The 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) or COP26 will take place from 31 October to 12 November in Glasgow (United Kingdom). France, a major actor in the fight against climate change and guarantor of the spirit of Paris Agreement, will champion, with the European Union, strong actions on several priorities.
The confirms the urgent need to take action and to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to remain on the pathway of a rise of 1.5°C in global temperature as set out in the Paris Agreement. The pledges made by the States Parties within the framework of COP26 will be decisive for the future of the planet.
Against this backdrop, the four priorities of COP26 are:
1. Scaling up global climate ambition
The fifth conference since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, COP26 is the first opportunity to take stock of progress made on the ambition set out in the Agreement. Each Party to the Agreement must increase its climate commitments every five years and submit a new nationally determined contribution (NDC) to the UNFCCC. The European Union has fulfilled its goal, committing to reduce by at least 55% its net greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared with 1990 levels and to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
2. Drawing up the Paris Agreement rulebook
At COP26, negotiations are continuing on the rules of application of the Paris Agreement, particularly Article 6 which provides for mechanisms of emissions exchanges and concerning transparency. France and the European Union hope that discussions can be finalized in Glasgow.
3. Mobilizing finance for developing countries
Developed countries have committed to mobilizing, between 2020 and 2025, $100 billion per year for the climate in developing countries.
To take stock of this commitment, developed countries, including France, published a delivery plan) ahead of COP26 on the amounts that they will mobilize by 2025. This plan was published on 25 October 2021.
France has determined this goal to meet expectations of the most vulnerable countries. President Macron is committed to:
- increase climate finance mobilized by France to ?6 billion per year from 2021 to 2025;
- devote a third of it to adaptation (?2 billion).
That represents an increase compared to the COP21 commitment of ?5 billion in 2020, including ?1.5 billion for adaptation.
In 2020, that commitment was fulfilled, with a total of ?5.05 billion in finance, including ?1.96 billion for adaptation, and was even exceeded in 2019, with ?6 billion.
France has doubled its commitment to the Green Climate Fund for the period 2020-2023, bringing it to ?1.5 billion.
This momentum is in line with EU action: climate finance of the European Union and its 27 Member States reached ?21.9 billion in 2019, making the European Union the main contributor of public climate finance.
4. Highlighting and strengthening the Action Agenda
The climate Action Agenda was created so that non-state actors could conduct climate action that works. It was one of the key elements for the COP21's success and the adoption of the Paris Agreement. France would like to see Paris' inclusive spirit continue by pursuing the mobilization of actors (local and regional authorities, researchers, civil society, NGOs, youth representatives, businesses) and multi-actor coalitions so that they can develop tangible solutions for tackling climate change in different sectors (energy, transport, construction, water, oceans). At COP26, France will provide a place for these actors to express themselves at events in its pavilion.
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