After a week of kind words and even the sweetest of intentions, the final game begins at Climate Summit in Glasgow. In the coming days, it should become clear what agreements world leaders are making with each other to combat further global warming.
On behalf of Europe, the negotiations are being conducted by two Dutch people, among others. Frans Timmermans, Climate Commissioner and his right-hand man Diederik Samsom, architect of the European Green Deal. “Things are going better than I could have imagined,” says Samsom, head of climate at Timmermans. You can really make some progress up front and predict the way things are going to go. But the devil is in the details, especially in these complex negotiations.
An example of this is the right to vote, according to Semsum. As a result, even the smallest countries can close an entire agreement. For example: Every country: If your name is Fiji, Tuvalu or America; If Fiji says she doesn’t agree, the whole party is off. So it stays exciting until the end.
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Global Warming
With 36 degrees off the climate summit, Samsom is still hopeful of a deal that will lead to a global warming of just 1.5 degrees by the end of the century, instead of the 3 degrees scientists now expect. “Science says that as the temperature rises by 1.5 degrees, there is still a chance that the Earth will remain livable for future generations.” However, there is a downside to a potential deal. We wouldn’t make it in Glasgow. The intentions and promises of states are not enough. But we can agree to deliver the missing part within a year. If possible, Samsom considers it a “success”.
Money
It will also be about money in the coming hours. For example, developing and “emerging” countries must receive financial support in order to become more sustainable. Samsom stresses that “countries like India will not be able to make commitments to cut emissions if they don’t get paid for it.” The rules of the game must also be established. You have to agree on how to calculate, record and report CO2 emissions to the rest of the world. Then you can see if you two are on the right track together.
So far, some major agreements have already been reached. For example, large countries have stopped funding foreign fossil fuel projects and all countries have agreed to stop deforestation by 2030.
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