WORLD leaders have been told that COP26 must be the starting point of a “new age of resilience” to avoid climate catastrophe – as Boris Johnson issued a warning that humanity has “run down the clock” and must get serious about action.
Politicians from across the globe will meet in Glasgow over the next two days to begin talks to thrash out action to crucially limit global warming to 1.5C.
But the leaders were given a stark warning on the eve of their discussions after new research from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) showed the past seven years are on track to be the seven warmest on record.
The new report, based on data for the first nine months of 2021, found that record atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations and the rises and global heat temperature has launched the planet into uncharted territory.
Temperatures from January to September 2021 were around 1.09C above the 1850-1900 period while the last seven years, 2015-2021 are on track to be the hottest seven years on record.
The data prompted United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to insist that “COP26 must be a turning point for people and planet".
He added: “Scientists are clear on the facts. Now leaders need to be just as clear in their actions."
“The door is open; the solutions are there. We must act now – with ambition and solidarity – to safeguard our future and save humanity.”
Despite the pressure ramping up, COP26 president, Alok Sharma, appeared pessimistic yesterday as he stressed that fostering success in Glasgow is “a very big, tough ask” – as he called on world leaders to “leave the ghosts of the past behind” and focus on fixing the climate crisis.
Officially opening COP26 yesterday, Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), called on delegates to ensure the Glasgow summit is the starting point of a “new age of resilience” to avert climate catastrophe.
She warned that “humanity faces stark but clear choices”.
Ms Espinosa added: “We either choose to achieve rapid and large-scale reductions of limiting emissions to keep the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C or we accept that humanity faces a bleak future on this planet.”
The Paris Agreement, in which countries pledged to limit global warming to 2C with an ambition to work towards 1.5C has remained unfinished for “far too long”, Ms Espinosa said.
The plans by individual nations to contribute to the Paris Agreement, as they stand, would exceed the 2C commitment.
She added: “Every day that goes by without being able to implement the Paris Agreement in full is a wasted day, the accumulation of which have real world repercussions for people throughout the world, especially the most vulnerable.”
Ms Espinosa urged world leaders to take action, stressing that “success is possible” but called for more ambition, for all nations to get on board and fulfil the commitments under the agreement.
She also called for support for developing countries, warning that without this “we will not be able to embark on the transformations needed to achieve the 1.5 degree goal”.
The transition needed to protect the world from climate change is “beyond the scope, scale and speed of anything humanity has accomplished in the past”, Ms Espinosa added.
Also addressing delegates at the opening of COP26, Mr Sharma, said: “The rapidly-changing climate is sounding an alarm to the world to step up on adaptation to address loss and damage, and to act now to keep 1.5 alive.
“We know that this COP, COP26, is our last, best hope to keep 1.5 in reach.”
He added: “I believe that we can resolve the outstanding issues. We can move the negotiations forward and we can launch a decade of ever-increasing ambition and action.
“Together we can seize the enormous opportunities for green growth for good, green jobs for cheaper, cleaner power.
“We need to hit the ground running to develop the solutions that we need. And that work starts today – and we succeed or fail as one.”
Mr Sharma insisted that “if we act now, and we act together, we can protect our precious planet”.
He added: “So, let’s come together in these two weeks and ensure that where Paris promised, Glasgow delivers.”
The Prime Minister arrived in Glasgow last night after attending the G20 summit in Rome.
Last night, he warned that the G20 had made some progress but that the outcome of the talks in Glasgow intended to deliver on those commitments remained “in the balance”.
He said: “If Glasgow fails, than the whole thing fails.
“The Paris agreement will have crumpled at the first reckoning."
The result of the G20 was that leaders agreed on carbon neutrality “by or around mid-century” as focus now turns towards the United Nations climate talks.
Politicians also pledged to end public financing for coal-fired power generation abroad.
But the Prime Minister, who was due to fly to Glasgow for the climate conference following the press briefing, said environmental promises made by leading nations were “starting to sound hollow” as he criticised the lack of action by G20 partners.
Nicola Sturgeon said that the G20 commitments to 'pursue efforts' to keep 1.5C alive ad stop financing new unabated coal plants internationally be the end of the year was "a starting point" for COP26 talks, but warned it was "by no means enough".
Mr Johnson will today call for action on phasing out coal power, protecting and restoring forests, providing finance for countries to tackle climate change and boosting electric vehicles.
The Prime Minister is also pledging an extra £1 billion in climate finance to support developing countries by 2025 if the economy grows as forecast and the UK’s aid budget returns to the 0.7% of GDP level after being cut by his government.
The UK Government has faced criticism for cutting the aid budget, in the run-up to the talks where delivery of a long-promised 100 billion US dollars a year by 2020 for poorer countries to develop cleanly and cope with climate impacts is a key issue for developing nations.
Ahead of COP26, a report revealed that developed countries would not mobilise the 100 billion dollar goal for public and private finance until 2023.
The UK doubled its promised climate aid to £11.6bn over five years in 2019 and the new announcement would bring that to £12.6bn if it is delivered.
Separately the UN has warned that plans by countries to cut climate-warming emissions in the next decade were not enough to put the world on track to limit warming to 1.5C, beyond which increasingly severe extreme weather, rising seas and damage to crops, health and wildlife will be felt.
Mr Johnson will say: “Humanity has long since run down the clock on climate change.
“It’s one minute to midnight and we need 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.”
He is also expected to say: “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.
“We need to get real about climate change and the world needs to know when that’s going to happen.”
More than 120 leaders are set to attend the world leaders summit where countries are under pressure to increase action in the next decade to curb dangerous warming and to deliver financial support for poorer countries least responsible for and most vulnerable to climate change.
There are also efforts to drive action by countries, regions, and businesses to curb emissions in sectors such as power with efforts to phase out coal, as well as finalise parts of the Paris climate accord agreed in 2015 to make it effective and operational.
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