Last day for COP26 climate talks: shaky deals and controversial solutions
Pessimism rules as the COP26 summit enters its final day. Three prominent politicians have warned that world leaders must return to next year's negotiating table ready to sharpen any deal made Friday – warning existing commitments fall short. But there is optimism too.
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Christiana Figueres, the former UN climate chief who oversaw the 2015 Paris summit, and French diplomat Laurence Tubiana, told the Guardian newspaper that another deadline is essential if the world is to avoid exceeding its 1.5C temperature limit.
Laurent Fabius, the former French foreign minister who also oversaw Paris, added: “In the present circumstances [targets] must be enhanced next year.”
On a brighter side, say participants, the Wednesday deal made between China and the US may signify a breaktrough.
Delegation leaders John Kerry and Xie Zhenhua said that the two countries would work together to accelerate the reductions in emissions required to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.
Wang Yi, a climate specialist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a senior advisor to Beijing's COP26 delegation, told RFI that he is "happy" with the 16-point joint-declaration as it promises a better outcome for a final document to be produced at the end of the conference.
The Sino-US relationship is currently at a low point over issues like human rights in Xinjiang, Beijing's treatment of Hong Kong and threats to Taiwan as well as an increased military assertiveness in the South China Sea.
But on climate change, the two "strategic rivals" finally found common ground. "If the big countries don't cope with this common challenge to mankind, it is very difficult to achieve our targets," according to Wang.
"It's really a further step forward in terms of accelerating climate action," Brendan Guy, a staff advocate with the Natural Resources Defense Council, told RFI, but adds that "if we do want to hold global temperature to arrive at 1.5 degrees Celcius, we urgently need to see bolder climate targets, and action, and credible delivery in the near future to really drive towards that goal."
If we do want to hold global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celcius, we urgently need to see bolder climate targets and action and credible delivery in the near future to really drive towards that goal.
Podcast: Brendan Guy, Advocate Natural Resources Defence Council
The last day of the COP26 will see frantic activity in the "corridors of power" a section of the venue that consist of cardboard-like offices where the dozens of international delegations hammer out their proposals, which must result in a final text that everybody can live with. A first draft version was published on Wednesday, but more are to follow before the final document will see the light of the day.
Meanwhile, NGOs, specialists and a colorful array of activists continue to propose alternatives and solutions, both inside and outside the venue.
Edging between green activism and controversial energy sourcing is the Ontario Power Generation, a Canadian industry group. After switching from coal to nuclear, it is trying to popularize the idea that nuclear power is the solution to many problems related to climate change.
"We really want to change the narrative here," Matthew Mairinger, a senior advisor to the group, told RFI.
"Millions of people a year are dying from fossil fuel pollution, they are missing all the climate goals. And countries such as Germany, which shut down nuclear power plants, replaced them with fossil fuels," pointing out that nuclear "takes up less land, uses less mining."
No one has actually died from the releases of Fukushima radiation, while every year, people are dying from fossil fuel.
Podcast: Mathew Mairinger, Senior Advisor Ontario Power Generation
Mairinger feels that resistance against the use of nuclear energy is diminishing. Although the group met some negative reactions, "the reception we've had this year is probably the best we had at six or seven COPs," he says.
Outside the venue, colorful protest actions continue.
On Thursday, eight COP26 activists were arrested after throwing paint over the Scottish Power building in Glasgow.
The protestors, from the Scientist Rebellion, a subgroup of the anarchist movement Extinction Rebellion, glued their hands to the property and splashed green paint over the building to represent the "greenwashing of Scottish Power".
In another incident, activists had cut tires of a luxury SUV in a wealthy Glasgow suburb. Newspaper The Scotsman reports that the owner found a leaflet that read: “Your SUV contributes to the second biggest cause of carbon emissions rise in the last decade. This is why we have disarmed your car by deflating one or more of its tyres”.
But most protests were peaceful.
One man was dressed up as Star Wars' Darth Vader, proclaiming that the governments had taken us to "the dark side." Others had created a colorful blanket consisting of stitched squares of cloth with wishes written on them. "Open the eyes of the greedy and save Mother Earth," says one. "This is our ONLY home. Care for it," says another.
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