Points of discussion in the CBAM debate include emission scope, LDCs, export rebates and explicit carbon pricing. Iron and steel products dominate the amount of imported goods covered by CBAM. Most affected countries include Russia, Ukraine and Turkey.
The Paris 2050 Targets are a set of initiatives to limit global warming to below 2 degree Celsius, with ambitious efforts to limit this to 1.5degree Celsius. Of 184 countries that pledged carbon reduction under the Paris Agreement, 75% of countries’ pledges were insufficient to meet the 2? target of . The fifth annual UNEP Report focuses on nations’ advanced strategies to adapt to climate change by researching Nature-Based Solutions, which aim to ensure a balance between society and sustaining biodiversity.
Improving energy efficiency is key to decreasing our impact on climate change. The new proposal raises the EU energy efficiency target and makes it binding. The Covid crisis helped decrease energy consumption and reach targets although these results are tainted by unique (we hope) circumstances.
To reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, the European Union (‘EU’) enacted a comprehensive package of measures. Among them, of particular relevance is the Renewable Energy Directive (‘RED II’) which lays down the legal framework for the deployment of renewable energy sources or ‘renewable energy’ across all sectors of the EU’s economy [1]. This article provides an overview of the Directive’s main provisions and its recently proposed amendment in the context of the ‘Fit for 55 Package’ proposal.
Week two of COP26 took place between 8th and 12th November 2021 and covered topics such as adaptation, transport, gender, science and innovation, and the built environment. Week two also saw the release of a cooperation agreement between US and China. Transparency was also found to be a cross-cutting subject that was important in many of the negotiation halls.
The US’s updated NDC represents meaningful climate progress More ambitious policies will be needed to fulfil the climate promises. For example, the US must commit to ending all new fossil investment now. Subnational actors have an important role to play in achieving US climate targets.
COP26 started on Sunday 31 November 2021. The first week of the conference saw a two-day World Leaders Summit and respective days on finance, energy, youth empowerment and nature. ClimaTalk has been tracking these topics and in this article presents the headline outcomes and thoughts from week one of COP26. We have also highlighted the developments and failures in the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples thus far at COP26. Some of the biggest positive outputs include: the pledge to end deforestation by 2030, an agreement to end overseas public funding of fossil fuels by 2022, commitments to climate education, and finance for protecting Indigenous Peoples’ forest rights.
The COP26 Presidency wanted to make the conference the most inclusive COP ever, however, reports have indicated that this has not been the case. Vaccine rollout and travel restrictions have been two of the barriers to accessibility and inclusivity to COP26. The price of accommodation has also been a barrier for young people wanting to attend the conference.
Week two of COP26 will include negotiations and discussions on adaptation, transparency, loss and damage, science, nature, and the transport sector. ClimaTalk will be hosting live sessions on these topics between Monday 8 November and Friday 12 November As the second week of COP26 draws to a close, ClimaTalk will be discussing whether the Glasgow COP delivered on the expectations placed on the summit. Follow ClimaTalk to stay up to date on all the topics outlined in this article.
COY16 took place in Glasgow on 30 to 31 October 2020 and saw delegates from 140 countries attend. Robin Fontaine reflects on his experience at COY16 and states that the most significant output of COY16 was the Global Youth Statement, which demanded youth inclusion during policy negotiations and climate change governance.