Post-Cop 26 reflections

by Alistair Dutton

Now COP is over and the dust is settling, it’s encouraging to reflect on what was achieved that paves the way for the future: at the same time, recognising that there needs to be greater urgency, we are looking ahead to next year’s COP in Egypt.

During the week I work in Glasgow as the Director of SCIAF, the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund: I am also a Board member of Stop Climate Chaos – Scotland (SCCS), and was closely involved in preparing for COP26.

SCIAF seeks to amplify the voices of the people we serve in the spaces where they want and need to be heard. Ten local partners from Colombia, Malawi and Zambia were with us at COP, joining with partners of Christian Aid and other agencies. In panels, presentations, interviews, and informal conversations with conference delegates, they gave a human face to the immediate challenges of climate change and emphasised the urgency of the need for action. That said, there was considerable frustration that the voices of the Global South are very marginal in what is still primarily a talking shop between wealthier Western nations.

One of our main policy concerns, which came from our partners, was keeping the goal of 1.5 degrees in sight. Initiatives announced during the world leaders’ event in the first week, if honoured through new measures implemented immediately, could limit warming to 1.8 degrees. However, the commitments currently in place for 2030 would increase average global temperatures by about 2.4 degrees, which would be catastrophic, particularly for the poorest people who have done the least to cause it.

Still, while we may not have secured the commitments that are needed by 2030, nor achieved the end of fossil fuels (the British Government’s stated ambition), net-zero is now most countries’ stated intention, and 1.5 degrees remains the target against which nations’ pledges are measured. Further, recognising more must be done more quickly, they agreed to bring revised commitments to COP27 to get closer to 1.5 degrees.

Our second main policy concern was finance for those who are already suffering from climate change. Regrettably climate finance was not significantly increased, with the US$100Bn/yr committed for adaptation and mitigation by 2020 being kicked down the road to 2023, but commitments were made to double funding for adaptation (albeit from a low base) and the OECD predicts that the average between 2020 and 2025 will be more than $100Bn.

SCCS compiled clear, concise recommendations from the Global South to leaders at COP concerning Loss and Damage finance for those facing irreparable losses as a result of climate change. The Scottish government took up this challenge and on day one announced that Scotland will become the first country to fund it. While modest in value, this was symbolically very significant and increased the attention given to this priority of the poorest countries.

Complementing the work inside COP was all the work with supporters to demonstrate to Scottish, UK and world leaders that people want them to take the urgent action that is needed between now and 2030. We gave 150,000 postcards from people of different faiths presenting our main demands of COP to the Prime Minister, and about 120,000 of us marched with our partners on the middle Saturday for the Global Day of Action. Now COP26 is over but we need to keep up the pressure on our governments, demanding more ambitious and urgent action, if we are to get on track for 1.5 degrees by 2030.