Photo: Alberto Pezzali
For the past few decades, government officials have been meeting to brainstorm and implement new procedures that will help fight against global climate change. These meetings are called the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change, or COP for short. As members meet for the 26th COP, environmentalists and countries are hopeful that action can be taken to preserve the Earth.
The most recent COP to accomplish a decision to take real action on climate change happened back in 2015 where members agreed on The Paris Agreement. In sum, this Agreement promised to reduce the increase in global temperature to at least 2 degrees Celsius, while trying hard for 1.5 degree Celsius within this century.
Former U.S. President, Donald Trump, pulled out of The Paris Agreement during his term, but current U.S. President, Joe Biden, quickly entered the U.S. back into the Agreement apologizing at the conference for Trump’s actions.
Photo: BBC News
COP26, which is being held in Glasgow, Scotland, began on October 31, 2021 and will continue for almost two weeks.
One goal the conference has is to set a date to eliminate the use of unabated coal. This is important because unabated coal creates more pollution than abated coal, which contains the carbon emissions produced from burning coal.
Photo: Pexels
So far, the group has accomplished at least one plan that has hope for real action to be taken. Members of COP26 agreed to end deforestation by 2030.
Deforestation is a major factor in climate change because it emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. A healthy forest helps to remove carbon from the atmosphere, so when forests are being logged it not only increases the carbon in the air, but also destroys homes for millions of wildlife.
COP26 plans to continue the Paris Agreement, raise annual climate financing for developing countries to $100 billion, make all new car sales zero emissions within the next 14-19 years, and reduce emissions from methane.
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