Call For Climate Justice

Regarded as a watershed moment, the Conference of the Parties to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), popularly known as COP-27, kicked off in Egypt, the first such gathering of 193 UN members that took place in the African soil since 2016. This is an opportunity for taking stock of progress on the implementation of environmental pledges made in Glasgow last year. Current conference offers the world’s richest countries the chance to put their money where their mouth is against background of rising global temperatures creating havoc through floods and droughts throughout the world. Simultaneously, the gathering will provide the low- and middle-income countries an opportunity to air their grievances about the climate costs they disproportionately bear.

Today’s developed countries, the biggest polluters emitting the significant amount of greenhouse gases, have reaped the benefits of industrialisation. They have pursued the industrialisation for two centuries and have emitted massive amount of greenhouse gases at the expense of the rest of the world, particularly the developing countries. Expectedly, COP-27 is an ideal setting for world leaders to deliver on their earlier promises and commitments and announce a comprehensive plan to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. These effects have been more severe on the countries of the Global South where the most vulnerable low-income countries known as the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are concentrated.

Rising temperature 

Recent reports on climate change suggest that global temperatures are rising as a result of which the earth is about 1.1 degree Celsius warmer than it was in the 1800s and worryingly carbon emissions that directly contribute to such increase continue to rise. Climate scientists have cautioned that to keep global warming to no more than 1.5 degree Celsius as called for in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement to save earth from catastrophe, emissions need to be reduced by 45 per cent by 2030 and reach net zero carbon stage by 2050.

Transitioning to a net zero world, which means cutting greenhouse emissions to as close to zero as possible, with any remaining emissions re-absorbed from the atmosphere, by oceans and forests, is one of the greatest challenges of humankind. The science shows clearly that in order to avert the worst impacts of climate change and preserve a livable planet, global temperature increase needs to be limited to 1.5 degree Celsius above pre-industrial level.

A net-zero situation calls for nothing less than a complete transformation of how we produce, consume, and move about. The energy sector is the source of around three quarters of greenhouse emissions today. This holds the key to averting worst effects of climate change. Replacing polluting coal, gas, and oil-fired power with energy from renewable sources, such as wind or solar, would dramatically curtail carbon emissions.

Optimistically, a growing coalition of countries, cities, businesses, and other institutions are pledging to get to zero emissions. More than 70 countries, including the biggest polluters —China, the US and EU — have set a zero emission target. These polluters cover about 76 per cent of global emissions. Additionally, over 1,200 companies have put in place science-based targets conforming to the aim of reaching a net-zero emission level. This race to zero carbon has been joined by more than 100 cities, over 10,000 educational institutions and over 400 financial institutions for which they have pledged to take rigorous, immediate action to halve global emissions by 2030.

Making pledges of net-zero emissions is not enough. More important part is to ensure that commitments are turned into practice in order that promises become reality. The growth in net-zero pledges has been accompanied by a proliferation of criteria with varying levels of robustness. To develop stronger and cleaner standards for net-zero emissions pledges by non-state entities such as businesses, investors, cities, regions have to speed up their implementation. In this connection the High-level Group on the Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State entities deserves consideration. In March this year the UN Secretary-General established this group. This Experts Group will make recommendations before the end of 2022.

While the above event sounds positive, the reality on the ground in terms of fulfillment of commitments by the governments is hardly encouraging. Of what is required from the countries regarding their carbon emission reduction promises, governments’ progress in the said area falls far short. At present national climate plans — for 193 state parties to the Paris Climate Agreement taken together — would still lead to a sizeable increase of almost 11 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. 

As per climate scientists’ prediction to reach the Paris Agreement target, countries have to cut down the carbon emissions by 45 per cent by 2030. Current scenario of progress in reducing emissions does not bode well. Getting to a net-zero requires all governments — first and foremost the biggest emitters US, China EU and others to significantly strengthen their Nationally Determined Commitments (NDCs) to take bold and immediate steps towards reducing emissions now.

Meeting targets 

Although the Glasgow Climate Pact called on all countries to revisit and strengthen the targets in their Nationally Determined Commitments by the end of 2022, only 24 new or updated climate plans were submitted by the end of 2022. The top seven emitters of the world —China, the US, India, EU, Indonesia, Russia and Brazil - accounted for about half of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2020. The dilemma is that countries like Nepal, which ranks 10th most vulnerable as identified by global climate risk index has the least contributions to global emissions.

This is why poor developing countries have genuinely raised the issue of damage and loss during the climate negotiations and this year fortunately this agenda has been included in the in COP-27. Inclusion itself may not be an accomplishment to be lauded but still the rich developed nations which, until recently have declined to even discuss this burning issue, augers well for the ongoing climate negotiations. Let’s hope that climate finance does justice to the climate vulnerable countries.

(Thapa was Foreign Relations Advisor to the Prime Minister 2008-09.)