Queen Elizabeth tells UN member-nations “act now” photo The Telegraph
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Queen Elizabeth tells UN member-nations: “act now”

Nov 2, 2021, 7:43 AM
Rose De La Cruz

Rose De La Cruz

Writer/Columnist

Queen Elizabeth told leaders attending the 26th UN climate change conference of parties (COP26) that the time for words has changed to urgent action now. “We must think of the future of our children’s children, she said. The Pope also sent a message (and a delegation) to Glasgow, Scotland where he reminded political leaders to give “concrete hope” for future generations that they are taking radical steps to tackle climate change.

As world leaders gather physically and virtually in Glasgow, Scotland for the 26th UN climate change conference of parties (COP26), Queen Elizabeth addressed the powerful meet with “the time for words has now moved to the time for action” and urged leaders to think of future generations when negotiating a deal to limit global warming.

COP26 began last October 31 until November 12 in Scotland, which is part of the United Kingdom that is ruled by the Queen.She urged the leaders to rise above “the politics of the moment” and said the legacy of a successful summit would help “our children’s children.”

The 95-year-old world’s oldest and longest-reigning monarch was due to attend the event in person in Glasgow but pulled out after doctors advised her to rest so she sent her video message.

“It is the hope of many that the legacy of this summit – written in history books yet to be printed – will describe you as the leaders who did not pass up the opportunity; and that you answered the call of those future generations,” the queen said.
“The benefits of such actions will not be there to enjoy for all of us here today: we, none of us will live forever. But we are doing this not for ourselves but for our children and our children’s children.”

She paid tribute to her late husband, Prince Philip, who died earlier this year aged 99. She remembered how he had warned an academic gathering in 1969 about the need to tackle the threats from pollution.

Unmute

“If the world pollution situation is not critical at the moment, it is as certain as anything can be that the situation will become increasingly intolerable within a very short time,” she quoted him as saying.

The queen said she “could not be more proud” that his work had been continued by her two closest heirs, her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William, who are both attending the summit.

On Monday, the queen was pictured driving by herself around her Windsor Castle estate after she last month cancelled some engagements and spent a night in hospital for an unspecified ailment, her first such overnight stay for years.

Phl. delegation

As the Philippine delegation joins the rest of the world in a key climate conference in Scotland, some important sets of numbers are tucked in its waist—157.6 million, the amount in metric tons of greenhouse gas that the country emitted in 2012 which was 0.33 percent of worldwide total and a 53 percent increase from levels in 1990, the Inquirer reported.

Greenpeace Philippines said it hoped the Philippine team in COP26 will aggressively push for the Philippine commitment to stop further global warming before the world reaches the point of no return.

COP26 started last Sunday (Oct. 31) and has been described as the “world’s deadline before the climate catastrophe, which is now wreaking havoc everywhere, becomes irreversible.”

Virginia Llorin, Greenpeace Philippines campaigner, said while the group trusts that the Philippine delegation would highlight Filipinos’ demands for “climate justice,” it should take the initiative to hold companies responsible for the climate crisis “accountable.”

The Philippine delegation is led by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III. e

Amid criticisms, especially from teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, that conferences like COP26 result only in talk, it brings together leaders of the world to try to commit to common goals in stemming climate change through the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Dominguez said he would highlight actions taken by the Philippines to fight climate change and demand “greater accountability” from Western nations which “contributed and continue to contribute” to climate destruction.

Greenpeace Philippines said quick action on climate change was imperative and calls for climate justice should go along the phaseout of fossil fuels, a major source of carbon and methane emissions.

PH pledge

The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) ClimateLinks said that the Philippines, in 2012, contributed 157.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions—0.33 percent of global emissions. This was a 53 percent increase from 1990.

The Philippine government, last April, laid out “extensive plans” to reduce emissions by 75 percent by 2030 by committing to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. This was higher than the 70 percent that the Philippine government committed in 2017.

The 75 percent commitment was part of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) of the Philippines, but Greenpeace Philippines said most of the “pledge” was conditional—through external assistance—while only 2.71 percent is not conditional – through local resources.

When the NDC was presented, the group Power for People Coalition said the 2.71 percent of the target that does not hinge on any conditions was “negligible,” explaining that despite having “high mitigation potential,” Philippine officials still turn a blind eye on climate realities.

Greenpeace Philippines said that the government’s climate leadership “needs to be more than lip service,” believing that the Philippines has the potential to do more and to take the high ground in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.

Commitments are ‘not enough’

COP26, which Greenpeace Philippines described as the most significant global climate conference so far, is the “deadline” for governments to give their plans to lessen emissions that would help the world hit its target of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Centigrade. Commitments are not enough, though, said Greenpeace Philippines.

The latest UN report which synthesized the pledges of nations revealed that with the current level of commitments, a 16 percent increase in emissions will happen by 2030 compared to 2010 and may lead to a 2.7°C rise in global warming “by the end of the century.”

The UN said that global warming “induced by humans” has already caused “multiple observed changes in the climate system” which included increases in both land and ocean temperatures, as well as more frequent heat waves in most land regions.

Extreme weather

With a 1.5°C increase, the Yale Climate Connections (YCC) explained, extreme hot days in the mid-latitudes will be 3°C warmer while with a 2°C increase in temperature readings, extreme hot days in the mid-latitudes will be 4°C warmer “compared to pre-industrial levels.”

The YCC also said that with a 1.5°C increase, sea levels could rise by 0.26 to 0.77 meters by 2100 while with a 2°C increase, sea levels could rise by 0.36 to 0.87 meters. The increase in heat could also affect the already “declining biodiversity.”

With a 1.5°C increase, six percent of insects, eight percent of plants, and four percent of vertebrates could lose over half of their climatic geographic range. With a 2°C increase, those could intensify—18 percent of insects, 16 percent of plants, and eight percent of vertebrates.

Damage to climate hazard hits P463-B for Phl.

Greenpeace Philippines said that the COP26 is significant, especially for Filipinos who are one of the most vulnerable to the effects of the climate crisis, explaining that millions of Filipinos are already suffering losses and disruptions in lives, livelihood, and dignity.

The DOF said that “climate-induced hazards” already cost the Philippines P463 billion in infrastructure alone from 2010 to 2019. In 2020, the damage reached P113.4 billion.

But P989-B in 50 years

“In the next 50 years, the country has a 40 percent chance of experiencing a loss exceeding P989 billion, and a 20 percent chance of experiencing a loss exceeding P1.53 trillion,” said the DOF.

The Philippines currently has the Sustainable Finance Roadmap and its Guiding Principles as “primary blueprint” as the nation transitions to a low-carbon and climate-resilient society.

According to the DOF, the Sustainable Financial Roadmap program was crafted in partnership with the United Kingdom and in the implementation of the Low Carbon Energy Program for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

It aims to “address policy and regulatory gaps in promoting sustainable investments through finance, implementing sustainable government initiatives, facilitating investments in public infrastructure and developing projects that promote sustainable financing in the Philippines,” according to the DOF.

Pope’s message to COP26

Political leaders must give "concrete hope" to future generations that they are taking the radical steps needed to tackle climate change when they meet at COP26, Pope Francis said in a message released on Friday.Pope Francis said the summit would be tough, but also represents an opportunity that we must not waste,” reported Reuters.

The Vatican sent a delegation to the summit, but the 84-year-old pope will not be going following surgery earlier this year. Pope Francis warned against the danger of isolationism and protectionism in dealing with the climate crisis.

"We can confront these crises by retreating into isolationism, protectionism and exploitation. Or we can see in them a real chance for change, a genuine moment of conversion, and not simply in a spiritual sense," he said.

"This last approach alone can guide us towards a brighter horizon."

Climate literacy

Last June, Dominguez said climate literacy would be the greatest defense against climate change, saying that there was an exigent need to spread public awareness over the need “to take immediate action in ending the worsening environmental crisis.”

Greenpeace Philippines said that while it hoped that the Philippine delegation would take a strong stance, “we also need this to be supported by genuine climate action back home.”

“The Duterte administration still has time to put in place green recovery measures from COVID 19, strengthen the coal moratorium announcement by actual cancellations of planned coal facilities, aim for 50 percent RE (renewable energy) by 2030, and protect and restore ecosystems to build resilience,” the group said.

Tags: #Glasgow,Scotland, #COP26, #climatechange, #worldleaders, #QueenElizabeth, #PopeFrancis


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