World leaders vow to protect forests, plug methane leaks, reduce cow emissions at COP26
World leaders promised to protect Earth's forests, cut methane emissions and help South Africa wean itself off coal at the UN climate summit Tuesday — part of a flurry of deals intended to avert catastrophic global warming.
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The UK, host of the Cop26, said it has received pledges from leaders representing more than 85% of the world’s forests to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030.
Among them are several countries with massive forests, including Brazil, China, Colombia, Congo, Indonesia, Russia and the United States.
More than $19 billion in public and private funds have been pledged towards the plan.
Experts and observers said fulfilling the pledge will be critical to limiting climate change, but many noted that similar promises have been made before to little effect.
“Signing the declaration is the easy part,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Twitter. “It is essential that it is implemented now for people and planet.”
I welcome the Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forests & Land Use as an important step to halt & reverse deforestation.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) November 2, 2021
Signing the declaration is the easy part.
It is essential that it is implemented now for people & planet. #COP26
Alison Hoare, a senior research fellow at political think tank Chatham House, said world leaders promised in 2014 to end deforestation by 2030, “but since then deforestation has accelerated across many countries.”
Belching emissions
On Tuesday, the administration of US President Joe Biden launched a plan to reduce methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming. The announcement was part of the "Global Methane Pledge," a broader effort with the European Union and other nations to reduce overall methane emissions worldwide by 30% by 2030.
The Biden plan focuses on clamping down on methane flaring and leaks from oil wells and gas pipelines, which is considered one of the easiest ways to cut emissions.
Reducing methane from agriculture, in particular by belching cows, is a trickier matter.
According to a study of the University of California, Davis, cattle "are the No. 1 agricultural source of greenhouse gases worldwide.
"Each year, a single cow will belch about 220 pounds of methane. Methane from cattle is shorter lived than carbon dioxide but 28 times more potent in warming the atmosphere," according to Frank Mitloehner, a professor and air quality specialist with UC Davis.
One solution, presented by Breanna Roque, one of the UC Davis' PhD researchers is to feed cows with red seaweed, which potentially reduces the animal's methane production by over 80 percent.
Phase out coal
Helen Mountford, a climate expert at the World Resources Institute, said the methane agreement “sets a strong floor in terms of the ambition we need globally.”
Separately, the US, Britain, France and Germany announced a plan to provide $8.5 billion in loans and grants over five years to help South Africa phase out coal.
South Africa gets about 90% of its electricity from coal-fired plants, a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.
But campaigners say the world’s biggest carbon emitters need to do much more. Earth has already warmed 1.1 degrees Celsius. Current projections based on planned emissions cuts over the next decade are for it to hit 2.7C by the year 2100.
"This must not become another empty promise paying lip service to #ClimateJustice" - .@Greenpeaceafric Campaigner .@Shenever_knew responds to news that South Africa and the EU plan to launch a project at #COP26 to phase out coal in the country 🙌
— Greenpeace (@Greenpeace) November 3, 2021
READ 👉 https://t.co/5FNzD808lU
Increased warming over coming decades would melt much of the planet’s ice, raise global sea levels and greatly increase the likelihood and intensity of extreme weather, scientists say.
(With wires)
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