You’ve probably heard a lot about COP26 this year and might wonder what it is and what it might mean for you. We’ve taken a closer look and have outlined below why COP26 is one of the most important events in the global climate change policy agenda:

What is COP26? 

We’re nearly a month away from this year’s United Nations’ Conference of Parties, COP26, a global leadership summit on climate change topics. 

This year’s climate change conference will take place in Glasgow, Scotland, with the UK acting as a president of COP26. World leaders - alongside negotiators, government representatives, businesses and citizens - will visit Glasgow on October 31st for twelve days of important discussions about the global climate change crisis.

Why is it crucial? 

In 2015  the Paris Agreement was signed in which global leaders committed to developing plans called National Determined Contributions (NDCs), outlining how they would reduce their emissions.

COP26 marks five years since the signing of the agreement. 197 countries will be required to update their NDCs with much more stringent and ambitious targets that will ultimately aim to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees by 2050. This process will occur through negotiations between the different countries. 

In detail, at COP26: 

1. Countries will present ambitious 2030 emissions reductions targets that align with reaching net zero by 2050.

2. Countries will present plans demonstrating how they are adapting to climate change. Countries will need to support citizens that are most affected by climate change. 

3. Developed countries must present $100 billion in climate finance to support developing countries meet their net-zero commitments.  

4. The UK, as COP26 President, must negotiate and finalise rules that will enable the Paris Agreement commitments to be met. 

Why do we need to act now more than ever? 

Recently, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published the sixth assessment report on climate science, which summarises the physical science for climate change from thousands of peer-reviewed studies. 

The report is stark and ominous, and provides strong evidence to demonstrate that humans are responsible for causing this widespread climate destruction, much of which is irreversible. The impacts of climate change can no longer be ignored. 

The report also highlights that the current NDCs outlined by countries to achieve net-zero are not sufficient enough to keep warming below 2 degree celsius; further proving why COP26 is so important. 

The IPCC stresses that if net-zero CO2 emissions are not reached by 2050, and there isn’t an overall reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions, then the 1.5 and 2 degree limits set out in the Paris Agreement will be reached before 2040.

Reaching net-zero requires collective effort from countries to shift to renewables, and to reduce emissions from practices with a high global warming impact: agriculture, particularly meat farming, fossil fuel production and waste management. 

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will help us minimize the catastrophic weather risks of global warming - including sea level rise, glacier melting, rainfall, floods and droughts. 

DG Cities and Net-Zero 

 DG Cities is an innovation company that is focused on supporting cities and communities to capitalise on the benefits of technology and data. As a company we have  worked on a number of major projects relating to the transition to a low-carbon future ranging from net-zero housing, decarbonisation and fleet electrification (Birchmere & ERCV), to support local councils such as the Royal Borough of Greenwich meet their carbon reduction targets. 

In recognition of our work in electrification we’ve also recently been awarded further funding that focuses on fleet electrification in Greenwich, London and Devon, Cornwall. This is exciting as we will be exploring both urban and rural applications of this vital technology.

COP26 is an important global milestone on the journey towards a low-carbon future. As the world looks expectantly on, many will wonder how the discussions and meetings in Glasgow will translate into practical changes in the day-to-day lives of citizens and businesses. We’re here to help, so at DG Cities we’ll be keeping a close eye on the discussions and working hard to make sense of what COP26 will mean for UK towns and cities. Follow our blog to find out more.