Fighting climate change with terminology

Local weather change terminology so you’ll be able to combat international warming with phrases used at UN COP26 in Glasgow

So that you’ve heard the information. One thing about Glasgow, the UN, a Paris Settlement, COP-something and local weather change. World leaders are assembly in Glasgow, Scotland to set local weather change targets and comply with emissions, and commitments to renewable vitality. Some are saying 100% by 2030, however for many that’s too formidable, particularly in america the place dwelling house owners try to DIY set up photo voltaic vitality and discover themselves unable to hook up with an ageing grid.

To make it simpler on you, we’ve equipped you under with the local weather change terminology for the yr. Know these phrases utilized by the United Nations and it is possible for you to to coach your class, colleagues and family. 

What’s the UN’s COP26?

Let’s begin with the title of the occasion itself, COP26. In layman’s phrases, that is the twenty sixth UN local weather change convention, however formally it’s the twenty sixth Convention of the Events (or COP) to the UN Framework Conference on Local weather Change (UNFCCC). So let’s break that down a bit…

The UNFCCC was established following the 1992 UN Convention on Surroundings and Growth in Rio (sometimes called the Earth Summit). The acknowledged purpose of the UNFCCC was to cut back greenhouse gases with a purpose to stop harmful local weather change brought on by human exercise. 

Conferences of the Events to the conference, or COPs, are the formal conferences which have taken place yearly since 1995, other than 2020: the COVID-19 pandemic meant that COP26 was delayed by a yr.

What are SDG targets?

There are 17 inter-linked Sustainable Growth Targets, or SDGs, which give attention to challenges starting from clear vitality entry, to poverty discount and accountable consumption. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Collectively, the SDGs make up the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Growth, the UN’s blueprint for peace and prosperity for folks and the planet.

Local weather Change is likely one of the Targets (SDG 13), however t’s turning into more and more clear that local weather change performs a task in lots of, if not the entire SDGs, and that reaching the 2030 Agenda might be inconceivable with out making severe inroads into tackling the issue.

The NDC plan

This stands for Nationally Decided Contribution, the detailed plan that particular person international locations are required to make, below the Paris Settlement, to point out how they may lower the quantity of dangerous greenhouse gases they emit. All international locations are anticipated to revise their NDC to replicate better ambition. 

Presently, these plans are usually not ample to maintain international warming to 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial ranges, so this yr, there’s elevated stress on international locations to sharply improve their stage of ambition.

What does Web Zero imply?

Put merely, internet zero means slicing emissions to as near zero as potential, similar to by shifting towards a inexperienced economic system and clear renewable vitality, with any remaining emissions reabsorbed, together with oceans and forests.

Virtually each nation has joined the Paris Settlement on local weather change, which requires maintaining the worldwide temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial period ranges.

If we proceed to pump out the emissions that trigger local weather change, nonetheless, temperatures will proceed to rise nicely past 1.5, to ranges that threaten the lives and livelihoods of individuals in every single place.

This is the reason a rising variety of international locations are making commitments to realize “internet zero” emissions by 2050. It’s a giant process, requiring formidable actions beginning proper now.

If you hear 1.5°C

You’ll be listening to “the objective of 1.5 levels Celsius” so much throughout COP. In a 2018, an IPCC  report, reviewed by 1000’s of scientists and governments, discovered that limiting international temperature rise to not more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial ranges (within the mid-18th century), would assist us keep away from the worst local weather impacts and preserve a habitable local weather. 

Based on the most recent knowledge, our world has already warmed between 1.06 to 1.26 above pre-industrial ranges, and even when present guarantees are met, we’d nonetheless be on a course to succeed in 2.7°C this century. This is able to imply a “local weather disaster” as highlighted by the UN Secretary-Basic, with a potential collapse of ecosystems, and life as we all know it.

What’s the IPCC?

The Intergovernmental Panel on Local weather Change (IPCC) is the UN physique for assessing the science associated to local weather change.

Created in 1988 by the World Meteorological Group (WMO) and the UN Surroundings Programme (UNEP), the target of the IPCC is to offer governments in any respect ranges with scientific data that they’ll use to develop local weather insurance policies.

IPCC reviews are additionally a key enter into the worldwide local weather change negotiations that might be taking place throughout COP26. A serious report launched in August confirmed that until there are speedy, sustained and large-scale reductions of greenhouse gasoline emissions, together with CO2, methane and others, the objective of limiting international warming to 1.5C might be past attain.

What are SIDS nations?

Small Island Growing States are a definite group of 58 low-lying island nations which might be extremely weak and infrequently affected by climate extremes and local weather change, together with the elevated severity of cyclones, storm surges, heavy rains, droughts, sea-level rise and ocean acidification.

Through the newest high-level week of the Basic Meeting, SIDS leaders from Fiji, Tuvalu and the Maldives took centre stage saying their nations are dealing with an existential risk if wealthy international locations fail to make good on their guarantees to show the tide on international warming.

Outline Local weather Finance

Broadly talking, local weather finance pertains to the cash which must be spent on a complete vary of actions to cut back the emissions which might be inflicting local weather change, and to assist folks adapt to and construct resilience for the impacts of local weather change which might be already occurring.  

It might contain native, nationwide, or transnational financing, which can be drawn from public, non-public and different sources of financing. Local weather finance is crucial to addressing local weather change, as a result of large-scale investments are required to considerably cut back emissions, notably in sectors that emit massive portions of greenhouse gases, and to assist adaptation efforts. 

In 2009, in the course of the COP15 in Copenhagen wealthy nations promised to channel $100 billion a yr to less-wealthy nations by 2020, to assist them adapt to local weather change and mitigate additional rises in temperature.

The promise nonetheless hasn’t been delivered—local weather finance to growing international locations presently quantities to about $80 billion–, and due to this fact local weather finance might be one of many greatest points of debate throughout COP26. 

What’s the SBTi?

This stands for the UN-backed Science Based mostly Goal initiative. Corporations which signal as much as the initiative set science-based emission discount targets, which depart them higher geared up to deal with local weather change, and making them extra aggressive, within the transition to a net-zero economic system.

Science-based goal setting has grow to be a typical enterprise observe, and firms are taking part in a significant position in driving down international greenhouse gasoline emissions and in supporting the implementation of nation commitments.

What are Nature-based Options?

Saudi Arabian mangrove forests may also help mitigate local weather change

Nature-based Options are actions to guard, sustainably handle, and restore pure and modified ecosystems that handle societal challenges successfully and adaptively, concurrently offering human well-being and biodiversity advantages.

Nature-Based mostly Options are an important a part of the general international effort to realize the targets of the Paris Settlement on Local weather Change: they’re an important complement to decarbonisation, decreasing local weather change dangers like carbon farming in Saudi Arabia, regenerative agriculture within the US, and establishing local weather resilient societies typically. 

We interview mayors from Houston and Portugal on what makes cities resilient to local weather change:

Examples embrace huge tree planting programmes, which take up carbon and supply safety from intense rainfall, and rebuilding mangroves, which offer efficient and low-cost pure limitations towards coastal floods and shoreline erosion.

Who’re the G20?

The Group of 20 (G20) is an intergovernmental discussion board comprising many of the world’s largest economies: 19 nations and the European Union.  They work to handle main points associated to the worldwide economic system, similar to worldwide monetary stability, local weather change mitigation, and sustainable growth. 

The G20 members are: 

Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, the UK, america, and the European Union. Spain can also be invited as a everlasting visitor.

The UN Secretary-Basic has made clear that local weather motion should be led by G20 nations, which collectively account for round 90 per cent of gross world product, 75 to 80 per cent of worldwide commerce and two thirds or the world’s inhabitants. 

Their dedication throughout COP26 is essential for curbing greenhouse gases and cease fuelling local weather change. 

What’s the AGN?

The African Group of Negotiators on Local weather Change (AGN) was established at COP1 in Berlin, Germany in 1995 as an alliance of African member states that represents the pursuits of the area within the worldwide local weather change negotiations, with a typical and unified voice.

What’s the GCAA?

Exterior the formal intergovernmental negotiations, international locations, cities and areas, companies and civil society members the world over are already taking motion for the local weather.

The World Local weather Motion Agenda (GCAA), initiated below the Lima Paris Motion Agenda, was launched to spur speedy local weather motion, increase cooperation between governments, native authorities, the enterprise neighborhood, traders, and civil society, and to assist the adoption and the implementation of the Paris Settlement. 

Associated

Feedback

feedback