Mr. Singer has accepted to share with LHCH INT his insight in the COP 26 negotiations in Glasgow
As usual, Frank Schwalba-Hoth, ex-MP and founder of the first European environmental party, invited an important personality to one of his famous TALKs organized near the European Parliament, place du Luxembourg, in Brussels. This guest was Stephan Singerthat who works for CAN, the Climate Action Network, this global network of over 1,500 NGOs in over 130 countries, as Senior Advisor Climate Science and Global Energy Policies.
Mr. Singer has accepted to share with us his insight in the COP 26 negotiations in Glasgow about basic 2021 scientific findings, basic positions UK presidency, major country blocks, NGOs and other non-state actors, key voluntary pledges by governments and business/finance, crucial political outcomes, successes and failures, next steps…
LHCH was present and here summarizes the most concrete aspects of the brilliant presentation.
It must be admitted that on the part of the governments of the major countries of this world, the commitments were generally disappointing.
But it is on the side of private companies, local authorities and civil society actors that we can expect concrete actions.
“Of course, there is still a lot to do. Of course, not everyone plays the game. And it is certain, the game is still far from being won. But the point is that most companies in the economic sectors most exposed to the climate challenge are trying to move forward with decarbonization – more or less of their own accord, ”Stephan Singer said at the outset.
But there is also progress in helping developing countries to curb their carbon emissions and the famous Article 6!
Cars, aviation, agriculture, steel and cement
Pointed out as one of the main causes of global warming, the automotive industry can no longer be accused of inaction, at least in Europe. The regulations adopted by Brussels leave it no choice: since January 1, 2020, manufacturers must respect an average level of CO2 emissions of 95 grams per kilometer for their new cars, under penalty of very heavy fines in the event of exceeding. .
This has prompted manufacturers to clean up their catalog, by stopping producing the most polluting models. And above all to launch numerous 100% electric and plug-in hybrid models, which lower the average emissions. Over the first 9 months of 2021, these two types of vehicles represent 16.6% of registrations in France.
The world of cement construction takes a low carbon step (we had already seen this in a previous article with the innovation efforts at the Belgian company Cordeel)
Did you know that making a ton of conventional cement emits 860 kg of CO2?
Also… on average, a square meter of new building with a lifespan of 50 years represents the equivalent of 1.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions, of which 60% correspond to its construction, the rest to the life of the building . Traditional building materials are very carbon-intensive, and the 40 industrial sites in the cement industry will have to reduce their emissions by 24% by 2030 and by 80% by 2050, compared to 2015. Radical targets, but realistic, in view of the spectacular developments that took place in autumn 2021.
What about steel? One of China’s great efforts in sight!
Representing 7% to 9% of CO2 emissions on the planet alone, steel is one of the sectors emitting the most carbon dioxide. It is also one of the most complicated to decarbonize. Because two-thirds of steel production in the world is carried out in blast furnaces, which use coal to “reduce” iron ore, that is to say to extract oxygen: the process generates 1.8 tons of CO2 for 1 ton of steel produced.
Most of the world’s major steelmakers, ArcelorMittal, Tata Steel, ThyssenKrupp, but especially the Chinese Baowu, have nonetheless announced carbon neutrality objectives by 2050.
Steelmakers therefore began to work on other technologies, such as the “reduction” of iron ore no longer from coal, but from hydrogen: if the hydrogen used is green, the process is much less polluting than blast furnaces. Industrial demonstrator projects are therefore increasing, particularly in Europe.
According to the Energy Transitions Commission think tank, the additional costs of decarbonization for manufacturers will amount to $ 6 billion per year until 2050.
What about the huge tankers?
European oil companies had already started their “green” turn a few years ago. The health crisis, which was accompanied by an oil crash last year, has driven them to accelerate. The French TotalEnergies, the British BP, the Anglo-Dutch Shell, the Italian Eni… all have set themselves goals that would have been unimaginable just two years ago.
Of course, airlines are accelerating towards “net zero”!
Denounced as being one of the most polluting human activities, air transport is determined to restore its image by becoming one of the first industries to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The roadmap provides for targets to achieve every 5 years. The objective will require reducing or fully offsetting the equivalent of 1.8 billion tonnes of CO2 by 2050, on the basis of global traffic of 10 billion annual passengers.
To achieve this, companies rely for 65% on new fuels produced from plant or food waste or from a synthesis of hydrogen and CO2.
Another important lever: CO2 compensation and capture systems, financed by air transport. They should contribute 19% to carbon neutrality.
Finally, essential, thoroughly review the breeding …
The European Union and the United States will indeed launch a global initiative to reduce methane emissions. A gas responsible for climate change, which cows help to emit into the atmosphere when they digest.
Stephan Singer has all the same insisted on the problem of the correct calculation of carbon emissions by each company… Does it take everything into account ?
Aid to developing countries
Funding was widely discussed throughout the session and consensus emerged on the need to continue increasing support to developing countries.
The call to at least double funding for “adaptation” has been welcomed by parties.
The obligation to keep the promise of providing $ 100 billion a year from developed countries to developing countries was also reaffirmed.
Finally, a process to define the new global funding target has been launched.
The famous article 6
One of the main results is the conclusion of the so-called Paris settlement.
Article 6 of the Paris Agreement signed in 2015 has so far been a point of tension between states. On Saturday 13 November, when COP26 was officially due to end the day before, an agreement was finally reached between the governments. To achieve a warming of 1.5 ° C by 2100, this text is based on the creation of carbon markets, designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This means that each country can trade in CO2 reduction units, in order to meet its own emission reduction targets.
Agreement has been reached on core standards related to Article 6 on carbon markets, which will make the Paris Agreement fully operational. This will give certainty and predictability to market and non-market approaches in support of mitigation and adaptation. Negotiations on the enhanced transparency framework have also been concluded, providing agreed tables and formats for accounting and reporting targets and emissions.
What about China?
Unfortunately, Mr Singer did not have time to build on China’s efforts at Cop 26.
Here LHCH sums up the basics for you.
China arrived at COP26 with a pretty good record. Admittedly, the country is the main consumer of coal, but its almighty president, Xi Jinping, has made firm commitments: to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 and to stop funding the development of new coal-fired power plants now. ‘foreigner. Just before the opening of the meeting, Beijing communicated to the UN its national contribution to the fight against global warming. China, which is responsible for about a quarter of global GHG emissions, now wants to achieve peak emissions “before 2030” and carbon neutrality “before 2060”.
In addition, Beijing is now targeting a reduction in the carbon intensity of its economy by “more than 65%” in 2030 compared to its 2005 level and wishes to achieve a share of carbon-free energies “of around 25%” by 2030.
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Stephan Singer was born in Hamburg and finished his studies with a PhD in soil physics on carbon and nitrogen dynamics in impoverished Indian soils. After being Involved in anti-nuclear activities in Germany, he worked as a journalist and for several years for the German development agency GIZ in India and Kenya on poverty alleviation with subsistence farming in semi-arid tropics, before joining for more than 20 years WWF. His aim as WWF Director of Global Energy Policy was (and still is) a just and fair transition to 100% renewables in all countries around the globe, coupled with significant public and private financial shifts away from fossil fuels and nuclear, towards a much more equitable world. Since six years, Stephan works for CAN, the Climate Action Network, this global network of over 1,500 NGOs in over 130 countries, as Senior Advisor Climate Science and Global Energy Policies.
He is a regular and invited peer-reviewer of the annual International Energy Agency (IEA) World Energy Outlook, a regular reviewer of some of the work of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and works closely with the global renewable energy network of REN21.
