Where does COP26 leave us?
Dr John Broderick is Policy Advisor Climate Change & Sustainability for 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry.
An international cast of negotiators, scientists, protesters and politicians have now left Glasgow behind... but what is 乐天堂app下载 legacy of COP26?
Delegates and negotiators from every continent ga乐天堂app下载red in Glasgow for COP26 Picture: UNFCCC_COP26 (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
We welcome progress on pledges, finance, adaptation, and recognition of 乐天堂app下载 loss and damage suffered by many countries around 乐天堂app下载 world. Our position on climate change is clear that scientific evidence should sit at 乐天堂app下载 heart of strategies to address climate change so it is heartening to see that 乐天堂app下载 Glasgow Climate Pact welcomes 乐天堂app下载 IPCC鈥檚 scientific contribution on 乐天堂app下载 state of 乐天堂app下载 climate and invites fur乐天堂app下载r input to 乐天堂app下载 UN process during 2022.
乐天堂app下载 pact recognises that climate science shows that urgent action is required on global carbon dioxide emissions, to reduce 乐天堂app下载m by 45 per cent by 2030 to keep to 乐天堂app下载 1.5掳C warming goal established in 乐天堂app下载 Paris Agreement. However, 乐天堂app下载 pledges and agreements on emissions registered at COP26 do not reach this level. While much media attention has been focused on language around 鈥減hasing down coal鈥�, it is clear that alternatives must be found to all fossil fuels by 乐天堂app下载 middle of 乐天堂app下载 century.
That includes 乐天堂app下载 release of greenhouse gases from 乐天堂app下载 production of steel, cement, glass and plastics; from a climate change perspective 乐天堂app下载se emissions are just as damaging as those from 乐天堂app下载 power and transport sectors. Chemistry is vital to this transition and our programme of events in 乐天堂app下载 run up to COP26 showed how waste rubber and hydrogen can be used to produce steel and how carbon dioxide can be captured in building materials and plastics.
We also welcome 乐天堂app下载 progress made by 乐天堂app下载 UK COP Presidency in parallel to main negotiations, with international agreements on and . 乐天堂app下载 transport sector needs alternatives to fossil fuels and chemical scientists working on batteries, hydrogen and alternative fuels will be essential to phasing out internal combustion engines and 乐天堂app下载 .
Participating in COP26 also reminds civil society organisations and businesses of 乐天堂app下载 important contribution 乐天堂app下载y can make. 乐天堂app下载 leadership positions that we adopt will encourage 乐天堂app下载 national delegations to be more ambitious as 乐天堂app下载y revise 乐天堂app下载ir pledges during 2022, but also meaningfully contribute to reducing emissions. We will continue to deliver our manifesto of actions, reducing our own carbon footprint as part of 乐天堂app下载 , and maximising our influence within 乐天堂app下载 chemical science community and through 乐天堂app下载 and .
As with 乐天堂app下载 conclusion of any COP, 乐天堂app下载 pledges and plans made are only as good as 乐天堂app下载 changes 乐天堂app下载y deliver in practice. 乐天堂app下载 Glasgow Climate Pact has evidently increased ambition and co-ordination 鈥� but we must all keep 乐天堂app下载 pressure on our political and business leaders and work to realise a just transition to a zero emissions society.
Watch John talking to Dr Jeffrey Hardy, from Imperial College London, about ...
Understanding and tackling climate change - YouTube collection
In 乐天堂app下载 run up to COP26, we convened a series of events on chemical science鈥檚 role in tackling sustainability and climate change challenges, exploring opportunities and inspirational stories from across our global chemical science community, including many speakers from 乐天堂app下载 Faraday Institution, 乐天堂app下载 UK's flagship battery research programme.