Ecology

Global climate policy is the subject of multiple announcements put to the test over the course of these two weeks of COP26. Between the countries that have established carbon neutrality targets for 2050 (the United States and the European Union) and those looking to 2060 or further instead (Russia, China, India), the major challenge lies not in the deadlines, but in the translation of these dramatic promises into concrete actions.

Lisa Tostado unpacks some basics in the first report during her attendance at this year’s COP26 in Glasgow.

Where in the global dialogue is the aspiration for adaptation, equitable climate finance and inclusivity? What practical actions will the global community take to address these cardinal objectives? For African countries - which have contributed least to climate change but remain most vulnerable to its impacts - these objectives are as important as net-zero ambitions.

The causes of the current global gas crisis are now well understood. Europe finds itself the convergence zone of two supply challenges, related to a shortfall of pipeline supplies and simultaneously an inability to attract deliveries of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Consequently, going into winter storage levels are low, and prices are extremely high. But the UK has been singled out as being more vulnerable than most, why is this so and what lessons can be learnt from the current situation?

A conversation on civil socirety participation at UN climate negotiations, between Tasneem Essop, Executive Director of Climate Action Network-International and Barbara Unmüßig, President of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung.

COP26 takes place against the backdrop of nationalist health policies with daunting consequences, failed promises to adequately scale up climate action and financial support, and an unprecedented push for false solutions that divert global attention from the urgent need to phase out fossil fuels.

The European Union has long sought to play a leadership role in the international climate change negotiations. For the time being, however, it is non-compliant with a procedural obligation under the Paris Agreement: to notify the UNFCCC secretariat of the individual emission levels allocated to each Member State.

At COP26 in Glasgow, past failures and shortcomings in climate finance mobilization and delivery must be ruthlessly addressed by presenting an implementation plan for future improvements.

The EU and Germany aim to be climate neutral by 2050 and 2045, respectively. The commitment to climate neutrality means that zero-emission alternatives will replace emissions-intensive processes and products. One energy alternative is climate-friendly hydrogen. However, hydrogen is not an all-purpose miracle that solves everything at once.

For about two decades, the logistics industry has become more serious about sustainability. Although a validated definition of “green logistics” does not yet exist, the reduction of CO2 emissions can be regarded as an important part of the concept. In freight transport, heavy goods vehicles on roads are by far the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, while rail is the smallest. Nevertheless, the shift from road to rail – a central target of EU transport policies – struggles to get off the ground.