With COP 26 postponed we should prevent another COP 21

Postponing COP 26 is not a setback at all it is a great opportunity to prevent another COP 21.

The world found out yesterday that the COP 26, to be held in Glasgow in November 2020, is now postponed into 2021. Some have voiced this as a setback in addressing the long-term global human challenges faced by climate change, in light of the urgent national actions being taken to combat the spread and impacts of the Covid-19 epidemic.  

Postponing COP 26 is not a setback at all it is a great opportunity to prevent another COP 21 

Don’t get it wrong the Paris Agreement, which was the pinnacle of success in 2015 at COP 21, is an achievement to be applauded. The Paris Agreement was a critically needed international agreement to combat climate change and has since shaped up to be the leading framework to share the worlds burdens and achievements in combating climate change. The work on structuring and implementing the Paris Agreement will forever be ongoing, but COP 26 is to be the next point of convergence on many open issues which were in full display in Madrid during COP 25 last year.

The main open issue for COP 26 is to address the enhancement of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by the 189 parties to the Paris Agreement, to increase ambitions in mitigating global GHG emissions and adapting to climate change. Put simply the ambition of the NDCs committed to at COP 21 was not enough the reach the minimum goal of the Paris Agreement, which is to limit global temperature increase to below 2°C.  

The main open issue for COP 26 is to address the enhancement of Nationally Determined Contributions

Many countries faced serious challenges to preparing NDCs for what was needed at COP 21. On top of not sufficiently reducing global GHG emissions, many of the NDCs were hastily put together by countries and had gaping holes from a lack in depth analysis and implementation planning for concrete actions, in addition the NDCs lacked substantive information on countries needs for support (capacity building, financing, and technology transfer) and how they will measure progress over time. Many NDCs also neglected gender responsive approaches, addressing indigenous peoples where applicable, and specified resilience measures.

What the world does not need is another COP 21, therefore the parties to the Paris Agreement should use the extra time to really nail down ambitious, achievable and enhanced NDCs. Including going through the process of building domestic social and political support, while filling in the gaps previously mentioned.   Since 2015 many countries have worked to fill in these gaps, and for some this process is still ongoing and incomplete.  The technical assistance and capacity building from development agencies and vertical finance channels (IFIs, GCF, GEF…) has been instrumental in supporting countries efforts to date, and should not only continue but increase in the coming months.

The Covid-19 epidemic of critical national importance in every country, but now there is time to double down on the efforts to prepare substantive enhanced NDCs, which are not only ambitious and achievable, but also inclusive and strongly backed by social and political processes.