COP26 on CO2DAY

I write this first blog post as news from the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (known as COP26) fills the airwaves and on the eve of Diwali in India which is the start of the most polluted time in Delhi. Climate change and global warming is the most important topic of our times and as a member of the Class of 24, I. want to bring to the forefront issues around climate change so that my classmates and I can engage and discuss solutions. As we responsibly celebrate Diwali this week, let's not forget CO2DAY!

What is COP26: The ‘Conference of Parties’ is the 26th meeting of the United Nations and it is better known as COP26. Heads of State, climate change experts, activists will converge in Glasgow with the aim of producing an international response to the climate crisis. It will be co-hosted by the UK and Italy between October 31 – November 12.

How will COP26 build on Paris Agreement: The Paris Agreement was adopted by 196 countries in Paris on December 12, 2015 (entered into force on November 4, 2016). It was a legally binding pledge to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change determined limiting global warming to 1.5 C is much safer for the planet. To achieve this ambitious goal, the global community pledged to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Greenhouse Emissions. CO2 is the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities. When we burn fossil fuels such as coal and oil, we increase the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, because the burning process combines carbon and oxygen in in the air to make CO2. Among the fossil fuels, coal has the highest contribution to CO2 emissions.

Therefore, countries like China and India must reduce their consumption of coal in order achieve climate change goals limiting global warming to 1.5C

The Paris Agreement required countries that signed on to this international treaty to submit their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) 5years. Countries are required to communicate the actions they will take to reduce their greenhouse emissions in order to achieve the goals set by the Paris Agreement. As it turns out the NDCs, that were initially submitted were inadequate to achieve this goal, therefore the global community is being pressed to come to COP26 with revised NDCs. The scientific community and the United Nations Environment Program believe that if the current NDCs are met, they would result in an increase in global warming by 3 degrees Celsius.

Climate Financing: At the Copenhagen COP in 2009, there was a commitment to provide $100 billion in public and private funds to lower income countries by 2020. The Paris Agreement committed to raising $100 billion each year between 2020-2025 to help developing countries cut emissions. Unfortunately, none of these climate financing goals have been met. These economies are also struggling from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, so climate financing, and the movement of both public and private funds are critical part of this discussion at COP 26.

The world is watching as President Biden of the United States, Prime Minister Modi of India and. Minister Boris Johnson of Britain are among the leaders making commitments to save our planet, and we notice that missing from Glasgow are President Xi Jinping

of China, President Putin of Russia and President Bolsonaro of Brazil.