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To stand a chance of meeting the net-zero ambitions of the Paris Agreement, a multi-pronged approach to curbing climate change is needed that permeates all sectors of our society and economy. Done well, this comprehensive approach will ensure a just transition.
COP26 was surely among the most anticipated of United Nations climate summits since they began in 1995. As the world’s leaders gathered in Glasgow in November 2021 to set out renewed plans for meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement, the window of opportunity to avert the most catastrophic of climate change’s impacts felt perilously small, even more so given that the pandemic delayed COP26 by a year.
As the summit closed, progress had been made towards the Paris Agreement’s goals, notably towards securing global net zero by mid-century and keeping 1.5°C within reach; and mobilising finance – from developed countries to developing countries and from across the private and public sector.
But the progress was not nearly enough. Climate change pledges presented by countries at COP26 would only limit global warming to 2.4°C. Certainly, this outcome is better than the 2.7-3.1°C in the absence of these pledges but it would nonetheless be disastrous (see Figure 1). A rise of just 2°C is described as spelling a ‘death sentence’ for vulnerable countries, and any increase beyond 1.5°C will trigger irreversible environmental and ecological damage, and huge economic costs.
Figure 1: Global greenhouse gas emissions and warming projections until 2100