At the United Nations climate summit on Tuesday, world leaders pledged to protect the world’s forests, reduce methane emissions, and assist South Africa in weaning itself off coal, as part of a flurry of agreements aimed at averting catastrophic global warming.
The commitment by over 100 countries to end deforestation in the next decade was hailed by Britain as the conference’s first major achievement, but experts pointed out those promises have been made and broken before.
According to the UK government, leaders representing more than 85 percent of the world’s forests have pledged to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030. Brazil, China, Colombia, Congo, Indonesia, Russia, and the United States are just a few of the countries with large forests.
The plan has received more than $19 billion in public and private funding.
“We will have a chance to end humanity’s long history as nature’s conqueror and instead become its custodian,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. “Let’s put an end to this great chainsaw massacre by requiring conservation to do what we know it can: provide long-term, sustainable jobs and growth.”
Experts and observers agreed that keeping the pledge will be critical to limiting climate change, but many pointed out those similar grand promises have been made before — with little effect.
On Twitter, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Signing the declaration is the easy part.” “It is critical that it be implemented immediately for the sake of people and the environment.”
World leaders promised in 2014 to end deforestation by 2030, according to Alison Hoare, a senior research fellow at Chatham House, “but deforestation has increased across many countries since then.”
Forests are important ecosystems that help to absorb carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere. However, the rising demand for agricultural and pastoral land, combined with the high value of wood as a commodity, is leading to widespread and often illegal forest felling, particularly in developing countries.
“We are happy to have Indigenous Peoples mentioned in today’s forest accord,” said Joseph Itongwa Mukumo, a Congolese Indigenous Walikale and campaigner.
He urged governments and businesses to recognize Indigenous communities’ important role in preventing deforestation.
The agreement has “quite a lot of really positive elements,” according to Luciana Tellez Chavez, an environmental researcher at Human Right Watch.
“It’s really interesting to see China and Brazil signing up to a statement that suggests that’s a goal,” she said, adding that the EU, the UK, and the US are making progress on restricting imports of goods linked to deforestation and human rights abuses.
She did, however, point out that Brazil’s public statements do not yet match its domestic policies, and she warned that the agreement could be used to “green wash” the image of some countries.
In the wake of rising deforestation and fires in the Amazon rainforest and Pantanal wetlands, which sparked global outrage and threats of divestment in recent years, the Brazilian government has been eager to project itself as a responsible environmental steward. However, critics warn that its promises should be taken with a grain of salt, and the country’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, is an outspoken supporter of Amazon development.
Separately, the creator of Amazon — the firm, not the jungle — said that his philanthropic fund will invest $2 billion in landscape restoration and agricultural system reform to combat climate change.
“In conjunction with nature, we must conserve what we have, restore what we’ve lost, and grow what we need,” Jeff Bezos stated.
Around 130 world leaders are gathering in Glasgow for what the host country claims is the world’s last realistic chance to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels — the goal set six years ago in Paris.
According to scientists, increased global warming over the next few decades will melt much of the planet’s ice, raise global sea levels, and greatly increase the likelihood and intensity of extreme weather.
Officials and activists alike warned the leaders about the dangers on Monday, and the British government said it saw positive signs that world leaders understood the gravity of the situation.
President Joe Biden’s administration announced a plan to reduce methane emissions, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming, on Tuesday. The announcement was made as part of a larger effort with the European Union and other countries to cut global methane emissions by 30% by 2030.
One of the simplest ways to reduce emissions is to reduce methane flaring and leaks from oil wells and gas pipelines, which is the focus of the Biden plan. It’s more difficult to reduce methane produced by agriculture, particularly by belching cows.
The agreement, according to Helen Mountford of the World Resources Institute, “sets a strong floor in terms of the ambition we need globally.”
Separately, the US, the UK, France, and Germany announce a plan to help South Africa phase out coal, a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, by providing funds and expertise.
South Africa, which relies on coal-fired power plants for nearly 90% of its electricity, will receive $8.5 billion in loans and grants over the next five years to expand its renewable energy infrastructure.
The announcements were not made as part of the formal negotiations in Glasgow, but rather as a result of many countries’ efforts to meet previously agreed targets.
However, environmentalists argue that the world’s largest carbon emitters must do much more. Earth’s temperature has already risen by 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit). According to current projections based on planned emissions cuts over the next decade, it will reach 2.7°C (4.9°F) by 2100.
Greta Thunberg, a climate activist, told a rally outside the high-security climate venue that the inside talk was “blah blah blah” and would accomplish nothing.
