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Full NDC Synthesis Report: Some Progress, but Still a Big Concern

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UNFCCC Press Release: Full NDC Synthesis Report: Some Progress, but Still a Big Concern UN Climate Change News, 17 September 2021  – UN Climate Change today published a synthesis of climate action plans as communicated in countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions ( NDCs ). The NDC Synthesis report indicates that while there is a clear trend that greenhouse gas emissions are being reduced over time, nations must urgently redouble their climate efforts if they are to prevent global temperature increases beyond the Paris Agreement’s goal of well below 2C – ideally 1.5C – by the end of the century. The Synthesis Report was requested by Parties to the  Paris Agreement  to assist them in assessing the progress of climate action ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November in Glasgow, Scotland. The report includes information from all 191 Parties to the Paris Agreement based on their latest NDCs available in the  interim NDC registry  as at 30 July 2021, including info
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Breakdown or Breakthrough? The high stakes in Our Common Agenda?

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Guest blog by Elizabeth Cousens is the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the United Nations Foundation. Before joining the UN Foundation, Elizabeth Cousens served as U.S. Ambassador to the UN Economic and Social Council and Alternate Representative to the UN General Assembly (2012-14). She previously served as Principal Policy Advisor and Counselor to the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations, Susan Rice (2009-12). In this capacity, she was lead U.S. negotiator on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, including representing the United States in the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals.  “ This article originally appeared on the UN Foundation blog  here ”.  UN Secretary-General António Guterres has just launched  Our Common Agenda , his vision for renewing global cooperation for the future. UN Foundation President and CEO Elizabeth Cousens explores the highlights from this landmark report and explains what comes next. In just one year, a simpl
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Least developed countries remain concerned about inclusion at COP26

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Date: 10 September 2021 Mr Sonam Phuntsho Wangdi, the chair of the group of the 46 least developed countries (LDCs), is concerned about the challenges LDC Group delegates face in attending COP26 in Glasgow and participating fully in negotiations on the global response to the climate crisis. “Fair and ambitious outcomes from COP26 are urgently needed to ensure rapidly scaled up climate action to deliver a deep cut in emissions before 2030 consistent with the 1.5°C pathways and mobilize scaled-up support for vulnerable countries. But delegates from the LDC Group remain concerned about the logistics of getting to Glasgow in November. With less than seven weeks before the LDC Group is due to meet in Glasgow, the COP26 Presidency must clearly communicate their plan for ensuring a safe and inclusive COP.” “There are so many barriers to participation, and the uncertainty is causing a great deal of concern amongst our LDC delegates. We are due to travel to Glasgow in less than seven weeks – ma
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New Book: They Knew the Us Federal Governments Fifty-Year Role In Causing The Climate Crisis By JAMES GUSTAVE SPETH

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ABOUT THEY KNEW A devastating, play-by-play account of the federal government’s leading role in bringing about today’s climate crisis In 2015, a group of twenty-one young people sued the federal government for violating their constitutional rights by promoting the climate catastrophe, depriving them of life, liberty, and property without due process of law. They Knew offers evidence for their claims, presenting a devastating, play-by-play account of the federal government’s role in bringing about today’s climate crisis. James Speth, tapped by the plaintiffs as an expert on climate, documents how administrations from Carter to Trump–despite having information about climate change and the connection to fossil fuels–continued aggressive support of a fossil fuel based energy system. What did the federal government know and when did it know it? Speth asks, echoing another famous cover up. What did the federal government do and what did it not do? They Knew (an updated version of the Expert
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No COP OUT ON CLIMATE!!!

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Guest blog by Geoffrey Lipman leads SUN. Former top exec in IATA, WTTC and UNWTO, Geoffrey is President of ICTP and the Green Growth Travelism Institute (GGTI), as well as a Visiting Professor at Hasselt University, Belgium & Victoria University Australia. The COP26 Glasgow Race to Zero and its pathway of Net Carbon Zero 2050 was crafted by the UK hosts long before IPCC 6 - which UNSG Antonio Guterres called " A Code Red for Humanity."   Given this warning and the reality of accelerating and intensifying extreme weather, SUNx Malta iscalling for a DASH-2-Zero for the influential Travel & Tourism sector.   Pushing for further action faster. Yes, to Net Zero Carbon, but by 2030 and a commitment to NO GHG 2050 . DASH means Declare & Act with Support & Hope. We are training 100,000 young Strong Climate Champions across all UN States by 2030. Together with our SDG17 partners we are offering a UNFCCC linked Registry of Accelerated Ambition and free support for the
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Guest blog update on Glasgow Climate COP preparations

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Guest blog: Yunus Arikan :  Director of Global Advocacy ● ICLEI World Secretariat UK COP26 COVID-19 Updates: As of 1 September, a new update is available on the UK COP26 Presidency webpage -  Delegates - UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) at the SEC – Glasgow 2021 (ukcop26.org)  The text for the first time hints that COP26 Blue Zone will be designed for a capacity of 10,000 delegations at any given time, which is almost half of COP25. UNFCCC info for COP26 Participants: is available at  Information for COP 26 participants (A-Z) | UNFCCC  These will apply for those who have COP26 Blue Zone badges. At the section on health, it is noted that Parties will be represented by 1+1 delegations at the Plenary Sessions, without any information on observer engagement or other measures on other meetings at the Blue Zone. But this measure can be interpreted to be consistent with the UK COP26 Presidency plans to have Blue Zone to host only 10,000 delegations at any given time. COP26 Blue Zone
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Guest Blog - Global Solidarity: Toward a Politics of Impossibility

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Reprinted from the Tellus Institute Great Transition  Initiative   Opening Essay for a GTI Forum by  Richard Falk ( August 2021) The Imprisoned Imagination As the COVID-19 pandemic slowly subsides, it is not clear what lessons will be drawn by political leaders and publics around the world. Entrenched power, wealth, and conventional wisdom have demonstrated the overwhelming resilience of the global order even while the virus continues to ravage many national societies. Despite some notable exceptions revealing extremes of solidarity or discrimination, efficient competence or irresponsible partisanship, this reversion to the status quo occurred at all levels of social organization from the village to the world, especially the sovereign state. For the most part, rich and powerful governments used their leverage to corner the vaccine market, allowing a draconian market-driven logic to drive distribution that privileged intellectual property rights and technical knowhow, leading to grotesq
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