The Race to Glasgow

Only seven weeks left to go before national governments, cities, regions, businesses, investors and citizens meet at COP26 for our last big chance to unite as a global, multilateral community forging a healthier, fairer and more resilient future of net zero emissions.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s?latest findings?made clear that we are running out of time to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. To do it, we need to halve greenhouse gas emissions between 2020-2030 - equivalent to a?7.6 per cent cut?every year of the 2020s. At the same time, we need to regenerate nature and build resilience to the floods, droughts, extreme temperatures and other impacts we cannot mitigate.

The number of promising commitments to net zero in or before the 2040s has reached a tipping point, yet examples of those already cutting annual emissions by 7.6% are scarce. So it’s time to act, even in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. But the action needs to be global.

That is why we welcomed COP26 President Alok Sharma’s?announcement last week?that the UK will fund the quarantine for party delegates, observers, non-party stakeholders, and media members arriving from red list area from red-list countries and support full inclusion at the summit, especially from those on the frontlines of the climate crisis.

The?Climate Vulnerable Forum?of 45 at-risk countries also called for an in-person COP26, with robust Covid-19 measures and special support for vulnerable developing countries and infrastructure to include those who can only join virtually. “This is the most important meeting for the future of the planet and it cannot wait,” the forum said.

Of course, the?work starts now?- before Glasgow. The G7’s?Build Back Better World initiative?can start mobilizing private capital in developing countries towards climate action, health, digital technology and gender equity and equality. This week’s UN General Assembly can strengthen the drive for universal Covid-19 vaccinations, while the UN Food Systems Summit on 23 September can launch public-private initiatives to transform the food sector. G20 leaders, finally, can reaffirm their commitments to reaching zero emissions by mid-century and taking the steps needed to get there.

If we do this, by COP26 we will have set the building blocks for a whole-of-society Marshall Plan for climate action that embeds the IPCC’s science across the economy and drives ambition from businesses, investors, cities and regions up to national governments.

The Race to Zero Wastewater

One way to mitigate climate change, build resilience and reverse biodiversity loss at the same time is to put an end to wastewater pollution and stem the rise of freshwater withdrawals within this decade, in line with the Marrakech Partnership’s?Climate Action Pathway for the water sector.

Some 80 per cent of wastewater is discharged into the environment without any treatment, contributing to the risk of disease for?1.8 billion people?who are drinking contaminated water. Wastewater also harms freshwater biodiversity and emits greenhouse gas emissions, including around 6 per cent of potent methane.

More than 2 billion people now live in countries experiencing high water stress. This problem is likely to grow as the population grows, climate impacts intensify and industries depend on good-quality water for operations like power generation, textiles and apparel manufacturing, food and beverage production, chemicals production and mining.

But industries can help turn the water crisis into a solution to mitigating climate change and building resilience - first off, by committing to phasing out wastewater pollution within this decade.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development is working with CDP and UN-Habitat to mobilize businesses to do just that ahead of COP26, through the?Wastewater Zero Commitment?initiative launched this year and last month’s?World Water Week events. The Wastewater Zero Commitment challenges businesses to eliminate wastewater pollution and increase the proportion of reused and recycled water and low-carbon treatment processes across their operations and supply chains by 2030.

Climate Week NYC: Every Fraction Counts

The High-Level Champions for Climate Action, Gonzalo Mu?oz and Nigel Topping, are kicking off Climate Week New York with an opening session on 20 September on the Race to Zero and Race to Resilience:?Delivering on the Promise of Paris: every fraction counts.

Joining the high-level champions, the event features COP26 President Alok Sharma, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa, UN High Level Climate Action Champions Nigel Topping and Gonzalo Mu?oz, Google CFO Ruth Porat, Global Ambassador to Race to Zero and Race to Resilience Dr Susan Chomba, PwC Chairman Bob Moritz and other leaders to call for a gear-shift from ambition to implementation.

2021 Africa Climate Week

Registration?is now open for?Africa Climate Week 2021, hosted by the Government of Uganda from 26-29 September. The virtual climate week will look at climate action solutions and ways to incorporate them into the Covid-19 recovery, as one of UN Climate Change’s regional meetings ahead of COP26.

It will focus on three thematic sessions: national actions and economy-wide approaches; integrated approaches for climate-resilient development; and seizing transformation opportunities. The High-Level Champions’ line-up of events includes their Implementation Lab on 29 September, 2-4pm GMT+3, and looking at a net-zero, resilient transport future for Africa, as described in Marrakech Partnership’s?Climate Action Pathway for the transport sector.

In Case You Missed It

• The Climate Vulnerable Forum of countries is calling on the COP26 to deliver a?Climate Emergency Pact?that rebuilds confidence in international climate cooperation, accelerates adaptation and keeps the 1.5C limit within reach.
• The leaders of the?Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion?have for the first time jointly warned of the urgency of climate change and biodiversity loss, warning about their impact on poverty. Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Justin Welby called on people to pray for leaders at COP26, asked people to make “meaningful sacrifices for the sake of the planet”, and asked those with “far-reaching responsibilities” “to choose people-centred profits”.
• Looking for real-world examples of progress on climate action? The new?Climate Progress Snapshots?open-access database pulls together the biggest, most interesting and most insightful stories of progress on climate action and the impacts we’re already seeing. Hosted by the?Camda?analytical community, Snapshots is a resource for communicators, journalists, experts and social leaders looking for stories and trends that help tell a wider story of change. Bookmark it and browse!?
• Of the 124 countries with air quality standards, only 57 continuously monitor the air, while 104 countries don’t have monitoring infrastructure in place, according to a?UN Environment Programme?released on?International Day of Clean Air for blue skies. It also launched an interactive?dashboard?showing the state of pollution, major sources, the impact on human health and national efforts to tackle it.
• Development funders around the world are spending 21 per cent more aid money on projects prolonging the use of fossil fuels than on projects to improve air quality, according to the Clean Air Fund’s?State of Global Air Quality Funding 2021?report, released on Clean Air Day. Air pollution-related deaths in aid-recipient countries are at an all-time high.
• In an eight-part podcast series,?Laying Down Tracks, the UN Food Systems Summit and Sourcing Matters delve into issues and put forward solutions related to world hunger, malnutrition, climate change and more.
• “The greatest threat to global public health is the continued failure of world leaders to keep the global temperature rise below 1.5C and to restore nature,” according to an?editorial?published in 233 health journals on Clean Air Day.

Mark Your Calendars

• 2021 World?Hydropower Congress: 7-24 September
• UN General Assembly: 14-30 September
• Great Big Green Week: 18-26 September
• WEF Sustainable Development Impact Summit: 20-23 September
• Climate Week New York: 20-26 September
• Delivering on the Promise of Paris: Every Fraction Counts:?20 September
• RouteZero: COP26 and the race to zero emission vehicles: 21 September
• UN Food Systems Summit: 23 September
• Global Climate Strike: 24 September
• High-Level Dialogue on Energy: 24 September
• Africa Climate Week: 26-29 September
• Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition?(Pre-COP26 event): 28-30 September
• International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste: 29 September
• Pre-COP26: 30 September-2 October