Glasgow Dispatch - November 8

Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa, speaks at a WRI press conference. Photo Credit: UNFCCC

• Negotiations: On Saturday, the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body on Scientific and Technical Advice (SBSTA) held their closing plenaries, which means they concluded some matters and referred others to the Presidency for further work (for a full list of conclusions and forwarded items, see the Earth Negotiation Bulletin sections on SBI and SBSTA).

• Global goal on adaptation: The global goal on adaptation is on the negotiating agenda for the first time at COP26. Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa, explained its importance: “We have clarity on the global goal to limit warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius. We do not have a comparable target or goal to help the world deal with some of the inevitable impacts of climate change. One of the things the climate vulnerable countries are pushing for here in Glasgow is for us to actually address that gap so that we have clarity on how we will collectively be able to build global resilience.” Adow highlighted that one of the goals of the Allied for Climate Transformation 2025 (ACT2025) consortium is to encourage countries to launch a process to determine specifics of the global goal on adaptation.

• Adaptation announcements: Over 70 global leaders have endorsed the Principles for Locally Led Adaptation; $232 million has been committed to the Adaptation Fund, including an additional £15 million (about $20 million) announced today by the U.K.; the U.K announced £290 million (about $393 million) in new funding for adaptation, including £274 million for the Climate Action for a Resilient Asia program; and 88 countries are now covered by Adaptation Communications or National Adaptation Plans.

• Nature day: Saturday was nature day at COP26. Events focused on the multiple mitigation and adaptation benefits of nature.

U.S. senators join USAID and partners during an event on Saturday. Photo Credit: Sustainable Energy for All

• Senators: A bipartisan delegation of 18 U.S. senators were at COP26 over the weekend to share their commitment to climate action by speaking at events across Glasgow.

• House GOP delegation: Reps. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), John Curtis (R-Utah), Garret Graves (R-La.), and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) also attended COP26 over the weekend. This is the first all-Republican delegation to a COP, and they spent the weekend at events and roundtables discussing climate policy. Democratic representatives are expected at the venue later this week.

• Bridging the divide: Nine members of Congress spoke on areas of collaboration on climate policy at an Atlantic Council event on Saturday. Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), and Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah) spoke on climate impacts and nature-based solutions—favorite solutions included forest restoration, no till agriculture, cover cropping, reinforcing river banks, methane abatement through the use of biodigesters, urban trees, seeding oyster beds, and creating job opportunities for young people to enter farming and land stewardship. Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) discussed energy efficiency, cybersecurity for energy infrastructure, just transition, and putting a price on carbon.

• Power Africa: On Saturday, USAID signed onto a strategic partnership between its program, Power Africa, and the new Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet.  According to the press release, the partnership sets out three strategic goals: end energy poverty, address climate change, and strengthen conditions in which clean energy can thrive. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) were in attendance. 

• Build Back Better: Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said at a U.S. Climate Action Center event on Saturday that “we are at a critical juncture. I am very confident that we will be able to pass the Build Back Better bill … and it is going to unleash a revolution on clean energy.” At the same event, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council Manish Bapna said the Senate must “pass the Build Back Better Act, the essential climate action that we need. The reason is fairly simple. What happens in the U.S. matters. It matters because of the cumulative historical emissions of the U.S. It matters because the U.S. needs to restore credibility internationally … It matters because millions of people all around the world are suffering today from the climate crisis.”

• Coastal resilience: At a U.S. Climate Action Center event over the weekend, Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) said that “the infrastructure bill is evidence that we are making major investments in resiliency.” But he added that passage of the Build Back Better Act would invest “hundreds of billions of dollars into resiliency.” Cardin discussed how Maryland is working to boost coastal resilience, including through living shorelines, beneficial use of dredged materials, and wetland restoration. “We have a bipartisan commitment to coastal restoration in the Congress of the United States … but the most important thing we can do for the Chesapeake Bay is [to have] a successful COP26. Climate change is our greatest threat,” he said.

IRENA and AOSIS signed an agreement today to mobilize climate finance. Photo Credit: IRENA

• Updated NDCs: Brazil, Argentina, New Zealand, Ghana, and Comoros have all submitted updated nationally determined contributions (NDCs) since the opening of COP26. In total, 122 parties (121 countries plus the E.U.), out of 193 parties to the Paris Agreement, have now submitted updated NDCs.

• Adaptation finance: At an event hosted by the Champions Group on Adaptation Finance, which includes Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the U.K., panelists discussed how to speed up financing solutions for projects. As the moderator, Angelique Pouponneau, CEO of the Seychelles Conservation and Adaptation Trust, said: “It’s one thing to say finance is available and another for it to be accessible.” A number of wealthier countries have upped their adaptation finance commitments during COP26. To learn more about climate finance, see the finance edition of Glasgow Dispatch.

• Adaptation Fund: On the topic of the Adaptation Fund, Egyptian Minister of the Environment Yasmine Fouad stated that “the available resources in the Fund [are] not enough for supporting the needs” of developing countries. Similarly, Deputy Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC Ovais Sarmad stated that $850 million has been allocated for climate adaptation activities in developing countries through the Adaptation Fund, but “the need always outstrips the availability of resources. This is why contributions to the Fund are so important.” Today, the U.K. government announced it would provide £15 million (about $20 million) to the Adaptation Fund. 

• National Adaptation Plans: At a U.S. Center event today, facilitated by the National Adaptation Plan Global Network, environmental officers from Grenada and Ghana discussed putting climate plans to work at the regional level, with emphasis on ensuring that climate funds are actually used on climate projects and training local officials to see problems with a climate perspective.

• Infrastructure Risk Assessment Tool: The government of Jamaica has worked closely with the Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment, Oxford University, and the Green Climate Fund to become, as Prime Minister Andrew Holness explains, “the first country in the world to develop a climate resilient assessment tool.” The tool, which was exhibited today at COP26, is a way for Jamaica to systematically assess risk across the country in order to attract investment and allocate adaptation funding in the most impactful areas. The tool is open source and the goal is for other countries to use the model as well—at least 10 countries have already expressed interest.

• Alliances for Climate Action: The Alliances for Climate Action (ACA) is a network of national networks working to accelerate decarbonization. Today, Chile launched the newest national ACA with 16 members from local governments, companies, universities, associations, and civil society. Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, the U.S., and Vietnam already have alliances in place.

• Island nations: The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) furthered their partnership today by signing an agreement to work together to mobilize climate finance and install renewable energy. This initiative will be carried out through the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Lighthouses Initiative.

• Earth Negotiation Bulletin: A play-by-play of the negotiations plus expert analysis from the International Institute for Sustainable Development | @IISD_ENB
• Carbon Brief: Who wants what at COP26 living document to be updated in real time | @CarbonBrief
• ECO Newsletter: The climate advocate’s perspective from Climate Action Network International | @CANIntl
• COP26 Resource Hub: Analysis from the World Resources Institute | @WRIClimate
• Research and Independent NGOs: Notes from negotiating session taken by researchers at COP26 

• U.K. COP26 Presidency website: Priorities, details, and logistics for the negotiations | @COP26
• UNFCCC COP26 website: Conference details and all updates on documents produced during the negotiations | @UNFCCC and @UNFCCCDocuments
• Congressional Research Service: Reports related to the UNFCCC
• UNFCCC glossary of terms

• Briefing series: What Congress needs to know in the lead up to COP26
  • Creating Policies, Coalitions, and Actions for Global Sustainable Development
  • Momentum on Climate Adaptation
  • The Role of International Climate Finance
  • The Negotiations: What’s on the Table
• Articles: Quick reads connecting international climate talks to Congress
• Climate Change Solutions: Biweekly newsletter covering climate, energy, and environmental issues

⇒⇒⇒ EESI Resource: Read our article on the Adaptation Research Alliance.