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COP26: What’s at stake in the UN climate talks in Glasgow and how will the US-China rivalry affect negotiations?
- Last year the United Nations warned urgent action was needed to limit the increase in global temperatures
- Despite this, domestic and international political concerns continue to stand in the way of progress
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After witnessing the ups and downs of climate negotiations over the past decade, Li Shuo sometimes feels frustrated. As a veteran climate campaigner with Greenpeace East Asia, he has seen a “complete circle” – from the catastrophic 2009 Copenhagen summit, through the landmark 2015 Paris climate accord to this year’s pivotal conference in Glasgow.
“The global climate momentum depends on many different factors, including the economic situation across the world and the political dynamic in key countries. These variables keep on changing,” Li said.
“I feel lucky in the sense that I sort of see a complete cycle – the different political dynamics; the positive and negative aspects; the progress and the challenges.”
The world is now at a crossroads ahead of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) which opens on Sunday.
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A UN report published earlier this year warned that there was a 50-50 chance global temperatures would rise by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius in the next two decades.
It warned that without immediate and rapid efforts to cut emissions, limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees or even 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by the end of this century would be beyond reach, and said countries needed to take aggressive action to curb carbon emissions beyond 2030.
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Meanwhile, countries have to submit new or updated emissions reduction commitments, also known as Nationally Determined Contributions, before COP26.
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