An agreement that paves the way to change
A conference which was years in the making,
COP26 has concluded and produced a climate agreement between the nations of the world progress, albeit less than we need to avoid catastrophic climate change.
Countries with vastly different populations, histories and economies attempting to thrash out agreements will always be a tall ask, and yet an agreement has been produced as the result of much negotiation.
The chief goal of Glasgow was to ‘keep 1.5c alive’ and under control as per the 2015 Paris Agreement. The commitments produced from COP26 do not enable this on their own, but open a pathway for countries to revisit and strengthen their own National Determined Contributions (NDCs) in 2022 - a compromise that will be judged by future generations, either as a key point of inflection in the climate fight, or failure.
Language in the text on ‘phasing out’ coal was watered down to ‘phasing down’, which has angered many hoping for more ambition on this particular topic. However we should note, this is the first-time coal has been directly addressed in such an agreement, which again demonstrates progress.
Domestically, we may be comforted into thinking Scotland’s place in the world, politically and geographically, will insulate us from the worst effects of climate change. Climate modelling suggests we won’t be so lucky, as global changes often find a way to the local level: through increased rainfall, flooding, heatwaves and stronger storms.
Despite promises from the Prime Minister of the contrary, our First Minister Nicola Sturgeon represented Scotland expertly at COP26.
Through her skilful diplomacy, Scotland has been able to win new friends and allies in the fight against climate change and showcase the actions the Scottish Government are undertaking to do our part in this international fight.
Underscored by the First Minister, when challenged on Scotland’s own oil and gas industry, was the need to couple climate action with climate justice. Change must come, but we cannot inflict on communities the industrial mistakes of the past, which saw whole areas of Scotland economically and socially devastated for generations.
A proper ’Just Transition’ will be one that supports workers and businesses in the fossil fuel industry to begin, continue and complete the move to our necessary net-zero green economy. Simplistic slogans will do little to alleviate the fears of many households across Scotland who depend on employment in these industries to survive. The Scottish Government has established a Just Transition Commission to guide our own work here in Scotland and has committed £500 million to a Just Transition fund for the North-East and Moray.
It’s my sincere hope this agreement forms the firm foundation from which we’ll build the greener, cleaner and fairer world we need to save our civilisation from the full horrors of climate change.
But it will take all of civic society - campaigners, trade unionists, charities, schools, governments in every sphere and nation - to drive forward the changes we’ll need to see.
Whilst the Scottish Government has limited powers to deliver a net-zero Scotland, they are using every policy lever in the toolbox to tackle climate change and develop the greener nation we know we can be.
As ever, it’s my firm belief that independence in the European Union offers the best route to a fairer, greener and more sustainable Scotland. And based on the success of her soft diplomacy at COP26, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will be the one to deliver that compelling vision of Scotland’s future.