NEW DELHI (CU)_In less than three months, the United Kingdom will host one of the most anticipated UN climate talks since the 21st Conference of the Parties held in Paris in 2015. The main goal of the Paris accord, which was signed at this historical event, is to limit global warming to well below 2°C, preferably to 1.5°C, compared to pre-industrial levels. Therefore, over the recent past, many governments, businesses and environmental campaigners have accelerated their efforts to minimise their greenhouse gas emissions, particularly amid some of the most extreme weather conditions that have been reported from the poorest as well as the most developed countries across the globe.
As part of London’s efforts to encourage governments to join the global movement, COP26 president-designate Alok Sharma joined a discussion with India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who declared that the South Asian nation is among a few G20 countries on track to meet the goals set out under the Paris accord. She noted that the government of India has been taking concrete steps at an appreciable speed in order to reach the goal of producing 450 GW of renewable energy by the end of this decade, as they have already crossed the major milestone of 100GW.
During the meeting, the finance minister also highlighted the need to have a sense of compassion towards poorer nations whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the global crisis. Back in 2009, the most developed countries agreed to mobilise $100 billion a year by 2020 and through to 2025 in order to assist developing nations in responding to climate change and reduce their carbon emissions, particularly by investing in renewable energy sources. However, given the slow progress seen at the recent G7 summit and the G20 major economies, the governments of least developed countries have expressed their frustration over the failure of wealthier nations to make good on their promise.
The COP26 President-Designate has also called on the governments of the most developed economies to accelerate their support towards developing nations, particularly in the form of climate finance.
“Delivering the $100 billion is also a matter of trust, and trust matters in international climate politics,” minister Sharma said in an article published on the website of the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “I’ve heard first-hand from leaders and ministers in developing countries how frustrated they are that the promised funds have not been mobilised fast enough.”
