9, COP26 Draft Text Calls For Tougher Emissions Pledges by 2022 (Dryier)

 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/10/un-climate-agency-publishes-draft-of-final-glasgow-cop26-deal

  There’s currently a climate summit in Glasgow and the climate crisis is becoming more dire than ever before and it’s finally coming apparent among world powers that more needs to be done and quick if we want to prevent the world from warming more than 2 degrees celsius. What’s major about this current pledge draft is that it’s finally telling countries to limit and phase out their use of fossil fuels and get all major powers at net zero carbon emissions. 

   While this draft is leaps and bounds better than anything proposed prior, any climate activist will agree though that it all sounds like too little too late. The current draft seems to have many of the same flaws prior legislation had, as in nothing is particularly binding so it appears that very little will change and none of the countries will do anything near what they pledged to do in a small time frame. Climate legislation is almost all about small incremental changes and “planning” how to prevent further climate change but with so little time left this issue needs fast and drastic action to prevent an all out climate catastrophe. 

  There have already been oppositions complaining about the pledge being too weak as “It fails to include clear and unambiguous commitment to increase the ambition of 2030 emission reduction targets next year to keep 1.5 degrees alive. Emissions are rising, not falling and current commitments are way off track for keeping this goal within reach,” Tracy Carty said in a statement following the draft’s publication. Though the largest roadblock is from that of petroleum lobbyists and middle eastern countries rich in oil who naturally only see a downturn in profit margins as the world pledges to use more sustainable energy. 

  There have also been concerns raised on what will become of third world countries that are most susceptible to dangers from climate change and often lack the resources to convert to clean energy. The biggest fear is that first world countries will just move all manufacturing to a country that hasn’t pledged or can’t change their infrastructure to become more climate friendly and overall not lower emissions at all. 

  Simple fact that I agree with Jennifer Morgan on, who slammed the pledge saying “This is not a plan to solve the climate emergency”. The urgency still isn’t there and without it, no meaningful change will come, no matter how much we “pledge” or “discuss”.