COP26: All eyes on Glasgow

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Sunday 31 October 2021 09:00 AM

COP26: All eyes on Glasgow

This week marks the start of formal proceedings at COP26, the United Nations global climate conference. I’m delighted to be here in Glasgow, alongside world leaders, climate scientists, NGOs and business leaders, Over the course of the next two weeks we will be showcasing the technologies we see as essential to a global transition to net zero, and advocating for the global policy landscape needed to make that happen.

What is, and what isn’t, COP26?

The COP, or conference of parties, is the meeting of all 197 countries who have signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC). Every year, global leaders, and their representatives, get together to agree strategies and plans, negotiate targets and policies, and review progress. Most people have probably heard of COP21, where the Paris climate agreement –the first global commitment to curb emissions - was successfully negotiated. The United Nations run the show, in partnership with a host government – in this case the UK Government – who assume the role of “presidency” for the year of their COP, or this time two years due to the delay associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Importantly, COP isn’t a trade show – business involvement is strictly limited and by invitation only.

If it takes place every year, why is this COP so special?

This year’s COP is particularly important for a number of reasons. Firstly – and most importantly – it’s the first major check in on progress since the 2015 Paris agreement. All countries have had to submit updated plans outlining their contribution to the Paris goals. 90% of countries, including the UK, US, and most of Europe, have set targets to achieve net zero carbon by 2050. Since 2015, the call for urgent action to reduce global emissions has strengthened significantly. Earlier this year the IPCC – or Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the international body that peer reviews climate science data and publications – published its latest assessment; concluding that “unless there are immediate, rapid, and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, limiting warming to close to 1.5°C or even 2°C will be beyond reach.”

Secondly, there are a few key technical negotiations taking place. In particular, the UN are looking to reach consensus on some of the final critical details of the Paris climate agreement: setting common timeframes for climate targets and plans; strengthening emissions tracking and reporting processes; and determining a global market for carbon.

Thirdly, a key focus of this years’ COP will be on adaptation and resilience – how can we prepare for the inevitable global temperature rise and the impacts of that? Even if we can succeed in curbing global temperature rise to 1.5oC we will still experience drastic changes to our climate as we know it today, including sea level rise, increased surface temperatures and weather volatility, which will impact the lives of millions. A key outcome of Glasgow will be in agreeing preparatory measures to minimise socioeconomic disruption as a result of climate change.

What is our involvement?

Personally, I’m very proud that we will be showing up at Glasgow in a number of ways, including: exhibiting our all-electric plane, The Spirit of Innovation, and our fuel cell technologies; participating in panel discussions and events focused on the net zero technology levers we are pulling; and myself and colleagues, including our CEO, Warren East, have been invited to address UN delegates on the role Rolls-Royce is playing to lead the transition to net zero. This is the first time, at least as far I’m aware, that we have ever had company representatives at a COP event.

The fact we have been invited to participate in, and in some way perhaps help shape, the discussion, is, at least in my view, an honour and a privilege.

For me, as a sustainability professional, playing an active role at COP may well be a career highlight to date, but I know it is just one small moment in time of a much bigger journey, and a journey that is everybody’s best interests.

Rolls-Royce at COP26

Find out more about Rolls-Royce at COP26.

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