2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference

Background

Climate change, also referred to as global warming, is the warming of Earth’s surface, leading to changes in climate and weather, such as the melting of polar ice caps and more wildfires. Much of it is caused by human activity that releases harmful gases into the air, such as carbon and methane. These “greenhouse gases” stay within the ozone layer of the atmosphere and create a cloud around the planet. Sunlight is able to enter this layer but cannot exit once it is reflected back from Earth’s surface, trapping the heat inside the atmosphere. Factories and the burning of non-renewable energy sources, like coal and oil, release great deals of greenhouse gases. This results in significant air pollution and global temperature increases. Consequently, our health can deteriorate, farming is more difficult, and weather phenomena become more extreme and destructive.

The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) is the 26th climate change conference held by the United Nations. The conference is a meeting in which leaders from around the world come together and discuss global progress with alleviating climate change. About 10 years ago, the conference also became a place in which leaders could negotiate the Paris Agreement. This treaty outlines different countries’ responsibilities for lessening greenhouse gas emissions, slowing the warming of our planet, and a variety of other factors that contribute to climate change. This year’s Conference of Parties (COP) is taking place in Glasgow, Scotland from October 31 to November 12. It was postponed from an earlier date due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participants

There are several notable individuals attending the conference to determine how to eliminate global warming. There are about 120 heads of state attending, along with more than twenty five thousand delegates coming from over 200 nations. This includes climate activists Greta Thunberg and Vanessa Natake, US president Joe Biden, and British broadcaster David Attenborough, in addition to presidents and prime ministers from several other countries.

Goals

Many claim that in order to have a chance at ending climate change, there must be a well-developed clean energy plan by 2030 to limit global temperature changes to 1.5˚C. This makes this decade crucial for global warming alleviation efforts. Nations around the globe must collaborate to reach the aforementioned goal, along with reaching net-zero emissions worldwide by 2050. This can be done by expediting the transition away from coal and other nonrenewable energy sources, since they release a great deal of emissions.

We must also significantly reduce deforestation so that there can be more trees to filter the air and lower the concentration of pollutants. Over 19 billion dollars have already been contributed by more than 100 countries for this plan. The signatories of the agreement represent countries that hold 85% of the forests on our planet, which President Biden and other politicians claimed could restore almost 500 million acres of forest within the next 10 years. However, some activists, such as Greta Thunberg, assert that these politicians are only “pretending” to take action against environmental destruction. As an extension of lessening deforestation, countries must also work together to defend natural ecosystems, whether that is through more land usage restrictions or environmentally friendly infrastructure.

In addition, to ensure that the first two goals can come to fruition, it is important that developed countries have collectively contributed at least 100 billion dollars by 2020 to battle climate change. None of these objectives can be accomplished solely with the participation of a few countries. We need several countries all around the world to work together to put an end to climate change.

Works Cited

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Bodansky, Daniel. “Paris Agreement.” Audiovisual Library of International Law, United Nations, July 2021, https://legal.un.org/avl/ha/pa/pa.html. Accessed 2 November 2021.

Compassion in World Farming. “Environmental Damage.” Compassion in World Farming, Compassion in World Farming, 2021, https://www.ciwf.org.uk/factory-farming/environmental-damage/. Accessed 3 November 2021.

International Institute for Sustainable Development. “Glasgow Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 26).” SDG Knowledge Hub, International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021, https://sdg.iisd.org/events/2020-un-climate-change-conference-unfccc-cop-26/. Accessed 2 November 2021.

Johnson, Helen. “Who is attending COP26? Country leaders and other attendees at 2021 Glasgow climate change summit.” National World, Independent Press Standards Organisation, 1 November 2021, https://www.nationalworld.com/news/environment/who-is-attending-cop26-country-leaders-and-other-attendees-at-2021-glasgow-climate-change-summit-3414466. Accessed 2 November 2021.

Maizland, Lindsay. “COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow: What to Expect.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, 22 October 2021, https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/cop26-climate-summit-glasgow-what-expect. Accessed 2 November 2021.

Neuman, Scott. “Nations with 85% of Earth's forests pledge to reverse deforestation.” NPR, NPR, 2 November 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/11/02/1051390697/deforestation-forest-deal-cop25-amazon-brazil. Accessed 2 November 2021.

United Nations. “COP26 Goals.” UN Climate Change Conference UK 2021, United Nations, 2021, https://ukcop26.org/cop26-goals/. Accessed 2 November 2021.

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