Hira Bahadur Thapa

Climate change has been a daunting challenge. Tackling it effectively requires combined efforts from the countries around the world. Those countries that emit higher amount of gas emissions have greater responsibilities in curbing the harmful gases that exacerbate climate change. Efforts towards reduction of greenhouse gases globally have been underway for some years though they are not sufficient to achieve the targets set by international agreement reached in Paris in 2015.
At the Paris climate conference there was agreement to cut down the level of gas emissions to avoid catastrophes due to rising temperature. There is scientific evidence that global temperature, if they rise by more than 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial level, proves catastrophic for the planet. As the parties to the above agreement prepare to hold their next conference in Glasgow later this year it is appropriate that all of them come up with more ambitious plans for cutting the carbon emissions so that the target of 2 degree Celsius can be achieved.
Against this backdrop, comes the promise of the world’s wealthiest nations during their first in-person summit in the UK to cut collective emissions in half by 2030, which raises much optimism. The G-7 nations (Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US) have accepted the climate change as an equally important existential threat.
Clean energy
Furthermore, G-7 leaders have agreed that they would stop international funding for any coal project that lacked technology to capture and store carbon dioxide emissions by 2022. This is important because of their preference to enhance the use of clean energy. By the end of the decade, they have vowed to achieve an overwhelmingly decarbonised electricity sector.
Carbon capture and store technology has been in use and popular as well in advanced countries by adopting which the polluting countries can cut down the carbon emission level. It is akin to natural permafrost that stores carbon for years. Climate scientists are worried that the thinning of permafrost in the Arctic region because of global warming would lead to the release of sequestered carbon and aggravate the climate change crisis.
The world’s wealthiest and industrialiased countries’ recent commitment to slash emissions by 2030 is also important considering their major contribution to the global warming as many of them are the largest polluters. The US and UK had individually set the emission reduction goals. Their collective agreement with other industrialised countries in this regard is a welcome sign.
Scientists have warned time and again that the world cannot afford to wait to urgently cut down emissions. Countries with high pollution rates should drastically reduce carbon emissions, otherwise, there will not be any chance to keep average global temperatures from rising above 2 degrees Celsius. This is the target set in 2015 Paris climate agreement. That threshold was agreed in view of the experts’ opinion that the planet will experience irreversible damage if global temperatures are not kept from raising the above level. Temperature change is not even around the globe. There are some regions where temperatures have already reached an increase of 2 degrees Celsius.
Notwithstanding the optimism due to Group of 7 countries’ collective pledge to slash the emissions in half by the end of this decade, analysts have shown some disappointment over the lack of firm commitment to significant funding to help developing countries. This funding is essential for two reasons. Developing countries are disproportionately impacted by climate change. They need funds to both manage climate impacts as well as pivot away from burning oil, gas and coal.
Of all, fossil fuels coal is more popular considering its costs but ironically it is the most pollutant one. Therefore, reduction of its use is indispensable to stem the rise in global temperatures. Many expected that the world’s richest nations, which together produce about a quarter of the world’s climate pollution, would agree on a specific date to end the use of coal. But they were disappointed seeing no such date specified in G-7 countries’ pledge on climate change.

Carbon emissions
This has some implications on two fronts. First is that China, the largest emitter and producer of coal, could hardly be persuaded to cut down the use of this dirty fuel. China’s role in climate change initiative is significant due to its size of economy and rapid industrialisation drive. Secondly, states parties to UN climate accord will be difficult to be convinced to make further commitments to lower carbon emissions when they gather in Scotland for next round of negotiations on climate change.
However, the new American administration has raised new hopes that it would lead by example in climate change endeavours. With promise of rejoining the Paris climate agreement, which his predecessor had abandoned, President Biden has signaled to the world that the US is serious in meeting its commitments to reduce carbon emissions.
He has promised to cut the US’ greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent to 52 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, and to eliminate fossil fuel emissions from America’s power sector by 2035. In stark contrast to the previous administration that mocked the established science of climate change and discouraged the development of clean energy, President Biden has committed to tackling the climate change. His leadership role in confronting the challenge of climate change is likely to bear fruit.
Judged from the perspectives of Nepal, a poor developing country emitting lowest amount of carbon and yet becoming the world’s fourth largest climate change vulnerable country, G-7 nations’ renewal of mobilising $100 billion dollars a year agreed in Paris climate agreement to help poor countries cut emissions and cope with the consequences of climate change cannot be overemphasised.

(Thapa was foreign policy advisor to the Prime Minister from 2008-09.thapahira17@gmail.com)