‘Can’t wait for years to take action’

NEW DELHI: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) last week warned in a key report that the planet has only a small window left to prevent worsening effects of the climate crisis. United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) president Alok Sharma, who will chair the crucial meeting in Glasgow later this year, spoke to HT’S about the IPCC report, net-zero emission targets, and the possibility of still limiting global warming. Sharma, who is set to visit India this week, also said he expects world leaders to finalise a delivery plan for the $100 billion/year pledge for developing countries before the COP26 meeting. Excerpts:

Jayashree Nandi

The IPCC report is a real wake-up call for the whole world and what it does say is that the door is still ajar. But it is likely to close very fast unless we collectively take more ambitious action. The next decade is going to be absolutely decisive in terms of taking action, so what we cannot do is to wait two years, five years, 10 years before every country comes forward. We

need to take action right now.

The IPCC report says it is critical that parties move to net-zero emissions by 2050. Are you expecting developing countries like India to also commit to the target?

I was in India some months ago and I am coming again (this week). The message that I delivered to ministers in Delhi is entirely consistent with the message I deliver to every government — that we must do everything we can to keep (warming under) 1.5°C within reach. Part of that is to come up with commitments to cut emissions by 2030, (then) there are 2030 NDCS (nationally determined contributions), but also countries have to commit to net zero by the middle of the century. Now when we (UK) took on the COP 26 presidency, less than 30% of the global economy was covered by net-zero target, we are now at 70%. You have seen China set out its plan for 2060; Brazil has come forward with 2050, so you are seeing countries moving forbarail ward. But we want every country to set out plans to go net-zero by the middle of the century.

Delivering the $100 billion a year from 2020 to 2025 is a matter of trust for developing countries and for me, this is a totemic figure... the good news is that we saw new money coming forward from Germany, Japan and Canada at the G7 leaders’ summit (in June) and also the UK... I also held a ministerial meeting where around 50 ministers came together on July 25 and 26 in London and one of the issues that is being taken forward is a clear delivery plan... I hope that we can set out a delivery plan before COP 26, so it will inject confidence into the developing countries.

In comparison to top emitters, India’s per capita emissions are far lower than that of the US, China and the EU. Do you think it’s fair to ask countries with extremely low percapita emissions to switch to net zero?

I think the key issue here is about clean growth. I have always been very clear that we cannot ask any developing country, which is growing its economy rapidly, to not grow.

What I think we can do is to support a country to leapfrog the dirty power (fossil fuels) and move towards the clean energy revolution. I am incredibly impressed... from all the conversations I had with friends and ministers in India, there is this real desire to push forward on renewables and I think that is what we need to see across all countries.

COP26 is a make-or-break conference. Do you have any worries that some countries may block progress?

I have been very pleased with the overall feedback that I get from governments... that they want to see COP 26 be successful. But this is going to require compromise on some of the outstanding matters. I believe this is our last best hope of ensuring that we keep the 1.5°C (target) within reach. The decisions that this set of leaders take will impact younger generations and future generations... This is about the future of humanity and we need to do everything we can to avoid the catastrophe that would otherwise engulf all of us if we don’t make progress at Glasgow.

The IPCC report indicates it is possibly now inevitable that we will breach the 1.5°C-goal. Do you think the global community has done so little and so late that we have now reached a point of no return?

India and other developing countries believe that the Paris agreement principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities are undermined because the promised finance of $100 billion/year hasn’t come through. How will you gain their trust?