Hot Topics (2023) - COP26 Flashcards
What is COP26?
COP26 is the most recent annual UN climate change conference.
What does COP Stand for?
COP stands for Conference of the Parties
Who attends COP Summits?
The summits are attended by the countries that signed the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – a treaty that came into force in 1994.
What critical moment for commitments and actions happened at COP 26?
Richer nations had failed to raise the $100bn annual climate funding they had promised to vulnerable countries and the gap to staying below 1.5C still looms.
What was agreed for the first time at COP26?
For the first time at a COP conference there was an explicit plan to reduce use of coal which is responsible for 40% of annual CO2 emissions.
What commitment was made by India and China at COP26?
There was a commitment to ‘phase down’ rather than ‘phase out’ coal after a late intervention by China and India.
What agreement pledge was made at COP26?
The agreement pledged to significantly increase money to help developing countries cope with the effects of climate change and make the switch to clean energy.
What prospect was suggested after the pledge to provide $100bn was missed?
There’s was also the prospect of a trillion dollar a year fund from 2025 onwards after a previous pledge
for richer countries to provide $100bn (£72bn) a year by 2020 was missed.
Which countries did not agree with the statement ‘COP26 agreement represented the “start of a breakthrough”’
While some observers say the COP26 agreement represented the “start of a breakthrough”, some African and Latin American countries felt not enough progress was made.
How does COP relate to the Paris Agreement?
At the COP 21 meeting in Paris in 2015, the Paris Agreement was formed.
What did the Parties agree to pursue during the COP meetings?
During the COP Meeting, the parties agreed to pursue efforts to prevent temperatures rising more than
1.5C above pre-industrial levels to avoid the most dangerous impacts of global warming.
How do the COP meetings link to the original Paris Agreement?
Conference of the Parties meetings discusses how each nation is progressing against the original Paris Agreement.
What did COP27 highlight?
Highlighted the countries mostly affected by ‘loss and damage’ of extreme weather.
Where was COP27 hosted?
Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
What was agreed for the first time after counties still haven’t delivered the required $100bn per year?
A new loss and damage fund.
What was a main focus of COP27?
A large focus on paying for the damage caused by climate change.
What did many delegates think should have been focused on at COP27?
Many delegates thought that there was not enough emphasis on mitigation strategies.
What were Key targets for many that did not make it into the agreed text from COP27?
Key targets such as ensuring that carbon emissions peak before 2025 and the phasedown of fossil fuels
did not form part of the agreed text which was seen by many leaders as a failure.
Are there any impending changes to minimum energy efficiency standards (EPC)?
The government has recently proposed changes to the EPC requirements for commercial property and buy to let properties which are due to take effect from 2025.
