Multiple successes in the climate agreement – but the rate of transition now has to increase

COP26 in Glasgow was seen as the most important global climate summit since Paris 2015. In the end, it also managed to reach agreement on a more detailed rulebook for the implementation of the Paris Agreement, even though the agreement does not live up to the expectations of the outside world in all respects.

Its successes include texts relating to the phasing out of fossil fuels, the fact that agreement has been reached regarding rules and procedures for reporting emissions and measures, as well as promises of increased climate funding for developing countries.

“The threat from climate change has not been toned down in any way, rather the criticism relates to the rate of change in the ongoing activities. With a clear framework, it is now time for individual countries to crank up the pace of the activities and the climate transition. It’s also high time for other players in the business sector, cities and organisations to get started, both in terms of the conversion to fossil independence as well as adaptation to climate change,” said John Munthe, Head of Research at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute.

From the point of view of politics, it is necessary to amend the legislative and regulatory framework in order to speed up the transition, create incentives and remove obstacles to the process of change.

“Production companies also need to adapt to increased consumer demand for climate-neutral and sustainable products. There is no reason to hold back as regards the pace of this change process,” says John Munthe.

One central issue during the negotiations related to increasing the level of ambition in the countries’ climate plans. As early as the first few days of the climate summit, it was announced that almost 130 countries had promised to halt deforestation by 2030. With the EU and the USA at the forefront, a large group of countries also made a joint pledge to reduce methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030. The reduction in methane emissions alone could limit the temperature rise by 0.2 degrees up to 2050.

Another important issue was to implement Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which provides countries with the opportunity to collaborate in the implementation of national climate plans. Specifically, a country can contribute with support for the implementation of measures in another country, and then have the opportunity to be credited with part of the outcome against its own commitments. After several failed previous attempts, the negotiations in Glasgow resulted in a rulebook for Article 6.

“Drawing up a high-quality and effective formulation of Article 6 is key, for example because it ensures that emissions reductions are not double-counted.

The portal paragraph for Article 6 emphasises the importance of collaborations contributing to a greater collective level of ambition as regards climate work. Now that the rulebook is in place, it is important to starting exploring applications of the regulatory framework that can deliver on this highly important goal,” said Kenneth Möllersten, researcher and climate negotiation expert at IVL.