Glasgow Dispatch - November 9

View this newsletter online Subscribe Review EESI Welcome! Today is science and innovation day and gender day at COP26   This year’s negotiations follow the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) latest report—the first section of their Sixth Assessment Report—which found that “human-induced climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe.”  At a COP26 Presidency event on the report, U.K. COP26 Envoy John Murton said, “if we do not act immediately, the 1.5 degree Celsius limit will slip out of our reach. Keeping 1.5 degrees Celsius alive requires us to halve global emissions by 2030, to reach net zero by mid-century, and to transform every sector of our economy.” Murton added, “I urge governments and policymakers and negotiators … to listen carefully to what the scientists have to say.”  ⇒⇒⇒ EESI Resource: Check out our article, “We Need Climate Action, Bigger, Faster, and Sooner to Avoid the Worst Outcomes Outlined in the Latest IPCC Report.”   In light of the challenge we face, presentations around COP26 focused on innovation to power climate action. Connecting today’s themes, the UNFCCC hosted a dialogue on gender, science, innovation, and technology. The dialogue is part of the implementation of the Gender Action Plan parties adopted in 2019, which includes addressing the disproportionate impacts of climate change on women.  The House Democratic delegation arrived at COP26 today, with plans to highlight “the recent IPCC report, gender equity, and public-private sector coordination on climate action,” according to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) who is leading the delegation.    Missed yesterday’s issue? Check it out here! Confused by COP terminology and acronyms? Check out the UNFCCC glossary of terms and other helpful guides in the Resources section!   Topics   Key Takeaways | Congress at COP26 | U.S. Updates | Around the World | Resources | Events   Marshall Islands Climate Envoy Tina Stege speaks about the Climate Action Tracker. Credit: UNFCCC Negotiations: At a lunchtime briefing today, Mattias Frumerie, head of the Swedish delegation, reported that the negotiations are intense. Parties are trying to review new iterations of texts, and they are also in the midst of sorting out the contents of the cover decision. The cover decision is an overarching document that outlines the context in which COP26 is taking place and key topics negotiated. Frumerie said he is expecting long days and very late nights for negotiators for the rest of COP26. For the latest on Article 6 negotiations and options on the table, check out this presentation shared with the Research and Independent NGO constituency group this morning by Axel Michaelowa of the University of Zurich and Perspectives Climate Research. For the best play-by-play of what is happening in each of the negotiating rooms, read Earth Negotiations Bulletin’s report of the main proceedings and highlights. ⇒⇒⇒ EESI Resource: For more information about the details of the negotiations, watch or read the highlights of our recent briefing, The Negotiations: What’s on the Table. Adaptation Research Alliance: The Adaptation Research Alliance (ARA) was officially launched with 90 partners to spur more funding for action-oriented adaptation research. The U.K. and Canada partnered to announce CA$170 million (about $136 million) in support for the Climate Adaptation and Resilience (CLARE) research program, which will support the ARA’s work. The launch event also outlined the alliance’s Adaptation Research for Impact Principles. ⇒⇒⇒ EESI Resource: Read our article on the ARA, “Pairing Research and Action to Accelerate Climate Adaptation,” which highlights how U.S. federal agencies can get involved in this work. Emissions gap: The U.N. Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Emissions Gap Report 2021, released two weeks ago, found that national climate pledges made before COP26, if implemented, would keep global temperature rise to 2.7 degrees Celsius. To keep the 1.5 degrees Celsius target alive, countries need to halve their emissions by 2030. “Yes, we have an emissions gap,” UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen said today at a U.N. event on the report, “but we also have a leadership gap. That leadership gap is why we are in Glasgow today.” Andersen added that “we have seen additional NDCs being submitted [at COP26], and we really appreciate that.”   Climate Action Tracker: On the topic of measuring emissions reductions, a new report called Glasgow’s 2030 Credibility Gap: Net Zero’s Lip Service to Climate Action was released today, which includes new commitments made during COP26, found that 2030 climate targets, if implemented, would keep global temperature rise to 2.4 degrees Celsius. Marshall Islands Climate Envoy Tina Stege said “the research in this report is yet another shot in the arm … this is not the time for a lowest common denominator approach in these negotiations.”   Gender day announcements: Canada will ensure 80% of its C$5.3 billion (about $4.4 billion) in climate investments over the next five years will target gender equality; the U.K. will provide £165 million (about $223 million) to address gender equality and climate change; and Ecuador, Sweden, Nigeria, and Germany announced new national initiatives on gender and climate at a COP26 Presidency event today. The Maldives also made commitments to increase the number of women in local government by 45% and in judiciary roles by 15% by 2025. “We want to do it because we know that having more women at the table … leads to a truer reflection of society and our needs,” Maldives Special Envoy for Climate Change Sabra Ibrahim Noordeen said. Check out the Gender Climate Tracker to see how NDCs integrate gender.   Technology for net zero: Connecting with today's theme, the U.S. Center held an event on the role of science, technology, and innovation in achieving net zero emissions. In the near-term, “most of the global reductions in carbon dioxide emissions between now and 2030 come from technologies that are already available,” Mary Warlick, International Energy Agency deputy executive director, said. After 2030 is where the innovation comes in, with net zero models relying on technologies that are still in the demonstration phase, such as advanced batteries for trucks and ships, carbon capture systems, and electrolyzers for hydrogen production. Panelists discussed the push that will be needed to make these technologies real, including programs like the DOE’s Energy Earthshots Initiative and mobilizing financing from the private sector.     Democratic members of the House of Representatives attending COP26. Photo Credit: Nancy Pelosi  Congressional Democrats: The largest delegation of U.S. representatives in UNFCCC history arrived at COP26 today. Twenty-two House Democrats led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) are attending events and meeting with other country leaders. ⇒⇒⇒ EESI Resource: Read our article, “House Hearings Explore Importance of International Climate Action Ahead of U.N. Climate Talks (COP26).” Speaker Pelosi press conference: Speaker Pelosi held a press conference today alongside five House committee chairs: Reps. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), and Frank Pallone (D-N.J.). Pelosi spoke to the need to pass the Build Back Better Act to advance clean energy and address environmental injustices.   Gender and climate: Speaker Pelosi also provided remarks at the COP26 Presidency event on advancing gender equality in climate action. She emphasized, “addressing the rapidly changing climate is a matter of justice and equality with the most vulnerable most affected, including indigenous communities, less developed countries, and our focus today, and everyday, women.” She also thanked the COP26 Presidency for “recognizing the centrality of women in the climate fight.”   Climate leaders: A group of representatives, all elected to Congress in 2018 on a platform focused on climate change, spoke today at the U.S. Climate Action Center and emphasized that they are at COP26 to demonstrate that “America is all in” to address climate change. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said, “When we say that the United States is back, it is not just that we are back in the way that the United States was pursuing climate policy before, it is different. I would argue that it is a fundamentally different approach … it has justice and jobs as the focus in order for us to meet our emissions goals.” Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) spoke about the growing number of migrants leaving their homes and coming to El Paso because climate impacts have made their livelihoods untenable. She emphasized that migration will exponentially increase if we do not address climate change. Reps. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Mike Levin (D-Calif.), and Sean Casten (D-Ill.) also spoke at the event and underscored that passing the Build Back Better Act is a top priority. EPA Administrator Michael Regan and others at a U.S. Center event on HFCs. Photo Credit: Michael Regan Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs): EPA Administrator Michael Regan spoke at a U.S. Center event about phasing out HFCs and reducing illegal trade of the potent greenhouse gases. “In the United States, we have begun implementing the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act, our domestic legislation to achieve an 85% reduction in the production and consumption of HFCs by the year 2036,” Regan said. “In September, EPA issued a regulation that begins to phase down [HFCs] through a system of tradable allowances.” Officials from Japan, Canada, and the E.U. also discussed their initiatives to reduce HFCs. ⇒⇒⇒ EESI Resource: Check out our article, “EPA’s HFC Phasedown: How Regulatory Heat is Advancing the Coolant Industry.” COP26 Health Programme: The U.S. committed to the World Health Organization’s COP26 Health Programme, which aims to build climate-resilient health systems and reduce emissions from the health sector. Forty-six additional countries have also committed to building climate-resilient health systems, with 12 countries committing to net zero health systems by 2050 or earlier.   Business innovation: The Business Council for Sustainable Energy hosted an event about making strategic technology investments in clean energy and energy efficiency to deliver both mitigation and resilience results. The panel focused primarily on the built environment, including modernizing the grid and switching to smart devices to improve building energy efficiency. “If we are really about net zero,” Johnson Controls Vice President Kathleen McGinty said, “we are never going to get there with siloed pieces of energy efficiency equipment. It has to be digitalized to achieve those commitments.” ⇒⇒⇒ EESI Resource: Watch or read highlights from our briefing, Congressional Climate Camp #3: Lessons Learned from Past Congresses and Current Attitudes on Climate, to hear more from Kathleen McGinty. Ahmadou Sebory Toure speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. Photo Credit: UNFCCC  National statements: Countries whose Heads of State did not provide national statements during the World Leaders Summit have an opportunity today and tomorrow to present their national statements. Thirty-two senior officials provided remarks today, including: Russia: Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, Alexey Overchuk, reiterated Russia’s goal to be carbon neutral by 2060, highlighted their new 2050 strategy for low-emission social and economic development, and emphasized their “deep belief that addressing global warming and climate change should not lead to further increases in poverty, not just in the developing world, but in the developed world as well.” G77/China: Executive Director of the Fund for Environment Safeguard for the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Guinea, Ahmadou Sebory Toure, spoke on behalf of the G77/China. He called on “developed party partners to be more ambitious by taking the initiative to reduce their emissions and be more ambitious by providing support to developing countries, in particular for adaptation and … loss and damage … Old promises on raising the $100 billion per year must be respected. You must keep your promises.” European Union: The Executive Vice President for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, announced that the European Commission will contribute ​​€100 million (about $116 million) to the Adaptation Fund. He explained, “those who need resources for adaptation also need to have predictability and clarity about its delivery.” Additional countries end fossil fuel finance: The Netherlands, Germany, and El Salvador joined the agreement to end international public finance for fossil fuels by the end of 2022, increasing the number of countries committed to the agreement to 24. Other countries, such as the U.S. and Canada, committed to the agreement last week.   Loss and damage: Scotland became the first government to pledge climate finance specifically for loss and damage at $1.4 million. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that the goal was to catalyze additional financial support: “I hope this will galvanise other organization to support the partnership—and show world leaders that where small nations lead they can follow.” Estimates suggest that loss and damage funding should be at $50 billion per year by 2022 and $300 billion per year by 2030 if temperature rise does not stay below 1.5 degrees Celsius.   Advertising and emissions: The UNFCCC High Level Climate Champions held an event on the critical role that advertising plays in addressing climate change. One panelist, Jonathan Wise, co-founder of the Purpose Disruptors group—a network of advertising insiders working to reshape the industry—announced a new report on the emissions that result from the bump in sales generated by advertising. The report authors estimated that in 2019, the U.K.’s ‘advertised emissions’ amounted to more than 186 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, or roughly half the total domestic emissions the U.K. produced that year. “There’s an opportunity for the advertising industry to reimagine its role in society and push the future forward,” Wise said.     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 Research and Independent NGOs: Notes from negotiating session taken by researchers at COP26  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 UNFCCC glossary of terms EESI resources Briefing series: What Congress needs to know in the lead up to COP26 Creating Policies, Coalitions, and Actions for Global Sustainable Development Momentum on Climate Adaptation The Role of International Climate Finance The Negotiations: What’s on the Table Articles: Quick reads connecting international climate talks to Congress Climate Change Solutions: Biweekly newsletter covering climate, energy, and environmental issues Wednesday, November 10   Resumed High-Level Segment: National Statements from those Parties whose Government did not deliver a national statement during the World Leaders Summit 5:00am-8:00am ET/ 10:00am-1:00pm GMT Host: UNFCCC   How has Science Influenced Climate Action: IPCC and the Policy Process 8:00am-9:30am ET/ 1:00pm-2:30pm GMT Host: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)   Offshore Wind: Critical to Achieving U.S. Climate Goals 9:00am ET/ 2:00pm GMT Host: U.S. Climate Action Center   The Race to Zero: COP26 and the Future of Clean Transport 11:30am ET/ 4:30pm GMT Hosts: British Embassy Washington and British Consulates General in San Francisco and Atlanta   Leading the Way to the Future of Flight 11:30am ET/ 4:30pm 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. If you thought this newsletter was interesting, forward it to someone you know! If you were forwarded this edition, sign up here. 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.   www.eesi.org                 CFC #10627