Last minute negotiations are underway at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland to reach a consensus on steps to curb global warming and fossil fuel usage worldwide. The conference is scheduled to wrap up today, with delegations from fossil-fuel reliant countries like India pressing for relief on carbon use goals:
"The final deal will require the unanimous consent of the almost 200 countries present, ranging from coal- and gas-fuelled superpowers to oil producers and Pacific islands being swallowed by the rise in sea levels. [snip]
Like earlier versions, the latest draft of the conference agreement attempted to balance the demands of climate-vulnerable nations, big industrial powers, and those whose consumption or exports of fossil fuels are vital to their economic development.
In particular, it retained a significant demand for nations to set tougher climate pledges next year, rather than every five years, as they are currently required to do - an acknowledgement that existing commitments to cut emissions of planet-heating greenhouse gases are nowhere near enough." (our emphasis)
The crux of the problem is finding ways to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, a goal established by the 2015 Paris Climate Accord. Current commitments by numerous countries would allow a rise of temperatures by 2.4 degrees Celsius, something that scientists see as disastrous:
"Scientists say that to go beyond that limit would unleash extreme sea level rise and catastrophes including crippling droughts, monstrous storms and wildfires far worse than those the world is already suffering."
China, the biggest greenhouse gas producer, and Saudi Arabia, the biggest oil exporter, are resisting a call for nations to stop subsidizing fossil fuels, and developing countries are looking for financial aid in reducing their carbon footprint, saying rightfully that the industrialized nations are responsible for the current climate conditions and should provide assistance to transition away from fossil fuels.
Even if the outcome to the conference is promising in terms of plans, the nations represented have systems of government from dictatorships to democracies, with changing leadership that could walk away from commitments made in Glasgow (as the malicious former guy did with the Paris Accords). That's the sad -- and ominous -- reality as far as meaningful change.
