COP26, day 10: a first version of the final declaration wants “rapid, strong and sustained reductions” in greenhouse gas emissions – Le Monde

Find every day, at the end of the day, the highlights of the 26th United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP) for the climate, which is being held until 12 November in Glasgow (Scotland), as well as the insights of journalists from the World.

What you must remember :

Draft COP26 final declaration calls for strengthening climate ambitions

After ten days of discussions in Glasgow – and while the COP26 officially closes on Friday – the British presidency of the climate conference published a first draft of the text on Wednesday 10 November. This, which will be amended by the end of the conference, calls on countries to “Revise and strengthen”, from 2022, national contributions (NDCs) which set short-term commitments – the Paris Agreement having decided, in 2015, to review these NDCs every five years.

It is, according to the text, to make these commitments “Compatible with the warming objectives of the Paris Agreement”, that is to say “Well below” 2 ° C, if possible 1.5 ° C, compared to the pre-industrial era. The latest estimates, given on Tuesday by the United Nations, pointed out that, despite the new commitments made by some states, the world is still on the path to warming. “Catastrophic” 2.7 ° C by the end of the century.

The text emphasizes in particular that “The impacts of climate change will be much less with a warming of 1.5 ° C, compared to 2 ° C”. He therefore calls for “Rapid, strong and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions, including reductions in CO emissions₂ 45% in 2030 compared to the 2010 level and carbon neutrality around the middle of the century ”. It also encourages countries to “Accelerate the exit from coal and funding for fossil fuels”, responsible for most of the broadcasts. Such an explicit mention of fossil fuels is unprecedented, and in particular does not appear in the Paris Agreement.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also called on the conference on Wednesday to give a “Strong impulse” to try to reach an agreement to limit global warming. “If we want to achieve this, we need a strong impetus to make us cross the line” of arrival, said the head of government, back in Glasgow (Scotland). “We have just a few days left, and there is still a long way to go. ” And to add: “It is very frustrating to see countries that have spent six years ostensibly congratulating each other on having signed [l’accord de] Paris is slowly getting closer to failure ”.

The reactions to this first version of the final declaration were mixed, like the Climate Vulnerable Forum which considered that the text “Do not answer[ait] not to the main demands of vulnerable countries ”. For her part, Greenpeace International Director Jennifer Morgan said: “This is not a plan to solve the climate crisis but an agreement to cross your fingers in the hope that it will be okay. A polite request to countries to if possible, perhaps, do more next year. It’s not enough. “

Commitments to ensure that all new cars are zero emissions by 2040

Thirty countries, regions and a dozen car manufacturers pledged Wednesday to ” work “ to ensure that by 2040 all new cars sold will be zero emissions, according to a press release from the UK Presidency of COP26. “Together we will work to ensure that all new cars and vans are zero emission globally by 2040, and by 2035 at the latest in key markets”, says this declaration which insists however on the fact that the commitment is not binding.

Among the signatories are a few developed countries, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden and Israel – which had already committed to ending sales of combustion engine cars by 2030. In contrast, China, the United States, Japan, France and Germany, among the most important constructing countries, have not signed. “In 2035 we agree on the principle of ending the sale of non-electrified vehicles”, commented the French Minister of Ecological Transition, Barbara Pompili, stressing that a debate was underway within the EU on whether or not to include hybrids in this category.

Read the op-ed: “The shift from road to rail is more than ever an absolute emergency”

Among the manufacturers, Toyota, Volkswagen and Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi are not signatories of the declaration. Ford, Mercedes-Benz, General Motors and Volvo, which already had thermal engine exit targets, have joined the initiative. Under these conditions, the announcement was greeted with skepticism by climate NGOs, while transport is one of the main sectors of greenhouse gas emissions.

The statement of the day:

“For Iran to sign and commit [dans l’accord de Paris], the first condition is that the oppressive sanctions be lifted. Our main message at this summit is that countries commit to discussing the lifting of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran as a priority. “

Ali Salajegheh, the head of the Iranian Environmental Protection Agency, warned on Wednesday that Iran would not ratify the Paris agreement as long as the country remains under international sanctions because of its controversial nuclear program . “If Iran finalized its process of joining the Paris Agreement, it would not be able to implement it nor enjoy its benefits because of the sanctions. How then can he commit [dans ce traité] if he does not derive any benefit from it “, added Mr. Salajegheh, quoted by the IRNA agency.

Images of the day:

Activists, including the Gastivists network, projected messages on Tuesday evening on the roof of the building hosting COP26 in Glasgow. The projectionist of the conference has multiplied the effects to try to mask the claims, ending up covering them with “Go away” (” go away “).

I can now reveal last night’s action as one of the funniest of # COP26. We ended up in a projection fight where the… https://t.co/xjp1EAHu0x

– GEddolls (@Graeme Eddolls)

Tweet from a climate activist: “I can now say that last night’s action was one of the funniest at COP26. It ended up in a projection battle with the official projectionist who only drew a little more attention to us – he then came out and came over to congratulate us. “

Around the world :

In the Mont-Blanc massif, the first victims of warming, and the main witnesses, are the retreating glaciers and the flora and fauna, which are out of sync.

Read the report: The “transfiguration” of the Alps, an “apocalyptic vision” of climate change

Also listen In the Alps, mythical glaciers in danger

Words to understand COP26:

Carbon market

It is a financial mechanism aimed at reducing industrial greenhouse gas emissions by giving them a price. An annual cap on CO emissions₂ is imposed on companies, in the form of quotas. Those who exceed this ceiling can buy back quotas from those who have not reached it. The price per tonne of carbon emitted, or “right to pollute”, depends on supply and demand.

Within the European Union (EU), there has been a carbon market (Emissions Trading System) since 2005. But it only concerns the most polluting industries, which are responsible for 40% of CO emissions.₂(electricity producers, commercial aviation, steel industry, etc.). But, so far, the polluter pays principle has not been fully proven. “Only the electricity sector has started its decarbonisation, the others, who benefit from free allowances, have not really been encouraged to do so”, explain to World Geneviève Pons, Director General of the Europe-Jacques Delors think tank, in Brussels. Today, the European Commission wants to extend this mechanism to buildings and road transport, but the subject is far from unanimous among the Twenty-Seven.

The number :

15 years old

This is the age that Greta Thunberg was (she is 18 years old today) when she launched, in November 2018, a movement that will become international : middle and high school students skip school on Fridays to call on heads of state to take action against climate change. His speech at COP24 in Katowice, Poland, in December of the same year, finishes making the young Swede the face of the fight against global warming. His speeches and his personality manage to mobilize en masse. On September 20, 2019, 4 million people around the world responded to his call to protest. But, at the same time, attacks and insults rain down on the environmental activist, even going so far as to call for murder.

Solutions for the planet:

“Nature has the means to regenerate itself. “ It is to this credo that the followers of Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) are faithful. The technique consists of isolating the stems of a shrub by cutting off some of its natural suckers. This assisted growth allows the selected stems to take better advantage of the soil’s nutrients and grow like trees.

One of the most fervent defenders of the method is called Tony Rinaudo. He is an Australian agronomist, winner of the alternative Nobel Prize in 2018. In 1983, he moved to Niger and brought this ancestral technique up to date. In 37 years, 6 million hectares have been restored in this way, or 240 million trees, without a single one having been planted. The world met Tony Rinaudo and went to find out about the implementation of RNA in Senegal.

Find all the articles in our special COP26 file here.

The World with AFP