Glasgow/Beijing/Moscow/Rome: Under attack especially by the USA for not showing up at the 26th Conference of Parties (COP-26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) summit at Glasgow, both Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin today registered their presence at the summit. However, while Putin video addressed the summit meeting, Xi chose to present a written statement addressing the crucial issue of climate change.
Both China and Russia are inarguably two key players with China being one of the biggest polluters. In fact reports suggest that the top three greenhouse gas emitters — China, the European Union and the United States — contribute 41.5% of total global emissions, while the bottom 100 countries only account for only 3.6%.
The US President Joe Biden today told journalists in Glasgow today that the United States was reducing U.S. emissions by 50 to 52 percent from the 2005 levels by 2030. “Glasgow must start — be the start, as I — you’re tired of hearing me say it — but a decisive decade of action so we can keep a limit of 1.5 degrees within the reach of us and the rest of the world… This decade, we have to make significant progress,” he said.
Biden today had a jab at both China and Russia and said it has been a “big mistake” for China — with respect to China not showing up. “The rest of the world is going to look to China and say, “What value added are they providing?” And they’ve lost an ability to influence people around the world and all the people here at COP — the same way, I would argue, with regard to Russia… The same with Putin and Russia. You know, his tundra is burning… He has serious, serious climate problems. And he is mum on the willingness to do anything.”
The US President was also told by a reporter that some of the commitments he made in Glasgow won’t happen unless Congress passes future legislation. Biden, it may be mentioned, has talked of a $1.75 trillion plan that includes climate, and is seeking support back home for his budget. “How do you convince Republicans and even some Democrats to get behind more spending if they look at this conference and say, “China isn’t meeting these global goals. Russia doesn’t intend to meet these global goals. India doesn’t plan to. Why should we?” he was asked.
To this, Biden replied rather sarcastically: “Because we want to be able to breathe and we want to be able to lead the world. Look, I mean it sincerely: I think — presumptuous of me to say, to talk for another leader — but the fact that China, trying to assert, understandably, a new role in the world as a world leader — not showing up? Come on.
“The single-most important thing that’s gotten the attention of the world is climate. Everywhere from Iceland, to — to Australia, to — you know, I mean, it just is a gigantic issue. And they’ve walked away. How do you do that and then claim to be able to have any leadership now? ” He also said, “…while I indicated that China and Russia not showing up — and Saudi Arabia — was a problem. We showed up. We showed up. And by showing up, we’ve had a profound impact on the way I think the rest of the world is looking at the United States and its leadership role. “
In Rome too, during the G-20 Summit, the Biden had expressed his disappointment and remarked on Sunday that “Not only Russia, but China, basically didn’t show up in terms of any commitments to deal with climate change”. In Glasgow, alongwith Jinping and Putin, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan too are notable absentees at the COP-26 Summit in Glasgow.
Incidentally, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s presence has been noted in the world media. Modi today said at the summit that despite having 17 percent of the world’s population today, whose responsibility in emissions has been only 5 percent, still India has left no stone unturned to show that it has fulfilled its obligation.
“Today the whole world believes that India is the only big economy, which has delivered in letter and spirit on the Paris Commitment. We are making every effort with determination, working hard, and showing results,” he said, while spelling out a five-point agenda to deal with this challenge.
- India will reach its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030.
- India will meet 50 percent of its energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030.
- India will reduce the total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes from now onwards till 2030.
- By 2030, India will reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by less than 45 percent.
- By the year 2070, India will achieve the target of Net Zero. These panchamrits will be an unprecedented contribution of India to climate action.
It may be pointed out that the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had even referred to China as a significant outlier on climate action and said the US will continue pressing on that. However, China retorted by stating today that developed countries have “unshirkable and historical responsibility since they have been releasing a tremendous amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere for the past 200 years or so of”. In particular, China blamed the US, which it referred to as “a major emitter in history”. Beijing today charged that the US had seen back-and-forth retrogression in its climate policy and that its emissions peaked and began to decline only in recent years. “We are looking forward to concrete emissions reduction policies and measures rolled out by the US as soon as possible,” it stated.
China claimed it has all along undertaken due international responsibilities commensurate with its national conditions. “We have actively advanced the green transition of our economy, and raised the ambition of our climate actions on our own initiative. We will honor our words and strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin responded in Beijing today. He further claimed that China’s carbon intensity in 2020 was 48.4 percent less than that in 2005, which means that China had more than fulfilled its commitment to the international community – to achieve a 40-45 percent reduction in carbon intensity from the 2005 level by 2020. The drop in carbon intensity translates to a total reduction of about 5.8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, he claimed.
Today, Xi in his statement, offered China’s solution to major tasks how to address climate change and revitalize the world economy, and put forward three propositions, namely, upholding multilateral consensus, focusing on concrete actions, and accelerating the green transition. He stressed that China was committed to a green and low-carbon development path that gives priority to ecological conservation. The “1+N” policy framework has identified the timetable, roadmap and blueprint for China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, he stated.
When asked by a journalist why did Xi only deliver an address at the opening leaders’ segment of COP26 in written format, and not via video link, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wenbin claimed the host of the conference did not provide the option to participate by videoconference.
Putin though, addressed the participants of the World Leaders Summit on Action on Forests and Land Use held within the framework of the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) today via video link where in he emphasised his commitment to “take the strongest and most vigorous measures” to conserve forestland.
“I am convinced that the conservation of forests and other natural ecosystems is a key component of international efforts to address global warming and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. This topic fits organically into the multidimensional agenda of the Glasgow Climate Change Conference,” he said. He added that by aiming to build a carbon-neutral economy by no later than 2060, Russia is relying, among other things, on the unique resource of forest ecosystems available to us, and their significant capacity to absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. “After all, our country accounts for around 20 per cent of the world’s forestland,” he pointed out, and vowed to improve forest management, and fight illegal logging and forest fires. “We are expanding reforestation areas. We have been consistently increasing funding for these purposes,” he informed.
Meanwhile, China, Russia and the US, today supported the draft joint declaration on forests and land-use proposed for approval at today’s meeting. Biden told reporters in Glasgow that today’s agreement by more than 100 countries, representing 85 percent of the world’s forests, to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030 “is a great example — a great example of the kind of ambition we need. And the United States is proud — proud to have initiated and supported it”.
In the joint declarations, signed by 105 countries, the leaders committed to working collectively to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 while delivering sustainable development and promoting an inclusive rural transformation.
They pledged to strengthen their shared efforts to:
I. Conserve forests and other terrestrial ecosystems and accelerate their restoration;
II. Facilitate trade and development policies, internationally and domestically, that promote sustainable development, and sustainable commodity production and consumption, that work to countries’ mutual benefit, and that do not drive deforestation and land degradation;
III. Reduce vulnerability, build resilience and enhance rural livelihoods, including through empowering communities, the development of profitable, sustainable agriculture, and recognition of the multiple values of forests, while recognising the rights of Indigenous Peoples, as well as local communities, in accordance with relevant national legislation and international instruments, as appropriate;
IV. Implement and, if necessary, redesign agricultural policies and programmes to incentivize sustainable agriculture, promote food security, and benefit the environment;
V. Reaffirm international financial commitments and significantly increase finance and investment from a wide variety of public and private sources, while also improving its effectiveness and accessibility, to enable sustainable agriculture, sustainable forest management, forest conservation and restoration, and support for Indigenous Peoples and local communities;
VI. Facilitate the alignment of financial flows with international goals to reverse forest loss and degradation, while ensuring robust policies and systems are in place to accelerate the transition to an economy that is resilient and advances forest, sustainable land use, biodiversity and climate goals.
“We expect its implementation to facilitate closer partnerships between all interested States in forest conservation. This will undoubtedly serve to fulfill the objectives of reducing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere set out in the Paris Agreement,” Putin said.
However, on count of curbing methane emissions, both Russia and China abstained themselves from the pact. Methane, a greenhouse gas could warm the atmosphere 80 times faster than carbon dioxide.
– global bihari bureau
