What has served (and what has failed) the climate summit in New York

Taking stock of international meetings on climate change remains the story of the half-full and half-empty bottle. The summary of the outcome of the summit held on 23 September in New York is no exception.

On the part of the optimists, the official balance sheet published by the organization of the Climate Action Summit 2019 itself titled: “The summit takes a great step forward in the ambition of the countries and the action of the private sector to achieve the objectives set for 2020”. Nuancing the initial euphoria, in the subtitle of the same official note, it is indicated that “as time runs out, the youth leaders warn [a políticos y adultos en general]: ‘We will be watching you'”.

Summary of the official balance of results:

77 countries committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

– 70 countries announce that they will push forward their national action plans for 2020 (within the framework of the Paris Agreement) or that they have begun the process to make them a reality.

More than 100 business leaders took concrete actions to align with the goals of the Paris Agreement and accelerate the transition from the grey to the green economy.

More than 100 cities, including many of the world’s largest, announced important new concrete steps to combat the climate crisis.

– 12 countries make financial commitments to the Green Climate Fund, the official financial body mechanism to assist developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change. Spain announces 150 million euros in the next four years.

India commits to increasing renewable energy capacity to 175 gw by 2022 and commits to further increase to 450GW.

China announces that it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 12 billion tons annually, and that it would follow a path of high quality growth and low-carbon development.

– France announces that it will not sign any new trade agreements with countries that have policies contrary to the Paris Agreement.

– The European Union announces that at least 25% of the next EU budget will be dedicated to climate-related activities.

– The Russian Federation announces that it will ratify the Paris Agreement, bringing the number of acceding countries to 187.

Pakistan announces it will plant more than 10 billion trees over the next five years.

87 major companies commit to reducing emissions and aligning their businesses with what scientists say is necessary to limit the worst impacts of climate change (see In La Vanguardia).

130 banks, a third of the global banking sector, signed up to align their businesses with the goals of the Paris Agreement in the energy transition.

– France and New Zealand announce that they will not allow new oil or gas exploitation in their territory or territorial waters.

– Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia and the Republic of Cora announce measures to eliminate the use of coal in power plants.

Some of the most prominent reviews:

Before concluding the summit, criticism from various sectors was already known, especially those starring Greta Thunberg (see in La Vanguardia), with phrases such as the one addressed to world leaders: “If you choose to fail us, I tell you that we will never forgive you; we will not let you get away with it.”

Following the young Swedish activist’s speech, she and 15 other young people filed an official complaint about the impact of the climate crisis on young people with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.

The New York summit was prepared to receive not speeches but concrete plans and actions but, “there have been no new substantial commitments from the heads of government, with speeches in some cases empty of content,” according to climate change journalist Chloé Farand in an analysis article published in Climate Home News.

As an example of the limited scope of the meeting, Farand recalls that France and the Kingdom have affirmed in New York that they will be carbon neutral in 2050, a promise that they had already announced months ago but that still does not materialize in measures that show the real possibilities of success. For her part, the German Minister of the Environment has acknowledged that her country maintains the commitment to be carbon neutral but that it still does not know exactly how to do it.

The absence at the New York summit of the president of China – the country with the highest emission of greenhouse gases – is another symptom of the relative scope of the meeting convened by the UN. The announcement of China’s emissions reduction – see in the official balance sheet, at the top – does not bring transcendental changes in the climate action of this country, which remains unspecified when it will reach its ‘peak’ (maximum level) of emissions and will begin to reduce them in a real way.

In the case of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dodged the request of the United Nations secretary-general to reduce dependence on coal and has limited himself to indicating that his country will increase the use of renewable energy.

Three of the four countries with the largest coal expansion plans – India, China and Turkey – were invited to speak at the New York summit but none of them made a firm commitment to abandon this source of polluting energy and high emissions of gases that cause climate change.

The UN has set out its good intentions with this summit but, once again, its limited resources have been demonstrated when it comes to convincing the countries with the greatest responsibility in the climate crisis, highlights an editorial article in Climate Home News.

Spain’s promises (some already unfulfilled)

Regarding the announcement presented in New York by the acting head of government Pedro Sánchez, according to which Spain will contribute 150 million euros in the next four years to the Green Climate Fund (see in La Vanguardia) it should not be forgotten that in 2014, at the summit held in Berlin, the Spanish government committed to contribute 120 million euros to this fund.

However, according to a report released in 2016 by Oxfam Intermon, until that date, Spain had disbursed less than 1% of what it committed to contribute during the period 2015-2018.

A balance sheet report published at the end of 2018 by the Green Climate Fund itself indicated that until May 8, 2018, the Spanish administration had only made effective the payment of 17 of the 120 million euros committed. (See the updated balance sheet dated January 2019).

Source: The Vanguard