Glasgow Dispatch - November 2 | Newsletter

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Welcome! Today is day two of the World Leaders Summit at COP26

The World Leaders Summit continued today with national statements coming from almost 60 countries. Meanwhile, technical negotiators are already hard at work on issues across the agendas.

The United States and the European Union formally launched the Global Methane Pledge. Over 100 countries, including Brazil, Indonesia, and Nigeria, signed onto it. According to the U.S. State Department, “Countries joining the Global Methane Pledge commit to a collective goal of reducing global methane emissions by at least 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030 and moving towards using best available inventory methodologies to quantify methane emissions, with a particular focus on high emission sources.”
⇒⇒⇒ Key news for Congress: The U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan was unveiled today as part of the U.S. commitment to the Global Methane Pledge. For more, see the U.S. Happenings section below.

If you are looking to dig into country-specific greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and progress, including on methane, check out Climate Resource’s interactive NDC fact sheets for information on every Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)—or country emission reduction commitment—submitted to the UNFCCC.

Missed yesterday’s issue? Check it out here!

Topics

Key Takeaways U.S. Updates Around the World Resources Events

World leaders at COP26 Presidency Event on Forestry and Land Use. Photo Credit: UNFCCC

Forests: More than 100 leaders, including the U.S., who represent 85% of the world’s forests, announced a commitment to “halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030.” The commitment is backed by $12 billion of public funds and $7.2 billion of private investment. Signatories include Brazil, Columbia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Indonesia. The United States also launched the Forest Investor Club and the Forest Finance Risk Consortium to mobilize additional funding.

Rural communities: The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) launched a Rural Agenda for Climate Change with six focus areas: climate data, a just transition, renewable energy production, sustainable land management, a circular and bio-economy, and transportation decarbonization. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack emphasized the opportunities for rural America in his remarks during the event.

Satellites: Earth observation groups came together today to present a new report, Greenhouse Gas Monitoring from Space. It highlights current and future capabilities to track emissions using satellites for more accurate, timely, and transparent reporting.

World leaders prepare for Global Methane Pledge announcement. Photo Credit: UNFCCC

Methane: President Biden unveiled a U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan, which is “an ambitious, whole-of-government initiative that uses all available tools… to identify and cost-effectively reduce methane emissions from all major sources,” according to the White House. President Biden also announced an EPA draft rule that aims to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas facilities.

Justice40: At a U.S. Center event, a number of officials from across the federal government discussed the Justice40 Initiative, which aims “to deliver at least 40 percent of the overall benefits from Federal investments in climate and clean energy to disadvantaged communities.”

Extreme heat: Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced today that starting in 2022, Miami-Dade will officially declare a “heat season” from May 1 through October 31. During the same event, the mayor of Athens, Greece, announced that Greece will start naming heat waves in 2022. Both efforts are first-of-their-kind initiatives to heighten public awareness and mobilize resources to prepare for and address extreme heat.

Subnational action: The U.S. Climate Action Center opened today and will be showcasing the climate work of U.S. subnational actors over the course of COP26. The Center is hosted by America Is All In, a coalition of U.S. leaders working to mobilize climate solutions.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari speaks at the World Leaders Summit. Photo Credit: UNFCCC

The World Leaders Summit continued with speeches from primarily smaller nations. Below is a list of some of the specific climate commitments that were announced today (see yesterday’s list of commitments here). Small island nations delivered strong messages to the big emitting countries. Surangel S. Whipps, Jr, President of Palau, said: “There is no dignity to a slow and painful death. You might as well as bomb our islands instead of making us suffer only to witness our slow and fateful demise.”
- Ecuador | President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza announced a new marine reserve area around the Galápagos that will provide protection for an additional 23,000 square miles on top of the existing 50,000 square miles.
- Iceland | Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir committed to a legally binding agreement to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and pledged to end fossil fuel use by 2050.
- Ireland | Prime Minister Micheál Martin pledged to double Ireland’s climate finance contribution to developing countries by delivering at least $225 million a year by 2025.
- Nigeria | President Muhammadu Buhari committed to net zero by 2060, but stated Nigeria will rely on natural gas as a transition fuel until 2040.
There were some notable absences from the speeches, including Russia, and limited representation from the Middle East, as only Kuwait and Bahrain were present.

Just Transition in South Africa: The United States, European Union, South Africa, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom announced the Just Energy Transition Partnership, which “aims to accelerate the decarbonisation of South Africa’s economy, with a focus on the electricity system.” An initial commitment of $8.5 billion will be mobilized, and the Partnership is expected to prevent 1 to 1.5 gigatonnes of emissions over 20 years.

Small Island States: A new Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS) fund was launched to “support small island states to develop resilient, sustainable infrastructure that can withstand climate shocks, protecting lives and livelihoods.” The United Kingdom announced it will contribute £10 million ($13.6 million) to IRIS and £40 million ($54.5 million) for the Small Island Developing State Capacity and Resilience (SIDAR) program, “which will support capacity-building for small island states to access funding and technical solutions at scale.”

Accelerating Clean Technology: Over 40 countries, including the United States, India, European Union, and China, have signed onto the United Kingdom’s Breakthrough Agenda, which is an “unprecedented international clean technology plan to help keep 1.5°C in reach.”

Cultural Resilience: The Climate Heritage Network has joined the Race to Resilience, a U.N.-backed global campaign to advance climate resilience worldwide, and today launched a partner campaign to highlight how culture-based strategies can help achieve a more resilient world.
- To learn more about the connection between cultural heritage and climate change, check out section three of EESI’s Coastal Resilience Report.

Tracking the negotiations

Earth Negotiation Bulletin: A play-by-play of the negotiations plus expert analysis from the International Institute for Sustainable Development | @IISD_ENB
Carbon Brief: Who wants what at COP26 living document to be updated in real time | @CarbonBrief
ECO Newsletter: The climate advocate’s perspective from Climate Action Network International | @CANIntl
COP26 Resource Hub: Analysis from the World Resources Institute | @WRIClimate

Background and logistics

U.K. COP26 Presidency website: Priorities, details, and logistics for the negotiations | @COP26
UNFCCC COP26 website: Conference details and all updates on documents produced during the negotiations | @UNFCCC and @UNFCCCDocuments
Congressional Research Service: Reports related to the UNFCCC

EESI resources

Briefing series: What Congress needs to know in the lead up to COP26
Articles: Quick reads connecting international climate talks to Congress
Climate Change Solutions: Biweekly newsletter covering climate, energy, and environmental issues

Wednesday, November 3

Earth Information Day 2021
Events throughout the day
Host: UNFCCC

Tackling Urban Heat in U.S. Cities
10am ET/2pm GMT
Host: U.S. Climate Action Center

Net Zero World Initiative Launch: ‘Accelerating Global Energy System Decarbonization’
2:00pm ET/6:00pm GMT
Host: U.S. Center

Questions about COP26?

Reach out to EESI Policy Manager Anna McGinn with your question and we will get back to you or include the information in an upcoming newsletter.

Thanks for reading!

This newsletter covering COP26 will be running from November 1 to November 14.

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Thank you to EESI staff for their contributions: Anna McGinn, Savannah Bertrand, Emma Johnson, Amaury Laporte

Environmental and Energy Study Institute

Daniel Bresette, Executive Director

EESI is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1984 by a bipartisan Congressional caucus to provide timely information and develop innovative policy solutions that set us on a cleaner, more secure and sustainable energy path.

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CFC #10627

Glasgow Dispatch - November 2

World Leaders Summit day 2

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