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1. Chinese foreign policy has the merit of transparency. As part of their their project of long term economic development and protection of their territorial integrity, they are very careful to stick to the rules laid down by the international order (i.e. us) and they get upset when we disregard these rules, e.g. by bombing their embassy in Belgrade, or starting half a dozen futile wars close to their borders.

   The incident most relevant to the Paris Accord was probably what occurred at the Copenhagen COP in 2009 when the Maldives representative, a certain Mark Lynas, broke diplomatic confidentiality by revealing the Chinese position in a secret negotiation session in a scoop in the Guardian. The fact that the West thinks there’s nothing wrong with breaking the basic rules of diplomacy when its done by a Green activist told the Chinese all they need to know about climate change negotiations.

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2. Pointing out the hypocrisy of the Paris accord, really the whole anti-fossil fuel accounting muddle, is Greta’s thing. She gets invited to Davos to point her finger at the elites who don’t walk their talk, and they love her for it. It’s so much hellfire and brimstone, along with self-flagellation. Until the false premises of global warming/climate change are renounced, the energy foundations of modern society will be eroded by the environmental Luddites.

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3. Here’s what I”m talking about:
   
   Climate Activists storm the bastion of Exxon Mobil, here seen without their shareholder disguises.

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4. This post gives an idea of what really will happen to CO2 emissions and shows the futility of Western efforts too reduce their own limited CO2 output

   https://edmhdotme.wordpress.com/quantifying-futility-2020-estimate-of-future-co2-emissions/

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5. This post quantifies the futility of Western efforts to limit their Co2 emissions
   https://edmhdotme.wordpress.com/quantifying-futility-2020-estimate-of-future-co2-emissions/

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6. Thanks for the comments, from the newbie here. Ed Hoskins, we’re definitely singing from the same hymn book (or should I reserve such a phrase for those behind the climate alarmism religion?).

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7. “The ultimate objective of this Convention…is to achieve…stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Such a level should be achieved within a time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.”

   So where’s the panic? “Greenhouse gas concentrations”, by which they mean CO2, are unlikely ever to reach a level where “dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system” is possible since, in spite of the Chicken Little panic-mongering, there is little to no scientific evidence that CO2 is a major (or even any) driver of atmospheric temperature change. There is ample evidence available on-line that current CO2 concentrations are at historically low levels and the human race has happily survived.

   Earth’s eco-systems are remarkably robust and resilient so there is no chance that they will have any difficulty in coping with any puny human attempts — accidental or deliberate — to destroy them and so far the only measurable effect of the increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration has been to improve crop yields to the point where we are feeding more people better on less land than ever in human history.

   Enabling “economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner”, as those who delight in such knee-jerk clichés know all too well (most of them anyway), is a bad joke. Any aspect of ‘development’ which is not “sustainable” will not survive, as the current pandemic is demonstrating, but the UN apparatchiks and their eco-useful-idiots don’t mean “sustainable” in the normal sense; their definition is “without damage to the environment” (according to Chambers) while being hypocritically selective about the meaning of “damage” — wind farms do not damage the environment but coal mines to produce the coal to make the steel for the pylons apparently do. Likewise intensive farming damages the environment even though it frees up land which can be used for re-afforestation, which would help the sequestration of CO2 which they ought to be in favour of.

   This CO2 obsession has been dangled in front of our eyes like a hypnotist’s gold watch for three decades and it’s a Malthusian con trick. The genuinely “developing” world — which does not include China or India or South Africa — is perfectly entitled to look to the developed world for help, both practical and financial, to drag itself up to our standard of living, but that’s not what they are being offered. They are in effect being offered handouts to stay poor, denied the means of fuelling their own industrial revolution on the totally spurious grounds that allowing them fossil fuels will destroy the planet.

   Shellenberger’s ‘Apocalypse Never’ says it better than I can.

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8. @ Mark, congrats on the new appointment. I look forward to reading more of your articles.

   A trio of things. You mention in passing the “exported” emissions from China. Now, if I were the Chinese, and the Western bugs get too pesky, I’d be tempted to delete all emissions related to stuff sent to other countries. Oh, really? You don’t like our emission cuts? Too small for you huh buddy? Well, let’s just add 10% to yours that you cleverly avoided by importing all your tat from us.

   (This is unrealistic, not least because they want us to keep buying their tat.)

   Second, the idea of letting countries set their own targets is ludicrous. The UK is leading the way, in the name of embodying “moral authority.” In fact we are going to lead the way off a cliff. In fact, like Wile E. Coyote, we might be over the edge already but haven’t noticed yet. I have a very simple proposition. Let them get someone with a computer, or maybe a Casio FX-82a^, or the back of an envelope, to tell everyone what their emissions targets ought to be. This will be a two-stage process.

   i) I work out the global budget – *kof* I mean the independently-chosen arbiter does. I’m calling it 5GtC per year in perpetuity.

   ii) I divide the 5GtC among the world population, weighting each country’s total allowance by its population.

   The poorer countries can increase their emissions and the richer will have to reduce theirs, but we will all asymptote to the same value – emphatically NOT zero. (If we allow the population to be 7 billion, it comes out to about 5/7 tC each person.)

   Three: back to China…… you cannot trust a damn word they say. If they promise net zero by 2060 and don’t deliver, that won’t matter a damn because they will by then be the sole superpower, unless the democratic countries actually grow a pair. To judge from the buffoon Boris’s plan for the future, we will keep tut-tutting about how nasty Mr Xi is, while still outsourcing all our manufacturing to him (“yeh, he’s a bit dodgy, ya know, but he’s cash in hand – the other builder wanted two grand more for VAT or something, and who has got two grand to spare in this day and age, what with the young folk all unemployed, you know, it’s terrible, I don’t know how it got this way, Aunt Maud was saying that she can’t even afford to have the gas fire on, still I suppose it’s all progress, amirite, how’s your mother?”)

   Four: I said three, but I forgot what the third one was, made up a new third that might plausibly have been the original third, then remembered the real original third. It goes back to Paris itself and that cheer that went up at the end. At the time I looked at those fools, those nodding dogs, backslappers, those vacant-eyed nothings and asked myself: Do they really believe they have achieved something (i.e. are they just plain stupid), or are they just putting on a show (they are liars)?

   Go straight to the heroic last 30 seconds if you can bear to.

   ^How is it that I can still remember the model of calculator I owned in the mid 80s?

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9. Mark’s focus in this article is quite rightly on the “lack of an effective process for monitoring compliance” and the “lack of true commitment shown by key nations.”

   On monitoring compliance: claiming to be able accurately to tot up gigatonnes of CO2 is lunacy. Who really knows what’s coming out of Chinese exhaust pipes and what’s being absorbed by newly flourishing Chinese forests? How do you convert hectares into gigatonnes? Climate believers would hand over the governance of the planet to mad bean counters with pie charts where their brains should be.

   On the lack of true commitment: I believe compliance by the annex 1 nations is dependent on the rich nations coughing up $100 billion a year. Since they won’t, the deal is off. Only a dozen or so countries count in the CO2 stakes. The rest are there for decoration – dozens of small island states where diesel generation is the only practical proposition (no port for coal, and windmills fall over in hurricanes) are voting fodder who can be bought off with a few million dollars.

   The real story is China. By rigidly sticking to the rules, (making promises which are within the guidelines for developing countries, but useless for reducing emissions) China has screwed the whole COP project. Since Paris there’s been an absurd propaganda campaign from the Greens to pretend that China is the new leader of the march to zero emissions, but as Mark points out, it’s “the most obvious, and most significant, example of toothless commitment.”

   There’s so much more that’s interesting about China at the moment, like the fact that they are second in space exploration (behind the USA) and second in the development of hypersonic weapons (behind Russia, but way ahead of the USA) which make classic naval warfare redundant. And the fact that the Pentagon thinks that China will invade Taiwan within six years, provoking a war with the USA. And that the woke western media are promoting fantasies about genocide of the Uighurs as if a world war was just what end-of-the-world-fearing Guardian readers want. Maybe they do.

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10. Thank you for the additional comments, all encouraging me to do more and produce a follow-up piece. I won’t be giving any secrets away if I say that some of the comments have touched on very important issues to which I will return. However, this article was already too long to deal with them in it in any depth, so watch this space.

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11. “Which country has made the biggest climate commitment?
    The US, EU and UK are leading the race to cut emissions targets among the world’s biggest economies”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/23/which-country-has-made-the-biggest-climate-commitment

    “…Who’s missing?
    China is the world’s biggest emitter and has yet to submit an NDC to the UN. The country has a current target of peaking emissions by 2030. However, analysts say this is much too late, and many climate experts are pushing Beijing to seek to peak greenhouse gas emissions in 2025, which they say would be feasible.

    China’s latest five-year plan, unveiled last month, disappointed many by failing to include a tougher target. But this week president Xi Jinping said China’s coal consumption would peak in 2025, which would take the country – and the world – a long way towards the cuts needed….

    …Are the targets compulsory?
    None of these targets are compulsory. The 2015 Paris agreement comes in two parts: the binding treaty, by which all countries have pledged to hold global heating well below 2C, with an aspiration to limit heating to no more than 1.5C, above pre-industrial levels; and the non-binding annex containing the NDCs. Countries can change or re-submit their NDCs, or ignore them – there are no sanctions….”

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12. “Report: China emissions exceed all developed nations combined”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-57018837

    “China emits more greenhouse gas than the entire developed world combined, a new report has claimed.

    The research by Rhodium Group says China emitted 27% of the world’s greenhouse gases in 2019.

    The US was the second-largest emitter at 11% while India was third with 6.6% of emissions, the think tank said.

    Scientists warn that without an agreement between the US and China it will be hard to avert dangerous climate change.

    China’s emissions more than tripled over the previous three decades, the report from the US-based Rhodium Group added.

    The Asian giant has the world’s largest population, so its per person emissions are still far behind the US, but the research said those emissions have increased too, tripling over the course of two decades….

    …China is heavily reliant on coal power.

    The country is currently running 1,058 coal plants – more than half the world’s capacity….

    …According to the Climate Action Tracker, an independent scientific analysis that tracks government climate action, China’s NDC rating is “highly insufficient” and “are not at all consistent with holding warming to below 2C”….”

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13. “If we can vaccinate the world, we can beat the climate crisis
    Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo
    Rich countries can’t expect to be trusted on their climate promises if they fail the poorest on vaccines”

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/05/poorer-nations-climate-promises-vaccines-vaccinating-covid

    Well, I think the authors have gone to the nub of the problem regarding the Paris Agreement, COP 26, and all efforts to deal with “the climate emergency”. Action on the part of the west is futile unless the whole world joins in; in joining in, the developing world will be shooting itself in the foot in terms of damaging attempts to grow economies and improve the lot of people whose lives are often pretty awful; and they need money – lots of western money – to persuade them to go along. That western money hasn’t been forthcoming much, if at all, so far, and in the aftermath of covid, with western governments more indebted than ever, does anyone seriously think it’s going to be forthcoming now?

    “The success of Cop26 depends in part upon larger developing countries such as Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan committing to sacrifices that will only pay off if countries such as the US, UK, Germany, France and Canada can be relied upon to stick to their own commitments.

    By agreeing to cut CO2 emissions, these developing countries will potentially curtail their own growth and perhaps even have to give up equipment that protects them from an already changing climate in the short term, such as cheap, polluting air conditioners. This sacrifice will only pay off if rich countries respond by cutting their own emissions so that worst-case scenarios can be avoided. Without everyone doing their part, we’re effectively rearranging the deckchairs on a sinking ship. In the aftermath of Covid-19, these countries may wonder what guarantee they have that when the next disaster strikes – and domestic pressures mount – rich countries won’t abandon their commitments. Trust, therefore, is key.

    Even if rich countries made binding commitments to domestic climate policies at Cop26, this would be unlikely to get developing countries to sign a demanding agenda. There is a strong and entirely justified perception that the world’s poor are being asked to make sacrifices to atone for rich countries’ past sins of careless growth. The fact that these countries have now shown they care little about the wellbeing of poorer nations obviously does not help.

    Developing countries will, quite reasonably, demand to be compensated for the more onerous choices that Cop26 demands of them. Research by colleagues in our MIT lab J-PAL, which runs the King Climate Action Initiative, demonstrates that this kind of conditional compensation works: in Uganda, paying landowners to not cut down trees has curbed deforestation and reduced carbon emissions at a cost of less than $1 per tonne. Researchers are studying dozens of other policy innovations that could work across the world – from emissions trading to incentives to reducing crop burning.

    These schemes only work if developing countries trust they will be paid compensation. Such promises have been made: advanced economies have formally agreed to raise $100bn per year for the Green Climate Fund to address the pressing mitigation and adaptation needs of developing countries. But at the moment, both developing countries and their citizens are questioning whether they can trust them to stick to their part of the bargain.”

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14. Do Guardian journalists read CliScep?

    I like the headline, anyway!

    “All hot air: UK commits to climate action but not to new funding”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/12/all-hot-air-uk-commits-to-climate-action-but-not-to-new-funding

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15. Good luck with that:

    “Climate change: US pushes China to make faster carbon cuts”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-57904042

    “US climate envoy John Kerry has called on China to increase the speed and depth of its efforts to cut carbon.

    Without sufficient emissions reductions by China, Mr Kerry said, the global goal of keeping temperatures under 1.5C was “essentially impossible”.

    Mr Kerry said he was convinced that China could do more and the US was willing to work closely to secure a reasonable climate future.

    Every major economy must now commit to meaningful reductions by 2030, he said.”

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16. “Merkel: Germany has not done enough to hit Paris climate targets
    Chancellor says record on reducing carbon emissions ‘not sufficient’ as she reflects on 16-year leadership”

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/22/merkel-germany-not-done-enough-hit-paris-climate-target

    “Angela Merkel has conceded Germany’s record on reducing carbon emissions was “not sufficient” to meet the global warming targets of the Paris climate agreement, as the chancellor reflected on the achievements and missed opportunities of her 16-year leadership.

    Speaking at the last of her annual summer press conferences on Thursday before stepping down as leader of Europe’s largest economy after federal elections on 26 September, Merkel said Germany “has done a lot” to recalibrate its economy in the face of the climate crisis, increasing the share of renewables in its energy mix from 10% to 40%, and lowering carbon emission by 20% in the period from 1990 to 2010, and by another 20% in the 10 years since.

    The 67-year-old nonetheless conceded that “what has been achieved is not sufficient” when measured against the Paris agreement’s target to limit global warming to well below 2C, preferably to 1.5C, compared with pre-industrial levels. Not just Germany, but the whole world had failed to meet its targets, she said….

    …She defended her government’s 2011 decision to phase out nuclear power by 2022, which critics say has made the country more reliant on coal power. “For Germany, the die has been cast,” she said. “I don’t see a government of the future changing anything in that respect.”…”

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17. It’s still going well, then…:

    “Plans of four G20 states are threat to global climate pledge, warn scientists
    ‘Disastrous’ energy policies of China, Russia, Brazil and Australia could stoke 5C rise in temperatures if adopted by the rest of the world”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/25/plans-of-four-g20-states-are-threat-to-global-climate-pledge-warn-scientists

    “A key group of leading G20 nations is committed to climate targets that would lead to disastrous global warming, scientists have warned. They say China, Russia, Brazil and Australia all have energy policies associated with 5C rises in atmospheric temperatures, a heating hike that would bring devastation to much of the planet.

    The analysis, by the peer-reviewed group Paris Equity Check, raises serious worries about the prospects of key climate agreements being achieved at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow in three months. The conference – rated as one of the most important climate summits ever staged – will attempt to hammer out policies to hold global heating to 1.5C by agreeing on a global policy for ending net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050.

    The EU and UK have outlined emission pledges that could bring the world close to these aspirations. However, those of China, Russia, Brazil and Australia – which remain reliant on continued fossil-fuel burning – would trigger temperature rises of 5C if followed by the rest of the world. This dramatic discrepancy reveals a deep division over the energy and environment policies of the world’s richest nations. “Without more ambition from China, Brazil, Russia and Australia, Cop26 will fail to deliver the future our planet needs,” warned Tanya Steele, chief executive at WWF.

    The stark difference between the climate plans of different G20 nations – who together are responsible for 85% of all global carbon emissions – was underlined last week in Naples, when a meeting of member states’ energy and environment ministers ended with the group failing to agree on a package of commitments to tackle climate change. “The G20 is failing to deliver,” said the online activist network Avaaz.

    The G20 meeting had been viewed as a critically important staging post leading up to Cop26 and its failure to find common ground underlines the crucial differences that divide nations in the group and indicate it is not going to be easy to secure a meaningful accord in Scotland.”

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18. More from that pre-meet today:

    “COP26 climate summit president says progress made, but not enough
    By Matt McGrath
    Environment correspondent”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-57975025

    “The first in-person meeting of climate ministers in 18 months has seen some tentative progress, says the UK minister who will lead the Glasgow COP26 meeting.

    Alok Sharma said that the countries aligned more closely on climate issues but on some key matters they were “not yet close enough”.

    One of the outstanding questions is the phasing out of coal for energy.

    Continued use was incompatible with a key climate target, Mr Sharma said….

    …Scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – the UN’s climate science body – have begun two weeks of discussions to try and agree a new report on the state of the global climate.

    On the political front, environment ministers from the G20 group of nations met in Naples, Italy, last week to try and make progress on questions such as the elimination of coal from power generation.

    While there was strong support for the step, it was opposed by China and India….”.

    What a surprise!

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19. “‘What can we do?’ Chinese discuss role of climate crisis in deadly floods
    Media and citizens have begun asking if China has properly prepared for climate emergency”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/26/chinese-discuss-role-climate-crisis-china-deadly-floods

    “Awareness of the climate emergency has been growing in China over the last decade, in part due to Beijing’s involvement in high-profile international initiatives such as the Paris agreement. In a China Center for Climate Change Communication survey in 2012, 55% of the respondents said the climate crisis was mostly caused by human activities. In 2017, 75.2% believed they had already experienced impacts of the climate emergency, and nearly 80% were worried about it.”

    Excuse me? What did that BBC article just say? Oh yes, that was it:

    “…ministers from the G20 group of nations met in Naples, Italy, last week to try and make progress on questions such as the elimination of coal from power generation.

    While there was strong support for the step, it was opposed by China and India….”.

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20. “Climate-above-all plea by US fails to stir China”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-58427519

    “US climate envoy John Kerry has told China that climate change is more important than politics as tensions between the two countries continue.

    He made the remarks following two days of talks with Chinese leaders in the city of Tianjin.

    But China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned on Wednesday that the worsening relationship could hamper future co-operation on climate issues.

    Both countries have outlined steps to tackle climate change.

    But Mr Kerry has called on China to increase its efforts to tackle carbon emissions.

    Tensions between the two countries have worsened in recent months with disputes over China’s human rights record, the South China Sea and the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Mr Kerry said he had told the Chinese that “climate is not ideological, not partisan and not a geostrategic weapon”.

    “It is essential… no matter what differences we have, that we have to address the climate crisis,” he said

    Earlier, Mr Wang called on the US to “stop seeing China as a threat and an opponent”, accusing Washington of a “major strategic miscalculation towards China”.

    “It is impossible for China-US climate co-operation to be elevated above the overall environment of China-US relations,” he said.

    China became the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide in 2006 and is now responsible for more than a quarter of the world’s overall greenhouse gas emissions.

    President Xi Jinping has said he will aim for China’s emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for the country to be carbon neutral by 2060. But it is not yet clear how he plans to achieve this.”

    I’m glad to see those last two paragraphs. They do indeed represent the extent of China’s “commitment” despite repeated claims by journalists at both the BBC and the Guardian regarding China’s supposed (but non-real) climate “pledge”.

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21. Good luck with that!

    “UK planning last-ditch China climate talks to break impasse before Cop26
    Exclusive: Crunch meeting of world leaders tabled for this month, with Xi key to success of climate summit”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/10/uk-china-climate-talks-break-impasse-cop26

    “Boris Johnson is planning to convene last-ditch climate talks with the president of China, Xi Jinping, at a crunch meeting of world leaders later this month, in hopes of breaking the global impasse on climate action before the Cop26 climate summit being hosted in Glasgow this November.

    Xi will be invited, along with the leaders of about 30 other countries, to a high-level meeting on the sidelines of the UN general assembly in New York on 20 September, the Guardian has learned.

    China, the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, is crucial to the success of Cop26, but is a focus of increasing concern as its current emissions plans are regarded as too weak….

    …China is responsible for more than a quarter of global carbon emissions and despite rapidly growing renewable power is still heavily dependent on coal and still planning new coal-fired power stations despite promises to reduce its use. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has said that if China expands its use of coal, annual global carbon emissions are likely to rise by a record amount next year, putting hopes of limiting global heating to 1.5C – the stronger of two goals in the 2015 Paris agreement – all but out of reach.

    Jennifer Morgan, the executive director of Greenpeace International, said China was crucial to hopes of success at Cop26. “The world needs China to move to keep 1.5C alive. Action by China, as the world’s biggest emitter, is fundamental. Decisions by the Chinese now have a huge influence on the wellbeing of the planet and our future.”…

    …Morgan said China should agree to peak its emissions by 2025, set a specific timeline for phasing out its use of coal and introduce a moratorium on its financing of coal development overseas to give the world a chance of staying within 1.5C.

    Underlining the importance of China, the US, UK and EU are all engaged in frantic diplomacy with the country’s leaders. Joe Biden’s special envoy on the climate, John Kerry, visited Tianjin this month and Alok Sharma, the UK minister who will preside over Cop26, followed last week.

    The Guardian understands these meetings were positive, though they produced no new concrete measures from China….”

    Meanwhile, in a parallel universe:

    “…Bob Ward, policy director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change at the London School of Economics, said finance was key. “China takes seriously its role in supporting other developing countries. It is likely waiting for an indication that the rich countries will honour their commitment to mobilise $100bn a year for developing countries from public and private sources.”…”

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22. “Most plans for new coal plants scrapped since Paris agreement
    Report by climate groups found more than three-quarters of projects were discarded after the deal was signed”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/14/most-plans-for-new-coal-plants-scrapped-since-paris-agreement

    “The report found that if China, which is responsible for more than half of the world’s coal plant plans, opted to scrap the projects, alongside India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Turkey and Bangladesh, then the number of coal power plants in the pipeline would shrink by almost 90%.”

    But they won’t, will they?

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23. Why does this surprise anybody?

    “Governments falling woefully short of Paris climate pledges, study finds
    As Cop26 meeting approaches, analysis shows world is on track for 3C temperature increase if present trends continue”

    https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/sep/15/governments-falling-short-paris-climate-pledges-study

    “Every one of the world’s leading economies, including all the countries that make up the G20, is failing to meet commitments made in the landmark Paris agreement in order to stave off climate catastrophe, a damning new analysis has found.

    Less than two months before crucial United Nations climate talks take place in Scotland, none of the largest greenhouse gas emitting countries have made sufficient plans to lower pollution to meet what they agreed to in the 2015 Paris climate accord.

    This means the world is barreling towards calamitous climate impacts.

    Under the Paris deal, nations vowed to prevent the world’s average temperature rising 1.5C above pre-industrial times in order to avoid disastrous heatwaves, flooding, storms, drought and other consequences that are already starting to unfold. But the new analysis, by Climate Action Tracker, finds almost every country is falling woefully short of that commitment.

    Climate pledges made by Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia are “critically insufficient”, the analysis found, while Australia, Brazil, Canada, China and India are among those deemed “highly insufficient”.

    The US, the European Union bloc, Germany and Japan are ranked as “insufficient”, while the UK, the host of the upcoming climate summit, is “almost sufficient”.

    Of the 36 countries, plus the EU, ranked by the Climate Action Tracker only the Gambia has made commitments in line with the 1.5C Paris goal. Combined, these countries make up 80% of global emissions.”

    Only the Gambia, eh? That’s not so impressive. Here are the notes I made on Gambia’s INDC at the time:

    “According to preliminary inventory data for 2010 under the Third National Communication (being developed), the Gambia represented below 0.01% of the global emission and as such its contribution to climate change has always been marginal. At first sight it seems rather unfair to ask a country like The Gambia to contribute to the global emission reduction efforts, which implies that resources to be allocated to poverty reduction and development priorities will be arbitrated to take into account the requirements of the implementation of the Paris Agreement.”

    Indeed – so why bother? “…the Gambia would like to provide a moral voice for all responsible and capable countries to undertake actions that are proportionate for their responsibilities and capabilities not only for themselves, but for the whole global community.”

    Maybe…but maybe this also has something to do with it:

    “Financial support from all sources will be needed for the implementation of this INDC. An assessment of the implementation options is needed between 2016 and 2018. Potential sources will include, the National Budget and proposed National Climate Fund, the financial mechanism of the Convention, bilateral and multilateral sources, other non-Convention financial and investments sources, as well as international and domestic private finance sources.”

    Still, “Treatment of the Land Use Land Use-Change and Forestry (LULUCF) emissions category has not been considered in the INDC. Excluding LULUCF and for Low Emissions Scenario, emissions will be reduced by about 44.4% in 2025 and 45.4% in 2030.” NB That’s against a Business as Usual scenario.

    Still, these are among the better INDCs in my opinion, for what it’s worth. They seem to be sincere, and if implemented in full, might actually show a marginal reduction in GHG emissions. The problems are the cost, to be paid for by the international community, and the fact their omissions represent such a small proportion of the world’s total that this won’t make any significant difference to anything.

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24. “Climate experts fear Aukus will dash hopes of China emissions deal
    Timing of defence deal, ahead of Cop26 summit where China will be key player, dismays campaigners”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/16/aukus-pact-dash-hopes-china-emissions-deal-cop26-climate

    “The timing of the new defence deal between the US, UK and Australia has dismayed climate experts, who fear it could have a negative effect on hopes of a deal with China on greenhouse gas emissions ahead of vital UN climate talks….

    …Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, raised the issue of the impact on Cop26 in the House of Commons. He said: “We must work with them [China] on the defining global issues of the day like climate change and pandemic preparedness. Without diplomatic strategy and skill, those goals will come into conflict. So what plan does the prime minister have to ensure that this new arrangement increases rather than decreases our ability to influence China? With Cop26 around the corner, the UK’s approach to China matters.”…”

    I think it’s fair to say that climate experts, campaigners, and Sir Keir are in Cloud Cuckoo Land if they think that cosying up to China will result in China playing ball at COP 26. All the evidence to date points in the other direction. What on earth has happened to make them think differently.? Nothing, of course. IMO, they are utterly delusional.

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25. “Climate change: UN warning over nations’ climate plans”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-58600723

    “Despite all the promises to take action, the world is still on course to heat up to dangerous levels.

    That’s the latest blunt assessment of the United Nations.

    Its experts have studied the climate plans of more than 100 countries and concluded that we’re heading in the wrong direction….

    …Under the rules of the Paris Agreement on climate change, countries are meant to update their carbon reduction plans every five years.

    But the UN says that of 191 countries taking part in the agreement, only 113 have so far come up with improved pledges….

    …In another analysis, the World Resources Institute and Climate Analytics highlight how China, India, Saudi Arabia and Turkey – together responsible for 33% of greenhouse gases – have yet to submit updated plans.

    It says that Australia and Indonesia have the same carbon reduction targets they did back in 2015 – while the Paris Agreement is meant to involve a “ratchet mechanism” of progressively deeper cuts.

    And the study finds that Brazil, Mexico and Russia all expect their emissions to grow rather than to shrink….”.

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26. “Climate change: Should green campaigners put more pressure on China to slash emissions?
    By Roger Harrabin
    BBC environment analyst”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-58584976

    “China will be urged at the UN next week to speed up the timetable for curbing its planet-heating carbon emissions.

    It will be nudged by the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who’s experiencing climate pressure himself from climate activists blocking motorways.

    But is the UK, with its world-leading emissions targets, the right target for demonstrators?

    China produces 28% of global emissions and the UK just 1%. So shouldn’t they be picketing the Chinese embassy instead of the M25 motorway?”

    What’s the matter, Rog? Been stuck in a traffic jam, have we?

    “But when I initially asked the radical green group Extinction Rebellion (XR) if they had considered demonstrating against China, it triggered a furious response.

    An XR member tweeted accusing me of perpetuating anti-Chinese racist stereotypes and failing to report climate change properly.

    Why so vitriolic?

    Well, there are two reasons. The first is practical: climate campaigning groups like Greenpeace and WWF have offices in Beijing and if they rattle China too hard, they could be swiftly closed down.

    The second reason touches a sore spot on the geopolitical history of climate change. For the purposes of climate negotiations, China has been regarded as a developing country because major industrialisation occurred from the mid-20th Century, after some other countries.

    Picketing the Chinese embassy would ostensibly transfer blame for the current crisis on to Beijing – while easing pressure for carbon cuts in wealthy nations such as the UK.”

    Reality bites. The truth will out.

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27. “Climate pledges tough to secure before COP26 summit, PM warns”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58620566

    “There is a “six out of 10” chance of getting other countries to sign up to financial and environmental targets ahead of November’s key COP26 climate change conference, the UK PM has said.

    Boris Johnson is in the US for a UN meeting where he will urge leaders to take “concrete action” on the issue.

    But he said it would be “tough” to persuade allies to meet their promise to give $100bn a year to developing nations to cut carbon emissions….

    …Downing Street has said developed countries have “collectively failed” on their $100bn (£73bn) target, with OECD figures last week showing that only $79.6bn in climate finance was mobilised in 2019 ….

    …COP26 president Alok Sharma, who is with the PM, earlier revealed that Chinese President Xi Jinping has not yet committed to attending the conference.”

    Meanwhile, as part of the rush to reduce GHG emissions, our brilliant “prime minister is likely to push for a restoration of UK-US travel, with Mr Biden’s administration having maintained a ban despite travel restrictions being eased elsewhere.”

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28. Sounds promising for climate worriers?

    “China pledges to stop building new coal energy plants abroad”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-58647481

    “China will not build new coal-fire projects abroad, a move that could be pivotal in tackling global emissions.

    President Xi Jinping made the announcement in his address at the United Nations General Assembly.

    China has been funding coal projects in countries like Indonesia and Vietnam under a massive infrastructure project known as the Belt and Road initiative.

    But it has been under pressure to end the financing, as the world tries to meet Paris climate agreement targets.

    “China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy, and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad,” Mr Xi said in a video recording at the annual summit.

    No further details were provided, but the move could limit the expansion of coal plants in many developing countries under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

    The BRI has seen China fund trains, roads, ports and coal plants in numerous countries, many of them developing nations. For the first time in several years however, it did not fund any coal projects in the first half of 2021.

    China is also the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter and is heavily reliant on coal for domestic energy needs.”

    A number of comments. Is it “a pledge”? It’s a statement of intent. No date is mentioned. It’s not in any way binding. It’s always easy to say that it was sincerely meant at the time, but circumstances have now changed, so plans have to change too.

    It says China “will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad.” What counts as new? Is one that’s already planned “new” or not? Lots of wriggle room there.

    Maybe it’s dawned on China that they need to keep the coal for themselves?

    Not funding any coal projects abroad during the first half of 2021 is hardly a sign of future intentions – they were still struggling more than just a little bit with covid 19 at the time.

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29. The Guardian has the “China pledge” story too (of course), but ends with a surprisingly refreshing dose of realism:

    “‘Big line in the sand’: China promises no new coal-fired power projects abroad
    Experts welcome Xi Jinping’s announcement at UN as hugely influential, but concerns remain over domestic emissions”

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/22/china-climate-no-new-coal-fired-power-projects-abroad-xi-jinping

    “Woodroofe said: “The key thing to watch now is not just what China does at home, but also how much weight this announcement will hold.

    “Will Beijing be able to rein in finance provided by all Chinese banks? What about the huge Chinese labour force involved in the construction of these coal plants?”

    Meeting its goal of net zero emissions at home by 2060 would also require significant action, with China needing to shut down nearly 600 of its coal-fired power plants in the next decade and replacing them with renewable electricity generation, according to a report by analysis company TransitionZero in April this year.

    Unless China reduces its own emissions sharply in the next 10 years, the world stands little chance of limiting global heating to 1.5C.”

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30. “China’s pledge to kick the coal habit comes at a critical moment for the planet
    Sam Geall
    The devil will be in the details, but ending investments in overseas coal shows Beijing takes the climate crisis seriously”

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/sep/24/china-pledge-coal-beijing-climate-crisis

    Maybe, maybe not – my money is on not. However, despite the optimistic tone of the article, I do give full credit for highlighting many of the doubts:

    “…The pledge speaks to a major fault line in the pre-Cop26 debates. China’s belt and road initiative – the grand plan to enhance trade and connectivity across much of the developing world, creating foreign markets for Chinese industrial overcapacity – was heavily weighted towards high-carbon infrastructure. On the presidential campaign trail last year, Joe Biden made sure to point this out. “China … and their belt and road proposal,” he said, “they’re taking the dirtiest coal in the world mostly out of Mongolia and spreading it all around the world.”

    So, what does Xi’s statement mean? The announcement fell on the first anniversary of China’s pledge to make the economy climate neutral by 2060, either by eliminating greenhouse gas emissions entirely or balancing them with carbon removal. He also announced it unilaterally, at the UN general assembly, and thus tied it irrevocably to his personal political legacy. But questions remain: how will this coal phase-out be implemented? What is the fate of coal power projects that are already planned or under construction? What is the scope of the word “build”? Does it include an end to international financing for coal, too? What about Chinese labour or engineering on a domestic project? Does it cover private companies, or only state-owned enterprises and banks?…

    …Progress hasn’t been straightforward: China’s system isn’t smoothly technocratic, and there is a push and pull between core and periphery, incumbent and challenger industries. Things could be moving faster – particularly when it comes to phasing out China’s domestic coal fleet. China’s 14th Five Year Plan, for 2021-2025, will reduce the carbon and energy emitted per unit of economic output, and increase the share of renewables in its energy mix, but it does not commit the country to a carbon emissions or coal usage cap, as domestic environmentalists had hoped for. Its 2030 carbon “peak year” is relatively easy to achieve, and while China is known to “under-promise and over-deliver” on climate goals, the lack of ambition in domestic decarbonisation in the near term is a signal that the country is hedging things, in part due to an uncertain economic environment….”

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31. “China’s pledge to kick the coal habit comes at a critical moment for the planet
    The devil will be in the details, but ending investments in overseas coal shows Beijing takes the climate crisis seriously”

    Yer right…

    https://www.thegwpf.com/china-plays-its-green-card-promising-to-sell-the-world-its-wind-and-solar-projects-produced-by-cheap-coal/

    When will the MSM realise that Chins doesn’t play by the same rules as everyone else.

    LikeLike

32. “Cop26 climate talks will not fulfil aims of Paris agreement, key players warn
    Major figures privately admit summit will fail to result in pledges that could limit global heating to 1.5C”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/27/cop26-climate-talks-will-not-fulfil-aims-of-paris-agreement-key-players-warn

    “Vital United Nations climate talks, billed as one of the last chances to stave off climate breakdown, will not produce the breakthrough needed to fulfil the aspiration of the Paris agreement, key players in the talks have conceded.

    The UN, the UK hosts and other major figures involved in the talks have privately admitted that the original aim of the Cop26 summit will be missed, as the pledges on greenhouse gas emissions cuts from major economies will fall short of the halving of global emissions this decade needed to limit global heating to 1.5C.

    Senior observers of the two-week summit due to take place in Glasgow this November with 30,000 attenders, said campaigners and some countries would be disappointed that the hoped-for outcome will fall short.

    However, the UN, UK and US insisted that the broader goal of the conference – that of “keeping 1.5C alive” – was still in sight, and that world leaders meeting in Glasgow could still set a pathway for the future that would avoid the worst ravages of climate chaos….”.

    Two observations:

    1. The only surprise is that anyone should be surprised.

    2. “…the worst ravages of climate chaos…”. Dearie me. Not exactly objective journalism, is it? “Climate crisis” obviously doesn’t hack it any more at the Guardian now that our glorious leaders are routinely use the phrase. The Guardian has to keep pushing the language to more and more extremes. I’m not sure they have anywhere left to go after the use of that phrase, however.

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33. “‘Blah, blah, blah’: Greta Thunberg lambasts leaders over climate crisis
    Exclusive: Activist says there are many fine words but the science does not lie – CO2 emissions are still rising”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/28/blah-greta-thunberg-leaders-climate-crisis-co2-emissions

    “Greta Thunberg has excoriated global leaders over their promises to address the climate emergency, dismissing them as “blah, blah, blah”.

    She quoted statements by Boris Johnson: “This is not some expensive, politically correct, green act of bunny hugging”, and Narendra Modi: “Fighting climate change calls for innovation, cooperation and willpower” but said the science did not lie.

    Carbon emissions are on track to rise by 16% by 2030, according to the UN, rather than fall by half, which is the cut needed to keep global heating under the internationally agreed limit of 1.5C.

    “Build back better. Blah, blah, blah. Green economy. Blah blah blah. Net zero by 2050. Blah, blah, blah,” she said in a speech to the Youth4Climate summit in Milan, Italy, on Tuesday. “This is all we hear from our so-called leaders. Words that sound great but so far have not led to action. Our hopes and ambitions drown in their empty promises.”

    The Cop26 climate summit starts in Glasgow, UK, on 31 October and all the big-polluting countries must deliver tougher pledges to cut emissions to keep the goal of 1.5C within reach….

    …The youth summit will consist of working groups of young people debating how to increase their participation in decision-making, their role in helping to transform energy use, nature conservation and climate adaptation, and how education can create a climate-conscious society. It builds on a youth climate summit held at the UN headquarters in New York in 2019.

    Thunberg said: “They invite cherry-picked young people to meetings like this to pretend that they listen to us. But they clearly don’t listen to us. Our emissions are still rising. The science doesn’t lie….”.

    Welcome, Greta, to adulthood. The people in charge will always do what they want. Consultation exercises are always a sham, unless they can manipulate the outcome of the consultation to come up with the answer they want. Now that you’re 18, you can start to get used to what the rest of us have put up with for decades.

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34. “China’s struggle to move away from coal”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asia-51152951

    “China is a country caught in the middle of a global struggle: to develop but also be green.

    It currently uses about as much coal as the rest of the world put together but it’s also a world leader in wind and solar production. According to the International Energy Agency, between 2019 and 2024 China will account for 40% of the global expansion in renewable energy.

    However, as its economy slows down it is now re-opening some coal mines and the country’s Premier Li Keqiang has urged energy officials to promote coal-fired power. So is China addicted to coal?”

    Personally I doubt that China is involved in such a struggle. I think they’re quite happy to burn fossil fuels while allowing the developed world to destroy its economic base by moving to dependence on “renewables”

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35. “China’s coal miners vow to ‘go all out’ to beat power crisis”

    https://www.ft.com/content/4536bc72-6eb3-457d-b9a5-a94cc2669a96

    Being the FT it’s paywalled, but the first part of the story on the FT’s front page can be seen on the BBC website if you scroll down through the newspaper front pages here:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-58770066

    Needless to say, coal is to be the answer to China’s energy crisis this winter.

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36. An interesting read about China’s ambitions, which should give pause for thought to those who believe China will do anything about its CO2 emissions any time soon:

    “How Xi Jinping lost Australia
    Canberra went from welcoming the ‘Asian Century’ to arming itself with nuclear-powered submarines in less than a decade of the Chinese president’s rule.”

    https://www.politico.eu/article/how-china-xi-jinping-lost-australia-trade-diplomacy/

    LikeLike

37. I think this version of the coal story might be accessible to readers, as they allow you a single free article:

    “China’s Coal Miners Told to Produce Even If They’re Over Quotas”

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-01/china-s-coal-miners-told-to-produce-even-if-they-re-over-quotas

    “China’s leadership has told the country’s state-owned miners to produce coal at full capacity for the rest of the year even if they exceed annual quota limits as they struggle with the deepening power crisis.

    The directive, along with other measures to secure energy supplies for this winter at all costs, was emphasized during emergency meetings this week in Beijing, according to people familiar with the matter. Boosting domestic thermal coal production is critical, said the people, asking not to be named as the discussions aren’t public.

    The government has been holding a series of meetings with company executives this week in a sign of how serious the situation in China has become. Many regions have had to curtail the supply of electricity to the industrial sector, while some residential areas have lost power due to the energy crisis that’s gripped the world’s second-biggest economy….

    …The nation’s top miner, China Energy Investment Corp., will produce 25% of its annual production capacity in the fourth quarter, it said on its official WeChat account late Thursday. “We will strive to achieve full production and increase supply,” said the company, whose coal output was 530 million tons in 2020.

    Another state-owned miner, State Power Investment Corp., said on its WeChat account that it will deliver no less than 50% of its fourth-quarter output from operations in eastern Inner Mongolia to northeastern China, where some homes lost power last weekend. It will also sell 25% of its annual term-sales volumes to buyers nationwide this quarter, it said….”.

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38. “Historical climate emissions reveal responsibility of big polluting nations
    Six of top 10, including China and Russia, yet to show ambition on emissions cuts before Cop26”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/05/historical-climate-emissions-big-polluting-nations

    “Analysis of the total carbon dioxide emissions of countries since 1850 has revealed the nations with the greatest historical responsibility for the climate emergency. But six of the top 10 have yet to make ambitious new pledges to cut their emissions before the crucial UN Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow in November.

    The six include China, Russia and Brazil, which come only behind the US as the biggest cumulative polluters. The UK is eighth and Canada is 10th.”

    The UK is in 8th place regarding cumulative historic C)2 emissions (and rapidly slipping down the rankings). We are less and less relevant, and countries like China and India are more and more relevant. So why do climate activists keep beating the UK up while keeping quiet about China, Russia, Brazil, India, et al? Surely, if they believe we face an existential crisis, they would move on to the vital issues rather than concentrating on targeting nasty old Britain? But then, maybe they do’t believe we face an existential crisis after all. Actions do speak louder than words.

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39. “Climate change: Tracking China’s steel addiction in one city”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-58798595

    “Wuzhou, in southern China, is a living example of the country’s dependence on its “build, build, build” mantra to boost development. It was one of many contributors to China’s record output of a staggering one billion tonnes of steel last year.

    But increasingly, cities like this are having to grapple with China’s climate change goals and the big question: will it cut emissions quickly enough?

    “No, it (the development) won’t stop.”…”.

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40. “Cement makers across world pledge large cut in emissions by 2030
    Industry responsible for about 8% of CO2 emissions commits to reaching net zero by 2050 without offsetting”

    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/oct/12/cement-makers-across-world-pledge-large-cut-in-emissions-by-2030-co2-net-zero-2050

    “Cement makers around the world have pledged to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by up to a quarter this decade and reach net zero by 2050, in a move they said would make a major difference to the prospects for the Cop26 climate summit.

    The industry is responsible for about 7%-8% of global carbon dioxide emissions, the equivalent of more than any individual country except China and the US. Cutting emissions from cement production is difficult, because the chemical processes used to make it and concrete release CO2.”

    There’s just one problem – the dragon in the room:

    “The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), which represents 40 of the world’s biggest producers and about 80% of the industry outside China, made the pledge on Tuesday. Several major Chinese cement and concrete companies, which account for about 20% of China’s market, have also joined.”

    Well, actually there may be more than one problem. E.g.:

    “The cuts in emissions this decade would be made using existing technologies, but the industry’s roadmap for 2030 to 2050 would require about one-third of the reductions to come from the use of carbon capture and storage technology, which is not yet in widespread commercial use.”

    But still, not having China on board is a pretty big problem – insuperable, really.

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41. “China’s plan to build more coal-fired plants deals blow to UK’s Cop26 ambitions
    Renewed commitment to coal could scupper Britain’s aim to secure global phase-out pact at climate summit”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/12/china-coal-fired-plants-uk-cop26-climate-summit-global-phase-out

    “China plans to build more coal-fired power plants and has hinted that it will rethink its timetable to slash emissions, in a significant blow to the UK’s ambitions for securing a global agreement on phasing out coal at the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow.

    In a statement after a meeting of Beijing’s National Energy Commission, the Chinese premier, Li Keqiang, stressed the importance of regular energy supply, after swathes of the country were plunged into darkness by rolling blackouts that hit factories and homes.

    While China has published plans to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030, the statement hinted that the energy crisis had led the Communist party to rethink the timing of this ambition, with a new “phased timetable and roadmap for peaking carbon emissions”.

    China has previously set out plans to be carbon neutral by 2060, with emissions peaking by 2030, a goal analysts say would involve shutting 600 coal-fired power plants. President Xi Jinping has also pledged to stop building coal plants abroad.

    “Energy security should be the premise on which a modern energy system is built and and the capacity for energy self-supply should be enhanced,” the statement said.

    “Given the predominant place of coal in the country’s energy and resource endowment, it is important to optimise the layout for the coal production capacity, build advanced coal-fired power plants as appropriate in line with development needs, and continue to phase out outdated coal plants in an orderly fashion. Domestic oil and gas exploration will be intensified.”

    Beijing’s ambitions for carbon dioxide output are seen as critical in the push to achieve global net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and fulfil the 2015 Paris agreement to limit average temperature rises to 1.5C. But Li said Beijing wanted to gather new evidence on when its peak emissions would be reached.

    The statement said he had commissioned “in-depth studies and calculations in light of the recent handling of electricity and coal supply strains, to put forward a phased timetable and roadmap for peaking carbon emissions”.

    Li’s rhetoric follows reports that China has ordered its two top coal-producing regions, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia, to combat the country’s power supply crisis.

    Beijing’s renewed embrace of coal – apparently at odds with Xi’s state climate ambitions – are likely to cause alarm in the run-up to Cop26.”

    I love that last sentence. Beijing’s embrace of coal – apparently at odds with Xi’s stated climate ambitions. Apparently? Is the Guardian waking up? Are the scales falling from its eyes? Some of us have been pointing this out for years.

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42. Quelle surprise:

    “Climate change: Carbon emissions from rich countries rose rapidly in 2021”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-58897805

    “Carbon emissions are rebounding strongly and are rising across the world’s 20 richest nations, according to a new study.

    The Climate Transparency Report says that CO2 will go up by 4% across the G20 group this year, having dropped 6% in 2020 due to the pandemic.

    China, India and Argentina are set to exceed their 2019 emissions levels.

    The authors say that the continued use of fossil fuels is undermining efforts to rein in temperatures.”

    Link to the Climate Transparency Report here:

    https://app.box.com/s/ok5g7b6971mhkq20kkm1mkz7qixmi6jk

    It’s rather strange when you get there. I haven’t clicked on any of the folders. I think this is rather important:

    “But this year’s rebound is being powered by fossil fuel, especially coal.

    According to the report, compiled by 16 research organisations and environmental campaign groups, coal use across the G20 is projected to rise by 5% this year.

    This is mainly due to China who are responsible for around 60% of the rise, but increases in coal are also taking place in the US and India.

    Coal use in China has surged with the country experiencing increased demand for energy as the global economy has recovered.

    Coal prices are up nearly 200% from a year ago.

    This in turn has seen power cuts as it became uneconomical for coal-fired electricity plants generate electricity in recent months.

    With the Chinese government announcing a change in policy this week to allow these power plants to charge market rates for their energy, the expectation is that this will spur even more coal use this year.”

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43. I should have added this:

    “All members of the group have agreed to put new 2030 carbon plans on the table before the Glasgow conference.”

    However, China, India, Australia and Saudi Arabia have not yet done so.”

    LikeLike

44. Then there’s this:

    “Why China’s climate policy matters to us all”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-57483492

    “China’s carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries.

    Experts agree that without big reductions in China’s emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change.

    China’s President Xi Jinping has said his country will aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality to be achieved by 2060.

    But he has not said how China will achieve this extremely ambitious goal.

    While all countries face problems getting their emissions down, China is facing the biggest challenge.

    Per person, China’s emissions are about half those of the US, but its huge 1.4 billion population and explosive economic growth have pushed it way ahead of any other country in its overall emissions.”

    This is true (the per capita figure in China being 50% that of the USA), but it omits the fact that it is significant and rising – for instance China’s per capita emissions are now 50% higher than in the UK.

    “China became the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide in 2006 and is now responsible for more than a quarter of the world’s overall greenhouse gas emissions.

    It is expected to come under intense scrutiny at the COP26 global climate summit in November over its commitments to reduce these.

    Along with all the other signatories to the Paris Agreement in 2015, China agreed to make changes to try to keep global warming at 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, and “well below” 2C.

    China strengthened its commitments in 2020, but Climate Action Tracker, an international group of scientists and policy experts say its current actions to meet that goal are “highly insufficient”.”

    And:
    “President Xi says China will “phase down” coal use from 2026 – and will not build new coal-fired projects abroad – but some governments and campaigners say the plans are not going far enough.

    Researchers at Tsinghua University in Beijing say China will need to stop using coal entirely for generating electricity by 2050, to be replaced by nuclear and renewable energy production.

    And far from shutting down coal-fired power stations, China is currently building new ones at more than 60 locations across the country, with many sites having more than one plant.”

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45. “China’s coal plans could derail Cop26 climate ambitions, says Labour
    Ed Miliband joins climate experts in expressing deep concern over Beijing’s plans to step up coal output”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/13/china-coal-plans-could-derail-cop26-climate-ambitions-uk-labour

    “China’s “deeply concerning” plan to burn more coal threatens to derail the UK’s efforts to coordinate tougher global commitments to reduce carbon emissions at next month’s Cop26 summit in Glasgow, according to climate experts and Labour.

    Beijing has ordered its major coal-producing regions to step up output, after large parts of the country were hit by rolling blackouts affecting factories and homes.

    While China has committed to hitting peak CO2 emissions by 2030, comments by the premier, Li Keqiang, indicated that the pledge could take a back seat due to the immediate need to increase power supply.”

    Well, it’s good to see that he realises China’s actions are a big problem to the COP process and its ambitions. The problem is that he hasn’t understood that it renders futile the sacrifices and costs he demands of the UK population.

    LikeLiked by 1 person

46. “COP26: China’s Xi Jinping unlikely to attend, UK PM told”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-58929296

    “UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been warned by officials that China’s President Xi Jinping is unlikely to attend the COP26 climate summit in November.

    UK government sources confirmed a report in The Times that Mr Johnson had been advised the Chinese leader was not expected to come.”

    Is anyone surprised? Oh yes, some “useful idiots” who remain optimistic:

    “Government sources said Chinese officials had not been definitive about the President’s travel plans and they accepted it was possible Xi could change his mind and come at the last minute to surprise the summit.

    “They want to be seen as green leaders so I wouldn’t rule it out,” one Whitehall source said.

    Diplomats said China often announced President Xi’s travel plans at the last minute. One said: “We never give up hope. And we are continuing to make the case for his personal attendance.”…”.

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47. “Climate change: Fossil fuel production set to soar over next decade”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-58971131

    “Plans by governments to extract fossil fuels up to 2030 are incompatible with keeping global temperatures to safe levels, says the UN.

    The UNEP production gap report says countries will drill or mine more than double the levels needed to keep the 1.5C threshold alive.

    Oil and gas recovery is set to rise sharply with only a modest decrease in coal.

    There has been little change since the first report was published in 2019.

    With the COP26 climate conference just over a week away, there is already a huge focus on the carbon-cutting ambitions of the biggest emitters.

    But despite the flurry of net zero emission goals and the increased pledges of many countries, some of the biggest oil, gas and coal producers have not set out plans for the rapid reductions in fossil fuels that scientists say are necessary to limit temperatures in coming years….

    …But instead of curbing carbon, many of the biggest emitting countries are also planning to significantly increase their production of fossil fuels, according to the UN….

    …According to the study, coal production will drop but gas will increase the most over the next 20 years, to levels that are simply incompatible with the Paris agreement….”

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48. “China, India and Brazil must set out their plans to cut emissions
    The Secret Negotiator
    An insider says keeping temperatures within 1.5C above pre-industrial levels rests with big developing countries in G20”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/23/china-india-and-brazil-must-set-out-their-plans-to-cut-emissions

    “…We are seeing some bad signs. China looking at burning more coal because of high energy prices is terrible.

    China and many countries talk about historic responsibility for emissions. Developed countries, such as the US, the UK and other European countries, were burning fossil fuels at high levels for a long time, so most of the carbon that was in the atmosphere in 1992, when the UN framework convention on climate change was signed, came from them.

    But today China produces about a quarter of global emissions, so it has a historic responsibility.

    The interests of small developing countries and large developing countries are very different: development versus existence. For the larger developing economies, development is more important than the climate. But for us this is about survival. At 1.5C, it will be difficult but we can adapt. Above 1.5C, we cannot and the impacts will be terrible.

    Our emissions are very small in global terms. Even if all of we small countries went to zero emissions immediately, that would not have any impact on 1.5C. Even if the big developed countries cut their emissions faster, that would still not take us to 1.5C.

    Every country is supposed to come to Cop26 with nationally determined contributions (NDCs). But what we have seen from countries is not enough. The present NDCs are not targeting 1.5C. It’s very important that every decision at Glasgow is aligned with 1.5C.

    Some G20 parties have made the necessary adjustments and they are in line with 1.5C. The G20 is responsible for about 80% of global emissions, but the majority of large developing countries that are members of the G20 have not submitted NDCs that are aligned with 1.5C and many have not submitted NDCs at all.

    We need the big developing countries that are members of the G20 to come forward now. We have just one week to Cop26, and the G20 leaders are preparing to meet next weekend. China, India and Brazil need to step up to the plate urgently.”

    A lot of home truths in there, though this is simply risible:

    ” But for us this is about survival. At 1.5C, it will be difficult but we can adapt. Above 1.5C, we cannot and the impacts will be terrible.”

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49. “China’s new climate plan falls short of Cop26 global heating goal, experts say
    World’s biggest carbon emitter makes little advance on targets set out in 2015 in announcement days before vital UN talks”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/28/disappointing-but-not-unexpected-china-climate-goal-leaves-experts-unsatisfied

    “China has published its long-awaited national plan on greenhouse gas emissions, just days before the opening of the Cop26 UN climate summit.

    However, the plan revealed on Thursday represents little progress on the previously announced ambitions of the world’s biggest carbon emitter, disappointing observers of the vital climate talks.

    Emissions would peak by 2030 and be reduced to net zero three decades later, according to the nationally determined contribution (NDC) submitted to the UN.

    This is widely regarded as too late to ensure the world limits global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, which is the key aim of the talks.

    The submission was sent by Li Gao, the director general of the department of climate change in the Chinese environment ministry, to Patricia Espinosa, the executive secretary of the UN framework convention on climate change.

    Compared with China’s previous NDC in 2015, there is modest progress. The new document is clearer that China intends emissions to peak by 2030, with a reduction of the carbon intensity of the economy by more than 65%. It raises the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to 25% from the previous target of 20%, and significantly lifts the goal of reforestation to 6bn cubic metres of forest stock from 4.5bn. In the earlier document, there was no figure given for solar and wind capacity by 2030, but the new submission states this will be 1,200GW.

    However, the reaction among analysts was that the new climate plan is disappointingly short of fresh details. The main targets of the updated NDC were announced last year by China’s president, Xi Jinping, and are insufficient to keep the world on course to hold global heating to no more than 1.5C.”

    Is anyone surprised?

    https://www4.unfccc.int/sites/NDCStaging/Pages/Party.aspx

    Perhaps it just doesn’t translate well:

    “Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, China will thoroughly put into practice Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, and on Diplomacy, and unswervingly pursue the new vision of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development.”

    How serious are they? Well, they have aims (not commitments, as regularly reported by the likes of the BBC and the Guardian):

    “China’s updated NDC goals are as follows: aims to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060; to lower CO2 emissions per unit of GDP by over 65% from the 2005 level, to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 25%, to increase the forest stock volume by 6 billion cubic meters from the 2005 level, and to bring its total installed capacity of wind and solar power to over 1.2 billion kilowatts by 2030.”

    It’s also clear that they’re determined to hang on to all the get-out-of-jail-free cards they can, in the form of developing country status:

    “China is confronted with enormous challenges and difficulties in its NDCs, which calls for great efforts. As a developing country with a population of 1.4 billion, China is facing arduous tasks such as economic development, people’s livelihood improvement, environmental governance, and addressing climate change. It is still and will long remain at the primary stage of socialism, where development is unbalanced and inadequate, and the quality and effect of development are not what they should be. China, a country rich in coal and poor in oil or gas, is currently in a critical period of transforming growth model,
    optimizing economic structure, and shifting growth drivers. With the continuation of industrialization and urbanization, energy demand will keep rising while it is unlikely to fundamentally change the coal-dominated energy mix in the short term. The updated NDC goals represent new major contributions to global climate governance and raise higher requirements for China’s work on addressing climate change.

    At the same time, new problems and new challenges facing global climate governance have been on the increase in recent years. Unilateralism, protectionism, and anti-globalization have risen, which exerts adverse effects on global cooperation in climate change. Uncertainties in the NDC implementation are even higher for developing countries that see a more complex
    external environment.”

    I think that sets out fairly clearly where they’re coming from on all this.

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50. “Xi Jinping makes no major climate pledges in written Cop26 address
    President of China, world’s worst emissions source, calls for more support for developing countries”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/01/cop26-xi-jinping-china-president-sidesteps-videolink-written-statement

    “China’s president, Xi Jinping, has called on developed countries to “provide support to help developing countries do better” in dealing with the climate crisis, in a written statement to the Cop26 climate conference that fails to make any new significant pledges.

    The Chinese leader also urged all parties to take stronger actions to “jointly tackle the climate challenge”, and said his country would “speed up the green and low-carbon energy transition, vigorously develop renewable energy, and plan and build large wind and photovoltaic power stations”.

    China is the world’s biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, making it a key player at Cop26, the latest round of talks aimed at strengthening the fight against global heating, which began on Sunday. Despite this, Xi, who has not left China since 2020 amid the Covid pandemic, had not been expected to attend the conference in person.

    He was the only world leader so far to deliver remarks to the conference in written form, although another significant no-show – Russia’s Vladimir Putin – is expected to send a video message to a related UN conference on forestry and land use.

    “We have been very clear as hosts that we welcome everyone to participate, but it will be in-person,” said Britain’s UN ambassador, Barbara Woodward, last week.

    Xi’s message to Cop26 echoes his speech at the G20 summit in Rome over the weekend, in which he participated via video link. On Sunday night, he spoke to those there at length about the climate crisis, urging countries to “balance environmental protection and economic development, address climate change and safeguard people’s livelihood”, and saying that “major economies should strengthen cooperation in this regard”.

    “The G20 members should take the lead in promoting and applying advanced technologies, and developed countries should also earnestly fulfil their commitments to providing funds for developing countries,” he added.

    In updated pledges, China confirmed to the UN last week that it would bring its emissions to a peak before 2030 and cut them to net zero by 2060. It also promised to raise total wind and solar power generation capacity to 1,200 gigawatts by 2030 in order to reach its goals.

    However, climate watchers were hoping for new pledges to cap energy consumption and an earlier start to reducing the use of coal, currently scheduled to begin in 2026, adding to pressure on China from other world leaders to promise more….

    …Climate analysts quoted by the Reuters news agency said the latest arrangement could indicate that the world’s biggest CO2 producer “has already decided that it has no more concessions to offer at the UN Cop26 climate summit in Scotland after three major pledges since last year”.

    But Qin Yan, a lead analyst at Refinitiv financial analysis, said the domestic situation in China should not be ignored in understanding Xi’s decision to deliver the speech in a written format.

    “Complicated domestic politics ahead of the Communist party’s sixth plenum on 8-11 November in Beijing is definitely Xi’s focus now. It is crucial for him to continuing a third term at the congress next autumn. And the current energy crunch in China is complicating climate policy, too,” Qin said….”

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51. “The Guardian view on China and Cop26: do not despair
    Editorial
    Despite Xi Jinping’s absence in Glasgow, Beijing is taking the climate crisis seriously. It must still go much further”

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/nov/02/the-guardian-view-on-china-and-cop26-do-not-despair

    “Among the 120 or so world leaders gathered in Glasgow for the Cop26 climate crisis talks, there has been one very conspicuous absence: Xi Jinping, president of by far the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, responsible for more than a quarter of all emissions. Mr Xi’s decision to stay away is unsurprising; previously a frequent traveller, he has not left his country for 21 months, since the pandemic took hold. But the reduction of the Chinese leader’s contribution to a written statement, making no new commitments, has highlighted concern about Beijing’s recent decisions.

    The first is its announcement that it will build new coal-fired power plants, a response to extensive power cuts. Though experienced observers hope the medium-term impact will be less serious than it appears, it could imperil China’s pledge to peak carbon emissions in 2030. The second is its national plan on greenhouse gas emissions, revealed last Thursday. While better than the 2015 plan, it offers little progress on its already declared ambitions and falls well short of the action needed to ensure global heating does not exceed 1.5C. And in Glasgow, China has (like India and Russia) declined to sign up to the new 80-country pact to cut methane emissions, although it has joined the agreement to halt deforestation over the next decade.

    Its failings are, of course, far from unique. China’s carbon emissions per capita are still around half those of the US, and its historical emissions are far lower (though it is catching up fast). Even now, its emissions reflect its role as the world’s factory. Unlike some wealthy countries, it has taken consistent climate action. The US has seesawed, with Donald Trump pulling out of the Paris accord, but even with Joe Biden’s renewed commitment to the issue it has a very long way to go.”

    What the Guardian doesn’t mention is that China’s per capita emissions are now around 50% higher than those in the UK, and its historical emissions now dwarf those of the UK(which – the UK, that is – had slipped to 7th place regarding cumulative emissions, last time I looked).

    “The real issue is less that China came to Glasgow without a new commitment, but that it is better at unilateral declarations than multilateral engagement. Doing it all on its own terms makes the global progress needed far harder to achieve. At Cop26, China could have positioned itself as a world leader. (Instead, India – the world’s third-largest carbon emitter – is getting the applause, with Narendra Modi, the prime minister, setting a net zero emissions target of 2070 and significant shorter-term commitments.) Meeting the 1.5C target is crucial. China can and must do more. It should seek to do it hand in hand with other nations.”

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52. “More than 40 countries agree to phase out coal-fired power
    Critics say pledge to end use of dirtiest fuel source in 2030s and 40s does not go far enough”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/03/more-than-40-countries-agree-to-phase-out-coal-fired-power

    I think it’s fair to say the critics are right – this is more hot air, smoke and mirrors:

    “More than 40 countries have agreed to phase out their use of coal-fired power, the dirtiest fuel source, in a boost to UK hopes of a deal to “keep 1.5C alive”, from the Cop26 climate summit.

    Major coal-using countries, including Canada, Poland, Ukraine and Vietnam, will phase out their use of coal for electricity generation, with the bigger economies doing so in the 2030s, and smaller economies doing so in the 2040s.

    However, some of the world’s biggest coal-dependent economies, including Australia, China, India and the US were missing from the deal, and experts and campaigners told the Guardian the phase-out deadlines countries signed up to were much too late….

    …Although South Africa, Indonesia and the Philippines did not sign up to phase out coal, they agreed deals that will lead to the early retirement of many of their existing coal-fired power plans.”

    So, basically all the big coal users have agreed to nothing of any significance. The elephant and the dragon must be running out of space in that room.

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53. “COP26: Indonesia criticises ‘unfair’ deal to end deforestation”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-59169547

    “Indonesia has criticised the terms of a global deal to end deforestation by 2030, signalling that the country may not abide by it.

    Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said the authorities could not “promise what we can’t do”.

    She said forcing Indonesia to commit to zero deforestation by 2030 was “clearly inappropriate and unfair”.

    Despite President Joko Widodo signing the forest deal, she said development remained Indonesia’s top priority.

    The deal, agreed between more than 100 world leaders, was announced on Monday at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. It was the event’s first major announcement.

    It promises to end and reverse deforestation by 2030, and includes almost £14bn ($19.2bn) of public and private funds.

    In a Facebook post (in Indonesian), Ms Nurbaya argued that the country’s vast natural resources must be used for the benefit of its people.

    She cited the need to to cut down forests to make way for new roads.

    “The massive development of President Jokowi’s era must not stop in the name of carbon emissions or in the name of deforestation,” she said, referring to Mr Widodo by his nickname.

    “Indonesia’s natural wealth, including forests, must be managed for its use according to sustainable principles, besides being fair,” she said.”

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54. “Australian electricity companies not reducing emissions in line with Paris agreement goals, study finds
    AGL, EnergyAustralia and Origin among businesses study says not on track to meet global climate goals to limit heating to well below 2C”

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/aug/11/australian-electricity-companies-not-reducing-emissions-in-line-with-paris-agreement-goals-study-finds

    “Nine out of 10 major Australian electricity companies are failing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions fast enough to meet the goals of the landmark Paris climate agreement, a study has found.

    Businesses not acting in accordance with the 2015 Paris agreement goal of limiting global heating to well below 2C since pre-industrial times included the generators and retailers AGL, EnergyAustralia and Origin, according to the study led by University of Queensland researchers.

    The only electricity company examined that was found to be on track to achieve Paris goals was Engie, the French multinational that closed Victoria’s Hazelwood coal-fired plant in 2017 and has committed to retire its gas plants by 2037.

    The study, conducted in partnership with researchers from the University of Oxford and Princeton University, also examined the climate performance of 10 global cement companies. None were found to be reducing emissions in line with the Paris agreement goals.

    The lead author of the study and an assistant professor at UQ’s business school, Dr Saphira Rekker, said the results made clear that emissions would need to be cut much faster than planned if the world was to address the climate crisis.

    “These results are alarming and show the stark reality of how businesses continue to operate without a clear plan for decarbonisation,” she said….”.

    Of course, the Paris Agreement, as I pointed out, is just a lot of hot air. However, I wonder why the researchers focused on Australian companies, when the failures of the Paris Agreement are writ large in places like China and India, Russia and the Gulf Oil States, and much of the developing world?

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55. “Climate change: World aviation agrees ‘aspirational’ net zero plan”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-63165607

    The world has finally agreed on a long-term plan to curb carbon emissions from flying.

    At a meeting in Montreal, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), pledged to support an “aspirational” net zero aviation goal by 2050.

    The plan, seen as a compromise by many, was accepted by the 193 countries who are members of ICAO.

    However green groups say the deal is weak and not legally binding…

    A bit like the Paris Agreement, then.

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56. “Germany pushes EU to develop new gas fields abroad
    Berlin claims the move would be in line with the Paris Agreement.”

    https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-pushes-eu-to-develop-new-gas-field-abroad/

    Germany wants the EU to push for the development of new natural gas fields abroad, claiming such a move would be in line with climate efforts.

    Berlin is aiming to insert that demand into the draft conclusions of an EU leaders’ summit taking place in Brussels Thursday and Friday, according to documents seen by POLITICO.

    EU governments and the European Commission should “work together with countries that have the capacity to develop new gas fields, as part of the Paris Climate Agreement commitments,” reads Germany’s proposed amendment to the draft document.

    It was not immediately clear which part of the 2015 Paris Agreement — under which countries agreed to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels — the clause referred to…

    …Green groups were alarmed by Germany’s call for new gas fields. “Drilling for more gas is deepening Europe’s long-term dependence on fossil fuels, and the consequences will be more droughts, more floods, and higher energy costs for decades to come,” said Greenpeace climate campaigner Silvia Pastorelli.

    “Olaf Scholz should know better since it’s been barely a year since the German government promised not to support fossil fuel expansion for these very reasons,” she added. “The EU should be slashing energy waste and accelerating the rollout of renewable energy, not discarding climate commitments.”

    It’s still going well, then…

    LikeLiked by 1 person

57. “‘We have no time to lose’: Ban Ki-moon criticises climate finance delays
    Former UN secretary general calls for rich countries to honour promises made to the developing world after years of failure”

    https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/feb/24/ban-ki-moon-criticises-climate-finance-delays

    The former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has warned that the world’s largest fund to help developing nations weather the climate crisis remains an “empty shell”, despite decades of promises by rich nations.

    “We need to see a massive acceleration in mobilising trillions of dollars needed to keep the world from climate collapse,” he said.

    International climate finance from rich to poor countries is between five and 10 times short of what is needed, according to the UN. In 2020, money set aside to help poorer countries adapt to climate breakdown amounted to $29bn – far below the $340bn a year that could be needed by 2030.

    The largest such fund, the Green Climate Fund, stands at $11.4bn. Rich countries have also been accused by NGOs of misleading accounting and issuing loans instead of grants.

    Ban, a South Korean diplomat, served from 2007 to 2016 as eighth UN secretary general; his first major initiative was to urge action on climate at the Bali summit in 2007.

    Two years later, at Cop15 in Copenhagen, rich countries promised to provide $100bn of climate finance a year every year for developing countries by 2020. However, Ban said: “After 14 years, nothing has been happening.”…

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58. We’re saved!

    “Paris Agreement on climate change adopted by Isle of Man”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-65092187

    The extension of an international climate treaty to the Isle of Man is a “hugely significant milestone”, the chief minister has said.

    LikeLike

59. “The world isn’t on track to meet Paris Agreement goals, says UN climate review
    The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change says ‘much more is needed’ to hit the pact’s global warming targets.”

    https://www.politico.eu/article/paris-agreement-goals-failed-climate-change-global-warming-united-nations-climate-review/

    Almost eight years after the Paris climate agreement was signed, the world isn’t on track to meet its target of limiting global warming, warned a comprehensive report issued by the U.N.’s climate body on Friday.

    That leaves countries less than three months to come up with a response before the COP28 climate conference begins.

    “I urge governments to carefully study the findings of the report and ultimately understand what it means for them and the ambitious action they must take next. It’s the same for businesses, communities and other key stakeholders,” said Simon Stiell, executive secretary of UN Climate Change….

    …Friday’s Global Stocktake Technical Synthesis Report issued by the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change is the first such comprehensive assessment since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015.

    That deal obliged signatories to keep the rise in global temperatures “well within 2 degrees Celsius” and to aspire to limit the increase to 1.5C. The report took two years to prepare and is an exercise that will be repeated every five years.

    It makes for grim reading.

    “Much more is needed on all fronts,” it said. It urged leaders to raise the carbon-cutting ambition of their national climate targets — Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in U.N. parlance — and follow through on their implementation.

    That’s the only way “to reduce global GHG emissions by 43 percent by 2030 and further by 60 percent by 2035 compared to 2019 levels and reach net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 globally,” the report said….

    …The report encouraged multilateral development banks to “evolve and strengthen their roles,” by pouring more money into adaptation and resilience.

    “It is essential to unlock and redeploy trillions of dollars to meet global investment needs, including by rapidly shifting financial flows globally to support a pathway towards low GHG emissions and climate-resilient development,” it said.

    But despite years of exhortations and warnings about climate change, the world is still balking at making the radical financial shifts needed to rein in global warming. …

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60. Here’s the Guardian’s take n that UN report about the ongoing failures of the climate jamboree:

    “‘A critical moment’: UN warns world will miss climate targets unless fossil fuels phased out
    Governments failing to cut emissions fast enough to meet Paris agreement goals and avoid disaster, major report says”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/08/un-report-calls-for-phasing-out-of-fossil-fuels-as-paris-climate-goals-being-missed

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61. “Global push for commitment to phase out fossil fuels gathers pace ahead of Cop28
    UN hopes to galvanise summit talks by persuading world leaders to commit to stop burning coal, oil and gas, despite industry lobbying”

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/09/phase-out-fossil-fuels-cop-28-un-summit-coal-oil-gas

    A global push to commit to phasing out fossil fuels is gathering new momentum before a crucial UN climate conference this autumn, despite stiff opposition from oil-producing countries.

    Campaigners are ramping up efforts to put an undertaking to stop burning not just coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, but also oil and gas on the UN agenda ahead of the Cop28 summit in Dubai in late November, the Observer has learned.

    Over the past two years attempts to persuade world leaders to make the commitment, which has strong scientific underpinning, have failed. But the campaign has had an unexpected boost in the fine print of a UN draft report.

    The global stocktake – an assessment of whether countries are meeting the emissions pledges made under the 2015 Paris agreement – recommended “transformations across all sectors and contexts, including scaling up renewable energy while phasing out all unabated fossil fuels”.

    Experts said the inclusion of this call in a key UN document would have a galvanising effect on the talks….

    As so often, “experts” (especially climate change experts) are wrong. Efforts are undoubtedly ramping up, but the reality will be the same old, same old. China and India and many others (Russia, Iran, Middle Eastern oil states etc) will make soothing noises and – as before – carry on regardless.

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