COP26: Here’s What Countries Have Pledged

 COP26: Here’s What Countries Have Pledged

By Lindsay Maizland

November 12, 2021 12:35 pm (EST)

Amid efforts to secure sweeping commitments to limit global warming, governments made new pledges on deforestation, methane emissions, coal, and more.

The most recent UN climate summit—the twenty-sixth Conference of the Parties (COP26)—was widely billed as a critical event for securing meaningful commitments to limit greenhouse gas emissions. A final agreement for COP26 has not been finished yet. But the conference has already featured some notable new commitments by governments, financial institutions, and individuals:

Deforestation

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More than 130 countries pledged to halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030. The signatories possess 90 percent of the world’s forests. Notably, Brazil, home to the Amazon Rainforest, signed on. In addition, Jeff Bezos, one of the world’s richest people, pledged $2 billion to help restore natural habitats and transform food systems.

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Climate Change

Energy and Environment

Energy and Climate Policy

Diplomacy and International Institutions

Paris Climate Agreement

This Emmy Award–winning InfoGuide visualizes deforestation in the Amazon.

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More than one hundred countries signed the U.S.- and European Union–led Global Methane Pledge and agreed to collectively slash methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030. 

This In Brief explains how cutting methane emissions can move the needle on climate change. 

Coal and Fossil Fuels

Twenty-three countries made new commitments to phase out coal. Some signed on to an initiative to help developing countries, such as India and South Africa, transition away from coal. Twenty-five countries and five financial institutions committed to stop public financing for most fossil fuel projects by the end of 2022. And a handful of countries joined an alliance [PDF] that aims to halt new drilling for oil and gas. 

This In Brief examines how hard it will be for the world to quit coal.

Even With COP26 Pledges, World Not on Track to Meet Paris Agreement’s Goal

Global temperature rise over preindustrial average

A chart showing the projected warming with current policies, +2.7 degrees by 2100, compared to the Paris goal of +1.5 degrees

+3°C

Current policies

+2.7° by 2100

Pledges and targets

+2.1° by 2100

+2°C

With 1.5°C of warming, much of the world will likely see staggering sea-level rise, record-breaking droughts and floods, and widespread species loss.

Paris Agreement goal

Limit warming to +1.5°

Current warming

+1.2° as of 2021

+1°C

+0°C

Note: Current policies and pledges and targets are projections. In each scenario, the temperature shown is the most likely of a range of possible outcomes. Pledges and targets include submitted and binding commitments for 2030 and beyond.

Source:  Climate Action Tracker.

U.S.-China Agreement

The United States and China, the world’s top emitters of greenhouse gases, agreed to boost cooperation on combating climate change over the next decade. They said they will work together on increasing the use of renewable energy, developing regulatory frameworks, and deploying technologies such as carbon capture. 

For Foreign Affairs, experts debate whether the United States can trust China to fight climate change. 

India’s Net-Zero Pledge

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India, one of the top emitters after China and the United States, will aim to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070. 

This Think Global Health article looks at how communities are adapting to climate change in India’s Zanskar Valley.

Climate Finance

A few countries promised to increase funding to help developing countries cut their emissions and cope with the effects of climate change. Among them, Japan pledged an additional $2 billion per year for the next five years, and Italy pledged an extra $1.4 billion per year. Climate finance is expected to be included in COP26’s final agreement.

CFR’s Alice C. Hill and Madeline Babin explain why climate finance is critical to accelerating global action.

Participants walk around a venue for COP26.

Thousands of people from around the world gather in Glasgow for COP26 in November 2021. Christoph Soeder/Picture Alliance/Getty Images   Share

Zero-Emission Vehicles

More than thirty countries, dozens of states and cities, and several automotive companies agreed to work to guarantee that new cars and vans sold are zero-emission by 2035 in leading markets and 2040 globally.

This Backgrounder examines the state of U.S. infrastructure. 

Firms’ Net-Zero Pledges

More than 450 banks, insurers, pension funds, and other firms that collectively manage $130 trillion committed to use their funds to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. 

The Why It Matters podcast unpacks how markets can be leveraged in the fight for climate action.

What’s Next?

Experts have said that while these commitments are significant, much more needs to be done to reach the Paris Agreement’s goal on limiting warming. Before COP26 began, CFR’s Hill reviewed what needed to happen at the conference to make an impact. Writing for Foreign Affairs, University of Toronto’s Jessica F. Green looks at how reforming tax and trade rules after COP26 can help fight climate change.

Will Merrow created the graphic for this In Brief