COP26 deal to put Australia in the gun for more action

The British PM has told world leaders to ‘pick up the phone and give negotiators the space to manoeuvre’ and agree to the most ambitious COP26 statement possible.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has returned to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow as the final deal is thrashed out. Picture: AFP

Boris Johnson has told world leaders to “pick up the phone and give negotiators the space to manoeuvre’’ and agree to the most ambitious COP26 statement possible.

In a veiled criticism of Australia, as well as other nations like China, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia who have been less than forthcoming in agreeing to urgent new 2030 targets, the British Prime Minister said some countries were “conspicuously patting themselves on the back” for signing up to the Paris climate accord but doing too little at Glasgow to improve their offer.

Negotiators from 197 countries are currently debating the wording and emphasis of the “cover statement’ to be delivered at the end of COP26, possibly on Friday evening or over the weekend.

In the first draft, the seven-page document urges parties to “revisit and strengthen the 2030 targets in their nationally-determined contributions, as necessary to align with the Paris Agreement temperature goal by the end of 2022”.

The request for new targets are aimed at countries like Australia, China, India, Brazil and Saudi Arabia to have fresh short term plans on the table by the end of next year, which for Australia, falls after the general election.

The text also calls on countries to accelerate the phase out of coal and subsidies for fossil fuels. Australia will fiercely try and keep the current vague wording, which doesn’t set any time frames or specific targets on this point. Australia, like the United States, has refused to sign up to a pledge to phase out coal mining.

Australia’s position is to continue to export coal and that the wind down of coal-fired power generation will develop over time.

Federal politicians have reassured Australians that the lights won’t go out.

Australia also bypassed another big push at COP26, the pledge to cut methane gases.

Mr Johnson returned to Glasgow by train on Wednesday to build momentum for the consensus cover document and said: “Here in Glasgow the world is closer than it has ever been to signalling the beginning of the end of anthropogenic climate change, and it’s the greatest gift we can possibly bestow on our children and our grandchildren and generations unborn’’.

He added: “We just need to reach out together and grasp it. And so my question to my fellow world leaders this afternoon as we enter the last hours of COP is – will you help us do that, will you help us graph that opportunity, or will you stand in the way?”

Mr Johnson said the world knows what a mess our planet is in and people will “find it absolutely incomprehensible if we fail to deliver”.

He warned the the backlash from people “will be immense and it will be long-lasting’’, adding, “frankly we will deserve their criticism and their opprobrium. Because we know what needs to be done, and we all agree what needs to be done. We just need the courage, actually, to get on and do it.”

The draft text recognises that limiting global warming to 1.5 °C by 2100 requires “rapid, deep and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions”, including reducing global carbon dioxide emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 relative to the 2010 level and to net zero around mid-century.

On Thursday the COP created an International Aviation Climate Ambition Coalition to reduce emissions from global air travel. Twenty countries, including the United States, Britain, New Zealand, Norway, France and Japan signed up to the coalition. Australia didn’t sign.

COP26 deal to put Australia in the gun

Australia will have to revisit and strengthen its carbon emission 2030 targets by the end of next year if the first draft of the Glasgow COP26 agreement is approved in the coming days.

The first official draft, a seven-page document of technical commitments, was released by the United Nations Climate summit on Wednesday and will form the basis of tense negotiations in the coming days.

The key point that affects Australia urges parties to “revisit and strengthen the 2030 targets in their nationally determined contributions, as necessary to align with the Paris Agreement temperature goal by the end of 2022”.

It is clearly directed at countries such as Australia, China, India, Brazil and Saudi Arabia to have fresh plans on the table by the end of next year, which, for Australia, falls after the general election.

Australia had come into the COP with a new net zero commitment for 2050, but had kept its more immediate plans for 2030 the same: pledging reductions of 26 to 28 per cent below 2005 levels. These commitments were well below those of other developed nations.

The text also calls on countries to accelerate the phase out of coal and subsidies for fossil fuels. Australia will fight to keep the current vague wording, which doesn’t set time frames or specific targets.

British prime minister Boris Johnson has returned to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow – urging nations for a final push to “pull out all the stops” as the final negotiations begin.

Energy Minister Angus Taylor has made it clear that the government is supportive of coal and fossil fuels and blue hydrogen – using hydrogen from fossil fuels – as well as renewable energy.

Once Canberra has analysed and responded to the draft – like the near 200 COP member countries – specific emphasis and wor­ding can change and the final “cover statement”, could be watered down.

The UN wants to keep countries on track to try and prevent global temperature rises going above 1.5C this century. Scientists say even with all of the commitments made this year, including a flurry in the past fortnight, that global warming will be 2.4 degrees higher by the end of the century and urged even more urgent action to cut fossil fuels.

The text recognises that limiting global warming to 1.5C by 2100 requires rapid, deep and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions, including reducing global carbon dioxide emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 relative to the 2010 level and to net zero around mid-century.

Countries that haven’t submitted new or updated nationally determined contributions for 2030 must do so by November 22 next year. It is proposed that world leaders meet next November and then every year to fine tune their pre-2030 ambitions.

Money for developing countries to try and mitigate climate change and make them more resilient is to go beyond the current target of $100bn a year and there is scope for much larger support from 2025. India had asked that there be $1 trillion a year support for developing countries.

The draft says that developed countries are to at least double their collective provision of climate finance for adaptation to developing countries.