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100 days from now, the central point of climate politics will be Glasgow as the UK hosts the 26th Conference of Parties or COP26 under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. These negotiations are the most important climate talks on the climate emergency since COP21 in Paris in 2015, when almost every nation on earth signed a legally binding treaty called the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global temperature rises to 1.5degC.
Unfortunately, we are not yet on track to limit global warming to 1.5degC, the threshold that scientists agree will prevent the most dangerous climate impacts.
The meeting in Glasgow is the first meeting for stock-taking of the commitments in Paris is achieving that goal. Many see COP26 as our last, best chance to prevent global temperatures from spiraling out of control.
Unfortunately, we are not yet on track to limit global warming to 1.5degC, the threshold that scientists agree will prevent the most dangerous climate impacts. Failure to reach this goal will take a disproportionate toll on developing countries. In fact, we now have less than a decade to keep global warming to that level. As we see now at 1.2degC global average since the industrial revolution, which started in England in the 18th Century, climate change is affecting everybody. We have recently seen the devastating floods that affected Germany and Belgium, the heatwave in Canada and the US, as well as floods in India and elsewhere.
However, vulnerable nations that have been experiencing such climate-induced catastrophe for decades now, have watched their key demands and needs ignored by huge and historically-emitting nations in the negotiations. These vulnerable nations, small island developing states and least developed countries are the least responsible for creating the climate change problem. But they are often the most affected by its impacts like sea level rise, floods, droughts and more.
Outside the climate negotiation process, but with impacts that undermine climate actions, are global trade rules and processes. These include Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms or corporate courts in trade treaties and the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). With these agreements, governments that phase out coal, end gas production, or stop oil pipelines can be sued by corporations in private courts and be held liable for billions in damages. This means coal, oil and gas corporations can obstruct necessary government climate actions to address the climate emergency and just transition to a clean energy system.
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100 days from now, the central point of climate politics will be Glasgow as the UK hosts the 26th Conference of Parties or COP26 under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. These negotiations are the most important climate talks on the climate emergency since COP21 in Paris in 2015, when almost every nation on earth signed a legally binding treaty called the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global temperature rises to 1.5degC.
Unfortunately, we are not yet on track to limit global warming to 1.5degC, the threshold that scientists agree will prevent the most dangerous climate impacts.
The meeting in Glasgow is the first meeting for stock-taking of the commitments in Paris is achieving that goal. Many see COP26 as our last, best chance to prevent global temperatures from spiraling out of control.
Unfortunately, we are not yet on track to limit global warming to 1.5degC, the threshold that scientists agree will prevent the most dangerous climate impacts. Failure to reach this goal will take a disproportionate toll on developing countries. In fact, we now have less than a decade to keep global warming to that level. As we see now at 1.2degC global average since the industrial revolution, which started in England in the 18th Century, climate change is affecting everybody. We have recently seen the devastating floods that affected Germany and Belgium, the heatwave in Canada and the US, as well as floods in India and elsewhere.
However, vulnerable nations that have been experiencing such climate-induced catastrophe for decades now, have watched their key demands and needs ignored by huge and historically-emitting nations in the negotiations. These vulnerable nations, small island developing states and least developed countries are the least responsible for creating the climate change problem. But they are often the most affected by its impacts like sea level rise, floods, droughts and more.
Outside the climate negotiation process, but with impacts that undermine climate actions, are global trade rules and processes. These include Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms or corporate courts in trade treaties and the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). With these agreements, governments that phase out coal, end gas production, or stop oil pipelines can be sued by corporations in private courts and be held liable for billions in damages. This means coal, oil and gas corporations can obstruct necessary government climate actions to address the climate emergency and just transition to a clean energy system.
100 days from now, the central point of climate politics will be Glasgow as the UK hosts the 26th Conference of Parties or COP26 under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. These negotiations are the most important climate talks on the climate emergency since COP21 in Paris in 2015, when almost every nation on earth signed a legally binding treaty called the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global temperature rises to 1.5degC.
Unfortunately, we are not yet on track to limit global warming to 1.5degC, the threshold that scientists agree will prevent the most dangerous climate impacts.
The meeting in Glasgow is the first meeting for stock-taking of the commitments in Paris is achieving that goal. Many see COP26 as our last, best chance to prevent global temperatures from spiraling out of control.
Unfortunately, we are not yet on track to limit global warming to 1.5degC, the threshold that scientists agree will prevent the most dangerous climate impacts. Failure to reach this goal will take a disproportionate toll on developing countries. In fact, we now have less than a decade to keep global warming to that level. As we see now at 1.2degC global average since the industrial revolution, which started in England in the 18th Century, climate change is affecting everybody. We have recently seen the devastating floods that affected Germany and Belgium, the heatwave in Canada and the US, as well as floods in India and elsewhere.
However, vulnerable nations that have been experiencing such climate-induced catastrophe for decades now, have watched their key demands and needs ignored by huge and historically-emitting nations in the negotiations. These vulnerable nations, small island developing states and least developed countries are the least responsible for creating the climate change problem. But they are often the most affected by its impacts like sea level rise, floods, droughts and more.
Outside the climate negotiation process, but with impacts that undermine climate actions, are global trade rules and processes. These include Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms or corporate courts in trade treaties and the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). With these agreements, governments that phase out coal, end gas production, or stop oil pipelines can be sued by corporations in private courts and be held liable for billions in damages. This means coal, oil and gas corporations can obstruct necessary government climate actions to address the climate emergency and just transition to a clean energy system.