate how far off this is, CO2 levels rose about 3 per cent a year between 2000 and 2013, and by about 0.4 per cent a year between 2013 and 2016.
Much of the slowdown since 2016 was driven by a combination in reductions by the US and China.
However, that changed in 2017 with a 1.4 per cent increase in emissions from China.
The Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued its gloomy report at a meeting in Incheon, South Korea.
A Summary for Policymakers of the 400-page tome underscores how quickly global warming has outstripped humanity’s attempt to tame it, and outlines options for avoiding the worst ravages of a climate-addled future.
‘We have done our job, we have now passed on the message,’ Jim Skea, a professor at Imperial College London’s Centre for Environmental Policy and an IPCC co-chair, said at a press conference.
‘Now it is over to governments – it’s their responsibility to act on it.’
As well as a radical change in diet – because meat production produces more CO2 than growing vegetables – a switch to electric cars and extensive planting of forests to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere will be needed, the panel’s report warns.
A major climate change report has warned that eating less meat and removing gas boilers from homes are among the ‘far-reaching’ changes needed to stop the Earth overheating. (Stock photo)
We will also need to stop burning fossil fuels to generate power, and no longer use gas boilers to heat homes.
The world will also have to develop technology to draw carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, and also allocate more land to growing crops for fuel.
Scientists say this will require an annual average investment in the energy system of around $2.4 trillion (£1.8 trillion) between 2016 and 2035.
The review of thousands of scientific papers sets out the impacts of temperature rises of 1.5C compared to 2C, and what is needed to curb temperatures at that level.
Impacts ranging from increased droughts and water scarcity to extreme weather, spread of diseases such as malaria, economic damage, and harm to yields of maize, rice and wheat will be less severe at 1.5C than 2C.
Sea level rises would be four inches (10cm) lower with a 1.5C temperature rise compared to 2C by 2100, while there would be worse impacts on coral reefs and the Arctic at higher temperatures.
With a 2C rise, insects and plants are twice as likely to lose their habitat compared with an increase of 1.5C.
The world has seen 1C of warming so far, with consequences such as more extreme weather already being felt, and there is more to come as temperatures continue to rise, the report said.
Professor Skea said the report was ‘unambiguous’ on the difference in impacts between 1.5C and 2C of warming.
He said: ‘The changes that would be needed to keep global warming to 1.5C are really unprecedented in terms of their scale. We can’t find any historical analogies for it.
‘There are some areas we are making progress quickly enough that they are compatible with 1.5C, the example of renewables is one, where we’ve seen costs falling and deployment across the world.
‘We need to extend this kind of progress on renewables to other areas.’
Promises made by countries to cut their emissions up to 2030 will not limit global warming to 1.5C even if action is massively scaled up after the end of the next decade, the report warns.
Responding to the report, Professor Corinne Le Quere, from the University of East Anglia, said: ‘For the UK, this means a rapid switch to renewable energy and electric cars, insulating our homes, planting trees, where possible walking or cycling and eating well – more plants and less meat – and developing an industry to capture carbon and store it underground.
Alongside a change in diet The International Panel on Climate Change has set out a raft of recommendations on how to limit global warming to 1.5C. (Stock photo)
‘It also means adapting to the growing impacts of climate change that are felt here, particularly to the increasing flood risks from heavy rainfall and from sea level rise along our coasts.’
Taking steps to curb temperature rises to 1.5C can help with other aims such as improving health through lower air pollution and more sustainable diets, and alleviating poverty in the developing world.
The report stresses the need for measures to take carbon out of the atmosphere, such as planting forests or using land for crops to burn for energy and capturing the carbon and storing it underground, known as bioenergy and carbon capture and storage (Beccs).
Claire Perry, Minister for Energy and Clean Growth said: ‘This report should act as a rallying cry for governments around the world to innovate, invest, and raise ambition to avert catastrophic climate change.
‘The UK has already shown carbon abatement and prosperity can go hand in hand and we lead the world in clean growth – slashing emissions by more than 40 per cent since 1990 while growing our economy ahead of the G7.
‘There is now no excuse and real action is needed.’
Princeton University climate scientist Michael Oppenheimer said extreme weather, especially heat waves, will be deadlier if the lower goal is passed.
Meeting the tougher-to-reach goal ‘could result in around 420 million fewer people being frequently exposed to extreme heat waves, and about 65 million fewer people being exposed to exceptional heat waves,’ the report said.
The deadly heat waves that hit India and Pakistan in 2015 will become practically yearly events if the world reaches the hotter of the two goals, the report said.
Coral and other ecosystems are also at risk. The report said warmer water coral reefs ‘will largely disappear.’
The outcome will determine whether ‘my grandchildren would get to see beautiful coral reefs,’ Dr Oppenheimer said.
For scientists there is a bit of ‘wishful thinking’ that the report will spur governments and people to act quickly and strongly.
One of the panel’s leaders, German biologist Hans-Otto Portner, said. ‘If action is not taken it will take the planet into an unprecedented climate future.’
Q AND A: WHAT THE NEW UN CLIMATE REPORT TELLS US
A new UN report warns of the unprecedented changes needed by society to keep global temperatures from rising more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
Here is what you need to know.
– What is significant about 1.5C of warming?
While warming of 2C above pre-industrial levels has widely been thought of as the threshold beyond which dangerous climate change will occur, vulnerable countries such as low-lying island states warn rises above 1.5C will threaten their survival.
Their concerns meant a pledge to pursue efforts to limit temperature rises to 1.5C was included – after tough negotiations – alongside the commitment to keep them ‘well below’ 2C in the global Paris climate agreement in 2015.
– So why this report?
When the target was put into the Paris Agreement, relatively little was known about the climate risks that would be avoided in a 1.5C warmer world compared with a 2C warmer world, or about the action needed to limit temperature rises to that level.
So the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was tasked with providing the answers.
– What does the report say?
It warns the world is well off track to keep to the 1.5C limit.
Even with the promises countries have made as part of the Paris Agreement to cut the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, the world is set to breach the 1.5C threshold by around 2040.
Based on those promises, we are heading for 3C by 2100 and even warmer after that.
As more greenhouse gases lead to more warming, stabilising the planet’s temperature at any level will require emissions to fall to zero overall
To keep temperatures from rising to more than 1.5C in the long term, countries need to cut carbon emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 and to net zero by 2050, with steep cuts in other greenhouse gases such as methane.
Methods to take excess carbon out of the atmosphere will also be needed.
– How can all that be done?
Well, it will require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented change across the whole of society, according to the report.
Renewables would have to supply 70 per cent to 85 per cent of electricity in 2050, there would be a small role for gas power with technology that captured and stored its carbon, while coal would be virtually non-existent.
The feasibility of solar, wind and battery storage has improved significantly in recent years, which could signal the system is transforming, the report says.
But it is not just electricity: transport, buildings and industry would have to become significantly cleaner.
Taking excess carbon from the atmosphere requires measures such as planting new forests or, more controversially, burning plant material
for energy and capturing the carbon to store underground, which is known as ‘BECCS’.
Millions of square kilometres would need to be turned into forest or used for growing renewable energy crops – which could undermine food production.
– Why make all that effort for 0.5C?
The report says a 2C rise will lead to more heatwaves and extreme rainstorms, more people facing water shortages and drought, greater economic losses and lower yields for major crops than 1.5C.
Sea level rises would be 10cm lower with a 1.5C temperature rise compared to 2C by the end of the century.
While coral reefs could decline 70 per cent to 90 per cent with 1.5C of warming, virtually all the world’s reefs would be lost at 2C, while far more creatures and plants across the world face losing a large part of their range.
The Arctic is likely to be ice-free in summer around once a century at 1.5C but at least once a decade if warming climbs to 2C.
– How has this report been drawn up?
The IPCC does not do any of its own research, so the report draws on more than 6,000 research papers to reach its conclusions.
The report’s authors and representatives of 195 governments which are members of the IPCC have then met to finalise the ‘summary for policymakers’ report, which involves agreeing it line-by-line.
The aim is to make the report as clear as possible while still scientifically robust – and to ensure that everybody is behind the document.
– What does the report mean for the UK?
The Government and its climate advisers have been waiting for the findings of the report.
The UK already has a target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 and pressure has been building to set a zero-emissions target for mid-century.
In light of the report, those calls are likely to get louder still – and if it set, the transformation to a clean, low carbon economy will have to be even faster.
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UN study says eating less meat and throwing out your gas boiler can stop Earth overheating
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Limiting global warming to 1.5 deg C possible but will need unprecedented societal changes: UN panel
SINGAPORE – Limiting damage from climate change will mean rapid and unprecedented changes to everything from energy production to transport, agriculture and buildings and all nations must play a role, the United Nations’ climate panel said in a major report released on Monday (Oct 8).
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) looked at the impacts of a rise in Earth’s surface temperature of 1.5 deg C and steps that societies needed to take to limit global average temperatures to that level.
IPCC scientists and officials from 195 member nations met last week in Incheon, near the South Korean capital, to haggle over the final wording of the report and a “summary for policymakers” that clearly spells out the immense climate challenge ahead.
The conclusion is that it is possible but deep emissions cuts are needed before 2030. Any further delay and the world will overshoot 1.5 degrees and condemn economies and ecosystems to deadlier weather extremes, habitat loss, falling crop yields and ever higher sea levels.
“The message is: Over to governments. We’ve told you the scientific facts, the evidence. It’s up to them to decide what to do with it,” Dr Jim Skea, one of the report’s co-chairs, told reporters from Incheon, where the report was released.
Fellow author Dr Valerie Masson-Delmotte said: “The report shows that we are at the cross-roads. And what is going to happen from now until 2030 is critical, especially for CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions.”
Economies would have to rapidly shift away from burning coal, oil and gas and invest heavily in renewable energy. It would also mean broader changes across societies, such as choice of transport, energy use, even the foods people eat.
The cost? Investments in clean energy totalling US$2.4 trillion (S$3.3 trillion) were needed every year from 2016 to 2035 and coal-fired power cut to almost nothing by 2050.
Scientists have long warned that rising temperatures will make the planet a deadlier place to live, in terms of extreme weather and loss of natural ecosystems, and generally assumed that mankind should limit warming to 2 deg C to avoid catastrophic climate change.
But the world has already warmed about 1 deg C since pre-industrial times. Even at that level, scientists say climate change is fuelling stronger storms, more extreme floods, deadlier heatwaves and wildfires, while hotter oceans are cooking coral reefs. Many of these impacts are occurring faster and harder than some scientists expected.
The IPCC study, which took nearly three years to complete and involved 91 authors from 40 nations, is the first to look in detail at the 1.5 deg C limit in terms of impacts and what it would take to keep temperatures at that level.
The 2015 Paris Climate Agreement calls for halting the rise in temperatures to “well below” 2 deg C and 1.5 deg C, if possible. Right at the end of the Paris conference, the IPCC was asked to prepare a special report on global warming of 1.5 deg C by looking at the latest science involving thousands of studies – more than 6,000 are cited.
The study was urgent because of the accelerating impacts of climate change and the relentless surge in greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas, reached record levels in the atmosphere last year and current pledges to cut emissions under the Paris Agreement would lead to warming of about 3 deg C.
The report is also seen as the main scientific guide for government policymakers on how to implement the Paris Agreement during the Katowice Climate Change Conference in Poland in December.
The authors say global warming is likely to reach 1.5 deg C between 2030 and 2052 if it continues to increase at the current rate, meaning the time to act is now. Based on current CO2 emissions from power stations, industry and transport, delaying deep cuts for another decade would make the 1.5 deg C target all but impossible and lock in more extreme weather, faster melting of ice caps and higher sea levels.
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While the difference between 1.5 deg C and 2 deg C might seem small, some climate change impacts will be less severe by limiting global warming to 1.5 deg C.
For example, by 2100, global sea level rise would be 10cm lower with global warming of 1.5 deg C compared with 2 deg C.
The likelihood of an Arctic Ocean free of sea ice in summer would be once per century with at 1.5 deg C, compared to at least once per decade with 2 deg C, the authors say.
Coral reefs would decline by 70 per cent to 90 per cent at 1.5 deg C, whereas virtually all would be lost at 2 deg C.
“Every extra bit of warming matters, especially since warming of 1.5 deg C or higher increases the risk associated with long-lasting or irreversible changes, such as the loss of some ecosystems,” said Professor Hans-Otto Pörtner, one of the report’s authors.
The report finds that limiting global warming to 1.5 deg C would require “rapid and far-reaching” transitions in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport, and cities.
In the IPCC’s most ambitious pathway, global net human-caused emissions of CO2 would need to fall by about 45 per cent from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching “net zero” around 2050. This means that any remaining emissions would need to be balanced by removing CO2 from the air. Replanting forests, restoring grasslands and boosting carbon stored in soils are some ways to do this.
Others could be machines that suck CO2 out of the atmosphere and bio-energy with carbon capture and storage.
Allowing the global temperature to temporarily exceed or “overshoot” 1.5 deg C would mean a greater reliance on techniques that remove CO2 from the air to return global temperature to below 1.5 deg C by 2100, it says.
But the report finds that effectiveness of some of these techniques are unproven at large scale and some might carry risks.
“This report gives policymakers and practitioners the information they need to make decisions that tackle climate change while considering local context and people’s needs.
The next few years are probably the most important in our history,” said co-author Dr Debra Roberts.
tankoktim 