International climate targets could be at risk because only a few countries have updated their emissions reduction targets since last year’s Cop26 summit, activists have warned.
Labor says the UK government is “asleep behind the wheel” of the Cop26 presidency, as only 16 out of 197 member countries come up with new climate action plans.
Only 16 of the 197 member countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change have updated their plans on how to achieve climate goals, known as Nationally Determined Contributions or NDCs.
Countries are expected to submit updated plans by 23 September.
The Labor Party has criticized the UK government, which occupies this year’s Cop seat, for setting a bad example, as it has yet to come up with a new NDC.
Activists fear it could be difficult to make progress at the Cop27 summit in Egypt in November, when there are still not so many updated NDCs.
Mia Moisio of the NewClimate Institute said: “The lack of progress on the new 2022 climate targets is alarming and most major issuers appear to have no intention of updating their NDCs.
Climate targets remain behind schedule
“With less than four months to go until COP27, all governments must move towards more advanced climate action. For developed countries, this also means substantially increasing their contributions to climate finance, without which their credibility will be on the line during negotiations.”
There is concern that the government could be distracted by the competition for conservative leadership, preventing politicians from fulfilling the commitments made in the Cop26.
Many declarations still do not have many signatories. For example, the deforestation declaration, hailed as a landmark agreement, has only had four more nations signed since the summit: Vatican, Nicaragua, Singapore and Turkmenistan.
questioned leadership
The Labor Party accused the government of “wasting time” and urged it to persuade other nations to update their NDCs and lead by example by investing in green technology.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy recently embezzled £100m of international climate funding, which critics say could have been used to promote more ambitious climate targets. This is despite the fact that the ODI think tank, formerly the Overseas Development Institute, said the UK was only providing 55% of its “fair share” of climate finance in 2020, a figure it predicts will rise to 63% by 2025.
Kerry McCarthy, the shadow minister for climate change, said: “This government should be in charge during the presidency of Cop26. Instead, he fell asleep at the wheel.
“This zombie government has failed to persuade the vast majority of nations to update their climate targets and refuses to use available tools to make that happen.
“Britain must lead the way, showing that investing in green technologies is the best way to cut bills, improve energy security and grow the economy. Ministers must act together to support green solutions at home and encourage other countries to do the same.”
The government was contacted for comment.
By Helen Horton. Article in English