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The COP26, aka the United Nations Climate Change Conference UK 2021, has kicked off in Glasgow. Here’s Electrek‘s daily roundup of the key happenings at the world’s most important summit ever to keep you in the loop.
Read more: 5 key things to know about the do-or-die COP26 climate summit
November 1
Opening speeches
COP26 opened in Glasgow with hard-hitting speeches from UK prime minister Boris Johnson, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Barbados prime minister Mia Mottley, Prince Charles, and Sir David Attenborough. The Guardian rounded up highlights of those speeches in one video:
US President Joe Biden’s statement
Biden reiterated that the US will reduce carbon emissions by 50% below 2005 levels by 2030. Biden’s big Build Back Better bill, which contains climate change actions, has not yet been passed though the US Congress.
We will demonstrate to the world the United States is not only back at the table but hopefully leading by the power of our example.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s (pre-recorded) speech
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro gave a pre-recorded speech (he wasn’t in attendance) in which what he said completely contradicted the country’s recent actions:
Brazil is a green powerhouse. When it comes to fighting climate change, we have always been part of the solution, not the problem.
Yet Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissions rose 9.5% in 2020, and deforestation hit a 12-year high in Brazil’s Amazon in 2020.
Brazil’s environment minister Joaquim Leite said the country would cut its emissions by 50% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels, which is boosted from 43%. Leite also said that Brazil would formalize a commitment to become climate neutral by 2050 during COP26.
AlJazeera notes, “Advocacy group Climate Observatory said that a 50% reduction was still weaker than the 43% commitment using the pre-Bolsonaro baseline, meaning Brazil had not, in reality, increased its ambition.”
Environmentalists see Bolsonaro’s speech as a greenwash.
India: net zero by 2070
India prime minister Narendra Modi announced that India will meet a target of net zero by 2070. He also committed to India getting half of its energy from renewable resources by 2030 and increase its clean energy capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030. Modi wants developed countries to make $1 trillion available as climate finance.
China: no significant changes
President Xi Jinping of China, who didn’t attend COP26, called for more support for developing countries in a written statement, but made no new pledges. Xi has not left China since 2020.
Read more: China surprises with ‘net zero by 2060’ announcement
Photo: “Boris Johnson launch of COP26” by UK Prime Minister is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
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