https://www.dw.com/en/cop26-two-realities-at-glasgow-climate-conference/a-59768352
The 31 of October has marked the start of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, otherwise known as COP26. The summit is being held in Glasgow, Scotland where 190 countries have congregated to discuss the world strategy in limiting climate change and the goals of each country to be achieved in the next 3 decades. The Paris agreement in 2015 was the landmark summit that set the framework for maintaining a global temperature under a 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius increase from pre-industrial times, to be achieved by establishing goals for emissions reductions in each country. So far, the plan has failed to meet the necessary Carbon emissions rates and the Earth’s climate is on track to rise a condemning 3 degrees Celsius, double the ideal amount. The 1.5 degrees Celsius target is a high bar that will require drastic cuts in emissions to reach net zero by the year 2050 and steep declines in the release of methane and the use of coal in particular. Methane comes from animal husbandry and agriculture and is capable of heating the Earth 80 times more than Carbon Dioxide. Reduction of coal has been making progress in China which will retract its support for coal-powered plants in foreign countries, however there is resistance simply due to how heavily coal is depended upon by major consumers, prevalently China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and Australia. The partnership of China, as the largest emitter in the world, is crucial in making essential headway, with analysts predicting that China could potentially stop the trend of continuously increasing emissions and begin to see its overall levels of emissions fall by as early as 2025. While the Chinese president Xi Jinping will not be attending the climate summit, the conference still hopes to steer China towards this prospect which it has been unwilling to commit to so far.
One new variable I am interested to watch as we eventually move toward a post-pandemic state, is how the adopted system of working from home will affect the world and carbon emissions. There was a very clear drop in emissions during the start of the pandemic when most motivations for people to leave their homes had been shut down, especially for work. Suddenly, the world has realized that brick and mortar office space is becoming more obsolete as it is cheaper and much more efficient for many companies to just have their employees work from home. This would mean less commuter density and by extension less carbon emissions from the cars, buses, and other methods of transportation that consume fuel that will not be used nearly as much. I hope that this could be a new and implementable method of reducing daily carbon emissions for many different countries as transportation, especially in excess, is a major factor in the release of greenhouse gases. It might also become part of the climate change policy regarding restrictions on corporations. Beyond commuting, this meeting in Glasgow is backed by the United States unlike the 2015 Paris agreement which already made crucial strides in commitments to carbon policy. Therefore, this summit could make even more progress than the Paris agreement and will show just how much United States influence can progress the world’s climate plan.
Climate change is the most encompassing international issue there is and it is connected to international relations by definition. There would be no chance of solving it without productive international cooperation. Likewise, failure to cooperate leaves no country unscathed. Climate change transcends all single international relations theories and no matter if a country leans toward Realism, Liberalism, or Constructivism, climate still cannot be ignored and working with other countries on this problem cannot be avoided. Because of its unique and widespread impact, there is no issue like climate that international relations is in the process of solving. This is also why such a conference as this, while not having an outcome with immediate and visible effects, carries just as much weight as the fast-paced current events that news outlets tend to favor.