SIX CRUCIAL ISSUES THAT THE DELEGATES NEED TO DISCUSS

WORLD leaders are to discuss action to tackle climate change at the 27th UN climate summit. Here are the biggest issues to be debated by delegates from more than 200 governments

CASH

Bob Ward, policy director at Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, LSE

FINANCE will be critical at COP27, particularly against a backdrop of lingering debts from the pandemic. It seems unlikely that rich countries will reach their overdue target of providing $100billion to poor countries but negotiations have already started on a new higher target. Poor countries are demanding additional money for loss caused by climate change.

METHANE

Prof Euan Nisbet from the Greenhouse Gas Group at Royal Holloway University

METHANE has shown the sharpest growth on record. It is urgent that the Global Methane Pledge should be made to work, especially by cutting emissions from coal mining and from landfills. Humanity needs China, India and Russia to join the Pledge.

COAL

Dr Robin Lamboll of Imperial College London

THE recent gas squeeze has resulted in UK coal stations being given an extra lease of life this winter, although the 2024 deadline for total shutdown is still plausible. Coal burning for electricity has been 10 per cent lower in the first half of the year than last year, in spite of coal usage increasing across Europe.

TREES

Dr Tilly Collins, deputy director of Imperial’s Centre for Environmental Policy

DEFRA has worked hard to provide funds and structural support for increased tree planting. They collaborated with the Forestry Commission and key stakeholders to design and establish the Nature for Climate Fund tree programme. The current political uncertainty... now puts achieving the Government’s ambitious but excellent tree planting target in serious doubt.

CARS

Dr Drew Pearce of Imperial’s Department of Physics

OF the 20 largest car manufacturers only GM, Toyota and Honda have committed to fully ending production of combustion vehicles by 2040. Some have adopted softer targets such as committing to all-electric vehicle sales in certain markets. Little progress has been made to support retrofitting.

FINANCE

Dr Ben Caldecott, director of the UK Centre for Greening Finance & Investment

RISHI Sunak, as Chancellor, announced the UK would introduce mandatory net zero transition plans for large companies. This remains a world-leading commitment. He established a taskforce to advise on the detail and it publishes its recommendations at COP27.