The latest U.N. Climate Summit COP26 in Glasgow (Scotland):
GLASGOW — U.S. President Joe Biden, and Indonesia’s President Joko WIDODOO called on Myanmar’s military for political release and an end to violence at a meeting that took place on the sidelines the UN climate conference in Glasgow.
According to the White House, the leaders of the two countries agreed Monday on the need for a quick return to democracy.
Since February, Myanmar has been mired by violence and civil unrest. Protesters were subject to beatings and arrests.
They also discussed “importance of freedom in the seas”, in an indirect reference to China’s unrecognized territorial claims within the South China Sea.
Biden also spoke highly of Indonesia’s contribution to the Indo-Pacific region and the rest of the world, and expressed optimism about his collaboration with Widodo as he assumes the presidency of Group of 20 later in the year.
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GLASGOW (Scotland) — There is reason to be optimistic at the COP26 talks after Boris Johnson, Prime Minister, warned that the world has run out of time to address climate change.
Max Blain, Johnson’s spokesperson, stated that “we are seeing some good signs so far” that leaders recognize how urgent the situation is.
Johnson, the UN chief and representatives from countries that are at risk of sea rise or drought due to global warming, gave stark warnings Monday as the summit opened.
Johnson was pressing the major polluters (India, Indonesia, and Russia) to increase their carbon-cutting plans behind closed doors.
Blain stated that “we expect to hear more commitments from countries” during COP26. “We encourage that these are ambitious, measurable goals that can be achieved especially in the next ten years.”
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GLASGOW — U.N. climate conference attendees heard President Joe Biden apologize publicly for his predecessor Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. the Paris agreement.
Biden spoke in Glasgow, Scotland on Monday as world leaders gathered to discuss the implementation of the global warming agreement by mid-century.
He stated that he didn’t need to apologize but did apologize for the fact that the United States, which was the previous administration, pulled out from the Paris Accords. This has put us a bit behind the eight ball.
Biden has often criticized the previous administration’s climate policy, but had never publicly apologized to the world.
Biden entered the agreement again in his first official act in office, Jan. 20,
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GLASGOW — The French President Emmanuel Macron called on the world’s largest carbon emitters to increase their commitments to reduce carbon emissions immediately, saying that doing so in the next days is the only way for the global effort to slow climate change to be “credible.”
Macron supported the legacy of 2015 Paris agreement, but admitted that countries are far away from meeting their pledges to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius since the industrial age. He told U.N. climate negotiations in Glasgow that “we know we are not there yet”.
Macron spoke without naming specific countries, saying that “the key to the next 15 days here” is for the largest emitters to… increase their ambitions. It’s the only way for our strategy to be credible… and 1.5 degrees to be credible.
He noted that “indigenous people” are the first to be affected by climate disruptions and that countries in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean are especially hard hit. He called on rich nations to accelerate “deep transformation” of their investment and trade practices.
France considers itself a guarantor under the Paris accord. Macron has tried to portray himself as a protector of the planet. France has not fulfilled its promises under the accord. Monday’s protest in Glasgow was led by activists calling for Macron to do more.
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RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil increased its commitment to combating greenhouse gas emissions Monday, aiming to reduce them by half by 2030 compared to 2005 levels. However, critics alleged that the government is tinkering around with data.
Joaquim Léite, Environment Minister, stated that “We present today an ambitious new climate goal,” he said at the U.N. Glasgow conference on climate.
Brazil had previously set a goal to reduce its emissions by 43% by 2030, compared with 25 years ago.
In the wake of recent fires and deforestation in Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands and Amazon rainforest, the announcement made in Glasgow is another attempt by the Brazilian government in presenting itself as an environmental steward. However, critics warned that this shift should not be taken lightly.
Experts accuse Brazil of having previously adjusted its emission targets in a manner that would allow it more greenhouse gas to be released into the atmosphere. The government increased its baseline estimate, making it easier to achieve its goal.
Rodrigo Agostinho is a federal lawmaker who was a member of the Brazilian delegation in Glasgow. He told The Associated Press that no one trusts Brazil anymore — even though there are more ambitious emission targets.
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GLASGOW — President Joe Biden called on world leaders to address the threat of global warming. He said there was “no time to linger” or “argue between ourselves” over the danger facing the planet.
Biden stated Monday that “Glasgow must serve as the kickoff to a decade’s worth of ambition,” in remarks to world leaders at Monday’s COP26 summit.
Biden stated that despite the “growing disaster” caused by climate change, there was still an “incredible chance” to prevent problems such as extreme weather, decreasing resources, and other devastating impacts. Biden said that the crisis offered an opportunity for “generational investment” in order to grow global economies.
The president stated that he is committed to helping countries worldwide to tackle the climate change challenges.
Monday’s release by the Biden administration outlined its plan to transform the United States into a completely clean energy nation by 2050. In compliance with the Paris agreement, the long-term plan outlines a United States that will be more dependent on renewable energy such as solar, wind and other clean energies.
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GLASGOW (Scotland) — Germany’s outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel called on other countries to set a price for carbon emissions. These are the major cause of global warming.
Merkel, who was the chair of the 1995 Conference of the Parties or COP1, stated that the world needed a “comprehensive transform” in the way people live and work if they want to reduce climate change.
Merkel spoke Monday at the opening ceremony of the U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow. She stated that she would make a clear plea for carbon emissions to be priced to promote the best ways to reach ‘net zero’, a goal many countries have set for themselves by 2050.
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GLASGOW (Scotland) — Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish Prime Minister, has announced that his government will increase its climate finance by half as much by 2025 to meet the pledge of rich countries to support developing nations in fighting climate change.
The commitment of developed countries to contribute $100 billion annually to developing nations between 2020 and 2025 has been rebuffed.
Sanchez spoke Monday to the leaders of the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow. He stated that Spain intends to increase its contribution to reach 1.35 billion euros ($1.56billion) by 2025 and every subsequent year.
Sanchez stated that COP26 will be a litmus test for achieving the $100 billion target. Spain will play its part in restoring trust between the North and South countries when it comes to that.
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GLASGOW (Scotland) — Barbados’ prime minister has warned world leaders that failure to address climate change urgently will result in a “death sentence” to people living on islands like hers.
Mia Amor Mottley, a climate leader at the COP26 summit in Glasgow, said that the most vulnerable nations to global warming are concerned that the meeting will fail to achieve its goals.
She stated that she was disappointed by the absence of “both ambition” and “some of the necessary faces at Glasgow”. The leaders of Russia, China, and Turkey have also not attended the summit.
Mottley advised leaders to “try harder” and said that vulnerable countries required trillions of dollars to adapt to climate change, not the billions committed so far.
She stated, “simply put: When leaders will lead?”
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GLASGOW (Scotland) — Elizabeth Wathuti, a Kenyan climate activist, appealed to world leaders to “open their hearts” to people already suffering from global warming.
Wathuti spoke Monday at the opening ceremony of the U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow. She stated that drought in her country has led to many people going hungry.
She said, “As I sit here comfortably in this conference centre in Glasgow. Over 2 million of my fellow Kenyans face climate-related starvation.” “Both of our rainy seasons failed in the past year and scientists believe that it could be 12 more months before the waters return.”
Wathuti called on leaders to take action to combat climate change.
She said, “The decisions that you make here will determine whether children have food and water.”
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GLASGOW (Scotland) — David Attenborough, a British naturalist, gave the leaders of the U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow a short lesson about the fragility and dependence of humanity on the natural world.
The 95-year old documentary-maker was introduced at Monday’s ceremony opening as the “people’s advocate” and spoke before prime ministers and presidents from over 100 countries.
Attenborough stated that the climate had been swinging wildly for most of humanity’s existence before stabilizing 10,000 years back, which allowed human civilizations to thrive.
He said, “The stability on which we all depend is falling”
Attenborough stated that countries can take the necessary actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to levels that will prevent dangerous global warming if they act quickly and decisively.
He said, “We are, afterall, the greatest problem solvers that have ever existed on Earth.” “If we work together, we can destabilize the planet.” We are sure that if we work together, it will be enough to save the planet.
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GLASGOW (Scotland) — On Monday, world leaders gathered in Glasgow for the U.N. Climate Conference.
Oxfam campaigners wore kilts, and stated that the world’s leaders must take more action to address climate change.
“These leaders are not reducing global emissions or putting the world on an easier path. They are just making hot air. We have had enough of empty promises and hot air. What we want is concrete action,” Nafkote Daabi, Oxfam Climate Policy Lead, said.
“We need climate finance. Poor countries need climate financing, vulnerable communities require climate finance. They need to be serious about it, to support vulnerable nations, to adapt to the worst effects of the climate crisis.”
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GLASGOW (Scotland) — At the Glasgow global climate summit, the head of the United Nations warned that leaders are “digging their own graves” through the burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of the environment.
At Monday’s ceremonial opening of two-week-long talks, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres stated that recent announcements made by governments about turning the tide on climate changes were “an illusion”, not least because many pledges are in doubt.
He stated, “As we open the much-anticipated climate conference we are still heading towards climate disaster.”
Guterres encouraged major economic powers, as well as emerging nations such China, to “go beyond the call” since they are responsible for the majority of global greenhouse gas emissions.
He also criticised the confusion surrounding emissions reduction targets and announced the creation a new group to provide “clear standards”, which will be used to measure commitments from non-state actors and businesses.
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MOSCOW — The Kremlin stated that Moscow is fully committed to global efforts to control climate change, even though Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, won’t be attending this week’s U.N. climate conference.
Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesperson, said that the format of the conference at Glasgow would not allow him to address the gathering via videolink. He said that Putin would record a video address for delivery to the forest and land use conference, which is part U.N. climate conferences.
Peskov said Monday to reporters that Russia fully supports global climate efforts and will continue to work towards its goal of carbon neutrality by 2060. Moscow has been urged by the U.S. and EU to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050.
Peskov claimed that Russia has a higher share of low-carbon energy sources than some Western European countries. A Kremlin spokesperson also stressed the importance of paying special attention to developing countries when mapping global climate efforts. They should also consider the impact of their low emissions in past.
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GLASGOW (Scotland) — Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, has opened a summit on global climate. He said that the world is tied to a “doomsday device”.
Johnson compared the Earth’s situation to James Bond, a fictional agent who is strapped to a doomsday device and trying to figure out how to destroy it.
He stated to leaders that they are in a similar situation and that the “ticking doomsday” device is now real and not a movie.
He was inaugurating the U.N. climate conference’s world leaders summit. This conference aimed to reach an agreement to reduce carbon emissions quickly enough to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degree Fahrenheit) below preindustrial levels.
Britain’s leader was apathetic on the eve, after the Group of Twenty leaders had made very modest climate commitments at the summit in Rome.
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COPENHAGEN (Danemark) — The Danish prime minister has stated that his country, along with several others including the United States and Britain, is asking the International Maritime Organization for climate action. He said that the organization should adopt a “climate-neutral 2050 target” as well as ambitious intermediate targets in 2030, 2040.
It is a signal to our partners from the private and public sectors that a greener future in shipping is not only possible but necessary. Mette Frederiksen, Danish Prime Minister, said Monday that it was time to take action to secure a better future.
She stated that climate-neutral shipping is crucial in meeting international climate goals. It has the potential for massive upscaling renewable energy use to green fuels. This is critical to the energy transition in developing economies as well as emerging countries.
Frederiksen, along with John Kerry, the U.S. special-climate envoy and Bruce Bilimon, the head of the Marshall Islands delegation at COP26 will present the initiative to Frederiksen. They will then launch a joint statement calling on shipping to be climate neutral by 2050.
