COP 27 - Sharm el-Sheikh

The next instalment of COP (Conference of the Parties) is this weekend in Egypt, and Climate discussion is resurfacing again in the news.

COP 26 in Glasgow (results summary) last year brought high hopes of government action to slow our GHG emissions and keep global warming below 2.0˚C and as close to the original goal of 1.5˚C as possible. Emerging from these sessions, most scientists predicted that if governments are all successful at implementing the commitments made at COP 26, then warming would be stabilize at about 2.3˚C. Check out this previous post relating to temperatures, and GHG reduction pathways for more information.

That's a big 'if'- if governments in the 194 countries signed on to the Paris Agreement meet their targets. 

Targets generally include a reduction of GHG Emissions of 45% by the year 2030. There was also a pledge by 100 countries to reduce their methane emissions by 30% by 2030. Methane (CH4) is a very powerful GHG, but thankfully it is generally released in much smaller quantities than Carbon Dioxide (CO2).

Listening to the news today, there is some doubt about the success of COP27. Greta Thunberg has decided not to attend, and the new British Prime Minister wasn't going to go, but has since changed his mind. However, at least the shipping industry is stepping up.

Canada has a plan to achieve this, however, it does not look like we are meeting our targets. Here is a graph of our recent emissions, but note that it stops in 2020 when the pandemic hit. 

Source: Our World in Data

Since 2020 most of us have been hoping to 'bring life back to something close to normal', which means the emissions line has likely gone back up. We couldn't find any more recent data though to verify it. 

Here is another graphic to present our greenhouse gas emissions targets, and how things need to change by 2030.

Source: Climate Action Tracker

Whether or not we have hope for COP27 and the agreements that might come out of it, we are still left with our own actions. So what can we do to help fight climate change?

• Vote for representatives that will keep 45% by 2030 in mind
• Talk to others about the issue
• Take actions locally to do the best in our lives.
• Make choices to live 'smaller' and reduce our own GHG emissions.

Here's some simple tips from a previous post if you'd like a place to start.

With the new Council in Billings Township a new Climate Action Committee will be struck for the next four years. Consider joining the committee if you're interested in helping make a a difference! One of the last actions of the former committee was to apply for a grant in conjunction with Manitoulin Streams to add trees to several locations around town - carbon sequestration. Hopefully this project will come to fruition with the help of the new committee in 2023.

Overall, the whole approach of COP meetings and international signed agreements can be confusing. Here's a link to help break down the process. And here is a speech by Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.