This week has marked the start of COP26 in Glasgow but what exactly is it and why does it matter for you and your school, workplace or organisation?
COP26 is the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference. COP is short for Conference of the Parties, which refers to the 197 parties (196 countries and the European Union) that signed the 1994 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC).
The 2021 conference is the 26th of these conferences that has taken place since the first one in 1995. In 2015 more than 190 countries signed the Paris Agreement following COP21 - a legally binding international treaty which aims to limit warming to well below 2°C, whilst pursuing efforts to keep warming below 1.5°C.
Each stripe in the chart below, created by the University of Reading, represents the average annual global temperature between 1850 and 2020. A blue stripe represents a cooler than average year and a red stripe a warmer than average year. It clearly illustrates how much temperatures have risen over the last 150 years.
Earth's global surface temperature has already increased by around 1.1°C since pre-industrial times (1850-1900). The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) special report released in August stated that "climate change is already affecting every region on Earth in multiple ways and the changes that we experience will intensify with additional warming" (IPCC Working Group Co-chair Panmao Zhai).
The scientific evidence is clear. The time to act is now and we know what we need to do. There is still hope of avoiding the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. To keep the critical 1.5 degrees warming within reach, we need to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieve Net Zero by the middle of the Century. Net Zero is a balance where we emit no more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than we remove from it.
Over the next two weeks, officials and world leaders from more than 100 countries are meeting to accelerate action towards meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement with a coordinated global response to climate change. The four key goals of the conference are to:
Secure global net zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach
Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats in an already changing climate
Mobilise finance. Developing countries in particular need financial support to implement both adaptation and mitigation measures
Work together to deliver and tackle the climate crisis through collaboration between governments, businesses and civil society.
The scientific community have provided a clear call to action. We need to drastically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions fast to stay below catastrophic levels of warming.
The eyes of the world are on the complex negotiations taking place in Glasgow but organisations and individuals, as well as Governments have a clear part to play in the journey to Net Zero. Why not make a public commitment to cut your Greenhouse Gas emissions today and become an organisation that you, your customers and staff can be proud of?
We know that you want to be part of the solution to the Climate Emergency and would love the opportunity to support your organisation on your journey towards Net Zero.
Contact charlotte@simplycarbonreduction.co.uk today to see how we can help.