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Cop26 summit at serious risk of failure, says Boris Johnson

Cop26 summit

Cop26 summit at serious risk of failure, says Boris Johnson

The Cop26 summit is at serious risk of failure because countries are still not promising enough to restrict global temperature rises to below 1.5C, Boris Johnson has warned.

In a blunt admission after two days of preliminary talks at the G20 meeting of world leaders, the prime minister conceded little progress had been made – and the conference is not on track to achieve a deal that keeps the goal alive. He put the chances of success as “six out of 10”.

“Currently, let’s be in no doubt, we are not going to hit it and we have to be honest with ourselves,” he said. The commitments being made so far were a “drop in the rapidly warming ocean”.

Johnson will set out the scale of the challenge facing humanity as he opens the Cop26 summit on Monday attended by almost 200 national representatives, including US president Joe Biden and India’s Narendra Modi, but missing key players such as China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

He will tell gathered leaders that the world is at “one minute to midnight” in terms of keeping warming below 1.5C, with the UN predicting a rise of 2.7C on the current trajectory – which would lead to catastrophic consequences.

He gave his assessment after meetings with G20 leaders at a gathering in Rome, where he said their progress on climate change had only “inched forward”.

Only 12 of them have pledged to reach net zero emissions “by or around 2050”. Several key nations – China and Saudi Arabia – are only formally pledging to meet that goal by 2060.

The UK is also hoping for tougher pledges from countries for 2030, with experts warning emissions need to be halved by this date, when currently they are on course to rise by 15%. Australia, for example, set out a new 2050 net zero target this week, but did not make a headline commitment for this decade.

As hosts of Cop26, the UK has the significant role of encouraging and negotiating pledges from almost 200 countries, with many developing nations arguing developed nations have a responsibility to do much more as they have already profited from causing historical emissions.

After the leaders meet over the next two days, negotiators will work on texts with the hope of reaching a deal by 12 November.

Johnson may come back to the summit towards the end if it looks like an agreement may be within touching distance.

On the prospects of a deal that keeps to 1.5C, Johnson said: “It’s nip and tuck, it’s touch and go. We could do it, or we could fail by the middle of November.”

Following the G20, there was a sense of disappointment and some trepidation from No 10 about the outcome of the Glasgow summit, although Labour has accused the government of deliberately lowering expectations in order to declare victory if there is only a modestly improved deal at the end.

Speaking at a press conference, Johnson said pledges from countries to lower their emissions needed to be stronger. Experts believe that for 1.5C to have a chance of success, countries need to make substantial and meaningful pledges of reductions by 2030 as well.

He will also ask for promises on phasing out coal, the move to electric vehicles, an end to deforestation, and finance – pledges of money to help developing nations deal with the climate emergency.

“The countries most responsible for historic[al] and present day emissions are not yet doing their fair share of the work,” Johnson said.

“If we are going to prevent Cop26 from being a failure, then that must change and I must be clear, that if Glasgow fails then the whole thing fails. The Paris agreement will have crumpled at the first reckoning.”

At the Paris agreement, made in 2015, world leaders committedto keeping the global temperature rise below 2C or as close to 1.5C as possible. Johnson said that agreement and “the hope that came with it” is currently “just a piece of paper”, which needed to be filled with “granular” pledges from every country.

Global average temperatures have already risen by 1.1C since the Industrial Revolution and only stringent emission cuts will prevent that increase from topping 1.5C.

Johnson said there were no “compelling excuses for our procrastination”, as the world has now seen firsthand the devastation that climate change causes – from heatwaves and droughts to wildfires and hurricanes.

His comments capped a weekend of at times dramatic language on climate change from Johnson, who told reporters travelling with him that he had been converted from previous scepticism following scientific briefings when he entered No 10.

Asked if a commitment in the G20’s end-of-summit communique to achieve carbon neutrality “around” the middle of the century was too vague, Johnson said he had hoped for more.

“I agree,” he said. “And that is a function really of the gap between some colleagues and others.”

Cop26 was going to be tricky, he said: “I’m not going to sugar coat it, I’m not going to pretend it’s other than it is. I think there’s a chance that we can make progress, everybody can see how to do it. It’s a question of will and leadership.”

Asked whether he had shown sufficient leadership given last week’s budget, which froze fuel duty and cut levies for short-haul flights, and cuts to the aid budget, Johnson pointed to the UK’s achievements in cutting emissions, and targets for phasing out petrol and diesel cars.

Ahead of the summit, Downing Street said it would be be contributing a further £1bn over five years to climate finance, taking its commitment from £11.6bn over five years in 2019 to £12.6 billion by 2025.

However, the pledged money will be drawn from the foreign aid budget, which Johnson’s government has slashed this year, and is contingent on the UK economy growing as forecast.

The G20 communique stressed the importance of fulfilling the commitment to provide $100bn (£73bn) to help poor countries adapt to climate change. The UK has acknowledged that Cop26 is not going to meet the hoped-for $100bn pledge this year.

The complex negotiations, which need to resolve more than 130 technical issues as well as the headline issue of “keeping 1.5 alive”, have already run into logistical trouble owing to Covid restrictions.

The main negotiating room has a capacity of 144 because of social distancing. Patricia Espinosa, the executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, said that “as we have 193 parties, that’s literally not enough”.

Environment

Ogun Govt engages stakeholders on seamless CNG conversion

In a bid to reduce emissions and promote sustainable eco-friendly environment, the Ogun State government has engaged relevant stakeholders towards ensuring a seamless conversion of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) vehicles to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered.

Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, said the programme would engage staffers on quality and safety inspections of CNG-powered vehicles and refueling stations by relevant regulators.

Oresanya spoke during a three-day workshop on Application of Nigerian Industrial Standard, organised by the Ministry, in conjunction with Standard Organisation Of Nigeria, (SON), in Abeokuta.

He argued that, in achieving a safe environment for CNG usage, synergy with other relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), including Ministry of Transportation, Fire Services and those in charge of registration of gas stations, among others, must be adopted

The commissioner said, “Recent audits by the Ministry and its sister agency, Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA), revealed a lot of safety gaps and poor orientation by the handlers of the CNG and other stakeholders had been the major cause of fire incidence experienced earlier in the year, which could have been averted if necessary measures were put in place.”

Oresanya stated that a safety desk had been set up to regulate and ensure safe manufacture, distribution and handling of all gases in the state, as well as division of gas handlers into commercial and industrial sectors.

He urged all stakeholders involved in the exercise to adhere to standards and prioritise safety such that both regulatory requirements and protection of the health and welfare of our communities were maintained.

On his part, Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Gbenga Dairo, said the present administration in the state was committed to supporting the laudable initiative due to its economic advantage and reduction of emission.

He noted that adequate enforcement and regulations must be adhered to for a safer environment.

In their separate goodwill messages, Director General, SON, Dr. Ifeanya Chukwunonso, represented by Director, Laboratory Service, David Ikhebome, and Managing Director, Safety Plus, Mrs. Omolara Odebunmi, expressed their organisations’ determination to ensure improvement in the quality of CNG products, underscoring the need to train staffers on CNG safety precautions and its usage with different vehicles.

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Environment

NEMA begins 2024 flood impact assessment

The National Emergency Management Agency has commenced a unified rapid assessment of the 2024 flood impacts in collaboration with State Emergency Management Agencies, and development partners nationwide.

NEMA announced this on its official X handle on Wednesday.

The agency said the joint assessment aims to harmonise data collected by NEMA’s Emergency Operation Centre with information from partners to produce a nationally verified report on the disaster’s effects.

The Director General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar, said that the agency was working alongside SEMAs, the Nigerian Red Cross Society, the International Organisation for Migration and the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

“The assessment will evaluate the flood’s impacts on communities regarding shelter, livelihoods, food security, water sanitation and hygiene, and access to information and education,” the statement said.

Umar further said that in line with best practices, the assessment will also allow affected communities to provide input on how they can best be supported in their recovery efforts.

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Environment

Nigerian government arrests three Chinese for illegal mining

The Federal Government has confirmed the arrest of three Chinese nationals and two Nigerians suspected of illegal mining in Nasarawa State.

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, made the disclosure in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, on Monday in Abuja.

Alake said that the suspects were arrested at an illegal mining site located at Rafin-Gabas, Agwada, in Kokona Local Government Area.
He stated that the ministry’s mining marshals, established to secure mining sites across the nation, made the arrest in a recent operation following credible intelligence.

“The suspects were arrested for mining without lawful authorisation. Some of the minerals being mined include fluorite, zinc, lead, and tin.

“The arrested suspects confessed to having been on illicit activities at the site spanning five cadastral units since December 15, 2021.

The company defied all lawful advice to regularise their activities and continued syphoning the nation’s resources, causing significant revenue losses to the Federal Government,” he said.

According to the minister, more than 200 illegal miners have been arrested so far, and about 140 are undergoing prosecution across the country.

He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to reforming the mining sector, emphasising that the mining marshals would remain steadfast in ensuring a secure and safe environment for legitimate investors.

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