As.com Climate Summit 2021: what it is, where it is celebrated, objectives and who participates this year

The COP26 climate summit, which begins on Sunday in Glasgow, Scotland, and runs until November 12, is the time for truth for countries to demonstrate their true commitment to climate change, six years after signing the Paris Agreement that they would strive to limit global warming to 2ºC (and, if possible, 1.5 °C) over pre-industrial levels this century.

The Glasgow Climate Summit, supported by the United Nations (UN) and with the technical organisation of Italy and the United Kingdom, comes after the postponement of the previous edition, in 2020, by the COVID-19 pandemic. The last edition was held in December 2019 in Madrid.

Alok Sharma, a British diplomat and former parliamentarian, was appointed by the United Kingdom as President of the COP, who until recently was Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Alok pointed out four elements to be given at the next Summit to make COP26 a success, according to La Vanguardia:

What must be given for the Summit to be successful?

1) adopt climate action plans [in each and every country] to significantly reduce emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by the middle of this century; and to support adaptation to address climate threats.

As.com Cumbre del Clima 2021: qué es, dónde se celebra, objetivos y quién participa este año

(2) implement concrete actions to deliver these climate action plans, including agreements on coal reduction, electric cars, tree protection and the reduction of methane emissions.

(3) keeping the promise to devote $100 billion annually to combating climate change.

(4) to adopt a consensus proposal for further actions to improve the objectives set at meetings such as the Paris Summit.

Target: limit global warming to 1.5 °C

Before the Sixteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), chaired by the United Kingdom, the 197 signatories or "parties" should announce a new nationally determined contribution (NDC): their strategy to curb the rise in global temperature.

The first challenge of COP26, which takes place until November 12, is to ensure that the sum of the NDC serves to "keep alive" the 1.5ºC aspiration, implying that states assume "dramatic reductions by 2030", in addition to carbon neutrality in 2050, tells EfE Nick Mabey, director of the E3G climate think tank.

Although the United Kingdom, the European Union or the United States, among others, have substantially increased their ambition for this decade, it is expected to know the position of major currently highly polluting economies such as China, India or Russia, although neither Xi Jinping nor Vladimir Putin will be in person in Glasgow.

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