From October 31st to November 12th, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) was held in Glasgow, UK. Representatives of governments, organizations, high-tech companies, and other parties from all over the world gathered here to discuss global climate action to speed up To achieve the goals set by the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
COP26 Abbreviation for the 26th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This conference is the largest and most important climate-related conference in the world. In 1992, the United Nations organized a large-scale event called the “Earth Summit” in Rio de Janeiro, at which the “United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change” (UNFCCC) was passed. In the convention, countries agreed to “stabilize the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere” to prevent the adverse effects of human activities on the climate system. Since the treaty entered into force in 1994, the United Nations has convened almost all countries on the planet to hold a global climate summit or “conference of the parties” every year. This year was supposed to be the 27th annual summit, but due to the new crown epidemic, the meeting that should have been held last year was postponed to this year-so the meeting held in Glasgow is still called the 26th Conference of the Parties, and participants will discuss climate together Changes and countries’ response plans, commitments and actions.
Conference positioning and goals
The COP26 conference advocates the joint efforts of governments, businesses, and civil organizations (sometimes referred to as “non-state actors”) to change the way households and businesses supply energy, grow food, build infrastructure, and transport and transport goods. The conference is cooperating with various countries and partners in the following aspects:
Accelerate the transition from coal to clean energy
Protect and restore nature, benefit mankind, and improve climate
Accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles
Enhancing climate ambitions through science and innovation
The COP26 conference expects to achieve the following four goals:
By the middle of this century, ensure that the world achieves the net-zero goal and keep the temperature rise within 1.5°C
Countries need to speed up the phase-out of coal, curb deforestation, encourage investment in renewable energy, and accelerate the switch to electric vehicles
Take more adaptation measures to protect communities and natural habitats
As the climate is already changing, even if carbon emissions are reduced, the climate will continue to change in an unfavorable direction. COP26 promotes and encourages countries that have been affected by climate change to actively protect and restore ecosystems, and establish defense, early warning systems, and resilient infrastructure.
To raise funds
In order to achieve the first two goals, developed countries must commit to raising at least US$100 billion in climate financing each year. International financial institutions must also play their role.
Work together to deliver
To establish cooperation between the government, business, and civil society, it is necessary to finalize the “Paris Rule Book” so that the agreement can be fully operational.
1.5℃ and 2.7℃,
This may be the last chance for mankind
In 2015, the “Paris Agreement” was adopted at the 21st United Nations Conference on Climate Change, which is a milestone reached in the multilateral process of international cooperation on climate change following the “United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change” and the “Kyoto Protocol.” The third international legal document. According to the “Paris Agreement”, countries around the world agreed to work together to try to limit the increase in global warming to 1.5°C higher than the pre-industrial temperature.
Although many countries have made new commitments before the COP26 conference, even if the goals of the Paris Agreement can be achieved, it is still possible that the global temperature will rise by at least 2.7°C this century. This will cause one-third of the world’s mammals to lose their habitats, and droughts of 4 to 10 months will become more frequent.
Hundreds of scientists said that the 1.5°C warming scenario is “the only survivable future for mankind.” In order to limit the temperature rise, the world needs to halve greenhouse gas emissions in the next eight years. The COP26 conference in Glasgow may be the last chance to achieve this goal.
Technological innovation is critical to climate change
According to the World Meteorological Organization’s Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, carbon dioxide is the most important greenhouse gas, and its concentration will reach 413.2 parts per million in 2020, which is 149% of the pre-industrial level. From 1990 to 2020, the warming effect of long-lived greenhouse gases on the climate increased by 47%, of which carbon dioxide accounted for about 80% of this increase.
According to data from the International Energy Agency, global carbon emissions mainly come from power, industry, transportation and other industries. Among them, the power industry accounts for 40% of the carbon emissions, while the ICT industry accounts for 4% of the global power generation, and the transportation sector accounts for carbon emissions. twenty one%. Therefore, it is very important to realize the clean power generation and the electrification and intelligentization of energy through scientific and technological innovation.
Dr. Liang Zhou, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Huawei Digital Energy Technology Co., Ltd., will share with industry experts at this COP26 conference on how to use technology to tackle climate change and the practical application of building a green and beautiful future. Stay tuned!