COPing with climate change

The 26th edition of the Conference of Parties (COP26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which begins in Glasgow tomorrow, is apparently a make-or-break opportunity for humankind to mend its exploitative, destructive ways at long last and throw a lifeline to our ailing planet. This is the first such conference after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has caused nearly 5 million deaths worldwide so far. Extreme weather events triggered by climate change are not only claiming lives but also costing about $320 billion globally every year in economic losses. The Paris Agreement of 2015 had pledged to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, but the world has already warmed by 1.1°C since then.

India has rightly stated that COP26 should not be confined to ‘promises and pledges’ as the world needs rapid and deep emission cuts this decade rather than distant targets. With combating climate change being a universal challenge, India has also asserted that global climate action must be guided by the principles and values of climate justice and equity.

The build-up to COP26 has laid bare the glaring inequalities and trust deficit between the developed and developing nations. The US and other affluent countries had promised to transfer $100 billion annually to help poor countries switch to clean energy, but most of them are not contributing their share. China, the US and European Union nations emit over 50 per cent of the world’s 36.44 Gt (gigatonnes) of carbon dioxide, while Africa and India, each with 17% of the global population, contribute just 4 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively. Rather than leading by example, the West is asking the rest of the world to reduce or eliminate the use of fossil fuels. There is no denying that the poor nations are much more vulnerable to extreme weather events than the rich ones and ill-equipped financially as well as technologically. The Covid pandemic — which has spared neither developed nor developing nations — has taught us that it’s all about sinking or swimming together. This lesson should spur the world to let our planet breathe.