House Hearings Explore Importance of International Climate Action Ahead of U.N. Climate Talks (COP26) | Article

Right now, representatives from almost every country in the world are gathered in Glasgow, Scotland, for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26). The United States—which has historically produced more carbon dioxide emissions than any other country—has an important role to play in the negotiations, having recently rejoined the Paris Agreement and vowed to reduce U.S. emissions by 50-52 percent by 2030.

Ahead of COP26, the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis held a hearing titled International Climate Challenges and Opportunities. During the hearing, which was held on October 28, 2021, witnesses highlighted how the United States can lead on international climate action during COP26 and defined what successful negotiations might look like.

According to witness Taryn Fransen, a senior fellow at the World Resources Institute, “policies being implemented around the world today put us on track for warming of 2.8 degrees Celsius,” and “to change that trajectory, we need to cut emissions in half by 2030.” That level of warming, Fransen explained, is dangerous, and “this Congress is facing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the course of history by passing strong climate investments.”

At COP21 in 2015, countries adopted the Paris Agreement, and in doing so, agreed to limit global warming to “well below 2 degrees Celsius,” and ideally closer to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). The backbones of that agreement are Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are countries’ self-generated commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In recent months, some countries have been unveiling new NDCs and more have been released during COP26.

Climate change is a global issue, affecting all countries around the world, but disproportionately harming the most vulnerable. Witness Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, CEO of Mercy Corps, highlighted that climate change impacts such as extreme weather are driving global hunger and migration. McKenna explained, “We have effective tools for solving hunger, but we now need to build climate change adaptation into that equation.”

International climate finance, especially for adaptation, was raised during the hearing as a crucial aspect of the COP26 negotiations. McKenna stated, “It is too late to focus solely on reducing emissions. The U.S. government can demonstrate leadership by increasing resources dedicated to its climate adaptation accounts, particularly for the U.S. Agency for International Development” (USAID). Another way to show leadership, McKenna added, is for the United States to spur private investment in climate finance and ensure that climate finance goes to the most climate vulnerable countries.

Witness Alden Meyer, senior associate at E3G, stated that “more work is needed to scale up finance for adaptation and to improve access for smaller vulnerable countries.” Meyer also said that countries should come up with a plan at COP26 for mobilizing climate finance after 2025, and it is likely that more than $100 billion per year, the current and still unmet commitment, will be needed.

Notably, the House Foreign Affairs Committee also held a hearing in the lead-up to COP26 that focused on combating climate change through international development. Witness Gillian Caldwell, climate change coordinator for USAID, emphasized the importance of investing in adaptation for reducing climate-related displacement and conflict, saying that every dollar invested in climate adaptation and preparedness over the next decade will provide three times the return.

Closing out the witness testimonies at the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis hearing, Meyer stated that if countries agree to further reduce emissions, increase climate finance for mitigation and adaptation, and commit finance to address loss and damage—which are permanent losses due to climate change—these steps would indicate a positive outcome at COP26.

Want to learn more about COP26? Check out EESI’s resources: