UN Climate Summit's Main Agenda Items Determined

Main agenda items of UN climate summit: Rapid emission reductions, phase-out of fossil fuels and financing The United Nations climate summit stands out as the first global meeting since 2015, when the Paris Agreement was signed, to review progress made in combating the climate crisis. The summit, expected to bring together 25,000 delegates from approximately 200 countries, is taking place at a time when calls for urgent and strong action to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees are intensifying. To achieve the 1.5-degree target, the priority phase is seen as reducing global emissions by 50 percent by 2030. ISTANBUL (AA) - NURAN ERKUL KAYA / GÜLŞEN ÇAĞATAY - Rapid reduction of global emissions, phase-out of fossil fuels and climate financing will be the main agenda items at the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). COP26, where new commitments are expected to be announced in the fight against the climate crisis caused by human activity, which has become the greatest threat to the world, will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, from 31 October to 12 November. The summit, expected to bring together 25,000 delegates from approximately 200 countries, will take place at a time when calls for urgent and stronger action are intensifying to limit global temperature rise, which has increased by approximately 1.1 degrees compared to the pre-industrial period, to 1.5 degrees by the end of the century. COP26 will be the first meeting since the Paris Agreement signed in 2015, in which parties submitted their nationally determined contributions to emission reductions, to review progress made in combating the climate crisis.

Current policies insufficient for 1.5-degree target

According to International Energy Agency data, current policies can only reduce global emissions by 20 percent by 2030. According to UN Environment Programme (UNEP) data, there is a risk that global temperature rise could reach 2.7 degrees by the end of the century with current policies. For sustainable human living conditions, temperature rise must be limited to 1.5 degrees. For this reason, emissions need to be reduced by 55 percent by 2030 and to net-zero levels by 2050. In this context, one of the most important agenda items at COP26 will be the steps needed to be taken to rapidly reduce emissions. At the summit, countries including India, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Turkey are expected to update their nationally determined contributions. Additionally, while it is anticipated that parties will announce their roadmaps for phasing out fossil fuels and related timelines, how financing will be created to combat climate change, particularly for weak economies, stands out as a critical issue.

Expectations for more ambitious steps from developed countries

In combating the climate crisis, more ambitious steps and financing from developed countries, which bear greater responsibility for emissions, are expected. The United States, China, India, Russia, Indonesia, Japan, Brazil, Germany, Iran and Canada accounted for approximately 65 percent of global emissions last year, and strengthening G20 climate policies is important in preventing temperature rise. For this reason, while ambitious steps are expected from these countries, global consumption of coal, oil and natural gas needs to be reduced.

First official assessment since 2015

COP26 is considered important for the first-time evaluation of progress made in combating climate change since the Paris Agreement and for determining roadmaps until 2030. Despite this, some analysts warn that the expected outcomes may not be achieved at the summit, particularly during this period when post-pandemic economies are recovering and emissions are increasing due to fossil fuel consumption.

"Catastrophic" difference between 1.5 and 2 degrees temperature rise

Following the adoption of the Paris Agreement, countries have increased their commitments to reduce emissions and reach net-zero levels by 2050. Scientists and recently published international reports warn that increasing commitments have not been reflected equally in implementation and that actions remain insufficient. Between limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees or 2 degrees, there are catastrophic differences in terms of rising sea levels making coastal areas uninhabitable, intensification of extreme weather events, droughts and floods, increased food insecurity and health impacts.