* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
2021 will be a decisive year for the climate plans needed to reach net-zero emissions, and the world is counting on the U.S. to fire the starting gun
The Leaders Summit on Climate, a meeting being hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden starting on Thursday, must bring political weight to both a crunch year for climate action and the “decade of delivery” for climate, nature and development.
As the U.S. seeks to become a global climate leader, all eyes are on what emissions target it will commit to. What is clear is that anything less than a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030 will not be enough to energize world leaders to aspire to do more themselves.
In short, the summit must frame the political momentum needed to ensure a successful outcome at COP26, so laying the foundation for effective delivery in the years to come.
Here’s why this matters: We are in a planetary emergency. Human activities are destabilizing our climate and food systems, and destroying the natural ecosystems we depend on faster than they can replenish themselves.
The growing threat of reaching irreversible climate tipping points must compel political and economic action on global emissions, say scientists. It will take an unprecedented, coordinated and urgent effort by all countries to change the trajectory we are on and to reach net zero emissions by no later than mid-century.
We now have broad acceptance of the need to achieve net zero emissions by mid-century. The challenge facing all countries is to take actions this decade to achieve the long-term goal.
We won’t meet this goal if we don’t unlock the political will needed to ensure a successful outcome at COP26 this November, and put the elements on the table - like much stronger economy-wide emissions reduction targets and climate finance - necessary to implement plans.
We are waiting anxiously for the world’s highest-emitting countries - including the United States and China - to lead by example with the greatest ambition, putting promises into action. Countries like Argentina, the UK and the EU have raised their ambition but could be doing even more.
The national climate plans submitted by South Korea, Russia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Australia, Mexico and Brazil show no increased ambition. In an encouraging change in stance, Japan has signalled it will revise its national climate plan. WWF is urging the government to consider increasing its emissions reduction target to 50% by 2030.
Leaders must also include concrete policies and actions to scale up nature-based solutions. We hope to see more countries signing up to the Leaders Pledge for Nature, and to speed up the implementation of those commitments.
So ambition is the name of the game for the summit. It will be most evident in the announcements of both NDCs (nationally determined contributions), which are short-term plans with 2030 targets, and in long-term strategies, which should be robust plans to get to net zero by 2050. Cutting through these are critical issues of adaptation and resilience, and climate finance, including for loss and damage.
The UNFCCC is expecting countries that have not yet submitted their NDC should submit - as soon as possible - a 1.5°C-aligned NDC.
Within those, countries should have strong, measurable nature-based solutions commitments which end deforestation and habitat conversion and reduce emissions from agriculture and food systems.
Importantly, consultation processes must involve and recognize the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and adaptation actions must be prioritized to address climate adaptation and vulnerability.
We still need to see strong commitment to the building blocks that will be the foundation of the implementation of the NDCs and long-term plans, including an increase in overall climate finance, including a significant percent of new funds for nature-based solutions.
We also need a commitment to eliminate and re-purpose fossil fuel, agriculture and fisheries subsidies for investments in nature-based solutions, beginning with a firm deadline to end fossil fuel subsidies.
The success of the Biden summit could bring hope that 2021, culminating with the COP26 climate conference in Scotland, will take us to where we need to be in terms of strong short- and long-term ambition to tackle the climate crisis.
Manuel Pulgar-Vidal is WWF's Global Lead for Climate & Energy, former Minister of Environment for Peru and President of COP20.
