COP26 - The 2021 UNFCCC COP26 Glasgow Climate Pact

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

In a nutshell:

The COP26 Glasgow Climate Pact, approved by 200 nations, reaffirmed the 2015 Paris Agreement commitment to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius, and to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius, above pre-industrial levels [Section IV, paragraph (20)]. A reaffirmed commitment, despite the parties' expressed “alarm and concern” [I(3)] that global warming had already reached 1.1 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level. 

Consistent with the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, the Climate Pact recognizes that the consequences of climate change will be far less at 1.5 degrees Celsius, above pre-industrial temperatures, than those at 2 degrees Celsius. Thus, the Climate Pact calls for a 45% decrease in global carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 [IV(22)], in order to achieve net-zero (1) by 2050. The Climate Pact also calls for deep cuts in other sorts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, such as methane, inviting nations to further reduce their emissions by 2030 [IV(37)].

For the first time in history, the UNFCCC Climate Pact explicitly addressed "the elephant in the room", setting forth a controversial ‘phasing out” of coal and fossil fuels, held primarily responsible for global warming. Despite opposition from developing nations, who are relying on coal for development, and large producers of coal, who would prefer to see “phasing-down”, the Climate Pact [IV(36)]:

"Calls upon Parties to accelerate the development, deployment and dissemination of technologies, and the adoption of policies, to transition towards low-emission energy systems […] including accelerating efforts towards the phase out of unabated coal power and inefficient fossil fuel subsidies” [italics mine].

 An unprecedented call that is mindfully un-dissociated from both the concept of climate justice, specified in the preamble, an the need for just transition to clean energy (specified in several instances: [IV(32)], [IV(36)] and [VII(85)].

The Glasgow Climate Pact also “Urges developed country Parties to at least double their collective provision of climate finance for adaptation to developing country Parties from 2019 levels by 2025” [III(18)]", while noting subsequently with “deep regret” the failure of developing nations to meet the Paris Agreement goal of jointly mobilizing 100 billion USD per year by the year 2020 [V(44)]. Funding to have been provided to developing nations, for the purposes of mitigating the effects of climate change, for which developed countries are held responsible. Thus, the Climate Pact also urges developed nations to renew their commitment, in view of fully delivering on their Paris Agreement promises of 100 billion USD per year through to the later date of 2025, while calling for more clarity and specificity on each of the nation’s pledges in this regard [V(45)]. The Climate Pact also explicitly calls for financial flows to urgently support pathways to low-emissions and climate-resistant development, within the context of the UN sustainable development program, and the eradication of poverty [V(54)].

The Climate Pact also includes a whole section VI on Loss and Damages, already incurred as a result of climate change. In this regard, the Santiago Network (2), is to be provided with funding for the purposes of further addressing, averting, minimizing, supporting and compensating climate-related Loss and Damages [VI(67)].

A Climate Pact that concludes with a section VIII, re-iterating the welcomed collaboration between Parties (i.e. nations) and Civil Society, including explicit mention of indigenous people, local and regional communities, women, youth, and other Non-Party Stakeholders. A Climate Pact where the final paragraph places a contingency on all the climate action specified, based on the availability of financial resources [VIII(97)].

Disappointing for those who believe the urgency of the situation, and see the pact as not enough to avert the disastrous consequences of climate change; heralded as a breakthrough by others (e.g., Aljazeera, Nov 14, 2021; Jordans, AP New Nov. 13, 2021; Rathi & Shankleman, Nov. 13, 2021). The final word on the UNFCCC COP26 Glasgow Climate Pact was spoken by António Guterres, Secretary-General to the United Nations:

The COP26 outcome is a compromise, reflecting the interests, contradictions & state of political will in the world today. It's an important step, but it's not enough. It's time to go into emergency mode. The climate battle is the fight of our lives & that fight must be won. (Guterres, Nov. 13, 2021)

Indeed, if the Secretary-General spoke the truth at the conclusion of COP 26, then the Climate Pact compromise is short on delivering all the hope and possibilities expressed in Sir David Attenborough's spirited send-off address, on Nov. 1, 2021, at COP 26,  in Glasgow, UK. 

Notes
(1)  "Net-zero refers to a state in which the greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by removal out of the atmosphere." (Net Zero Climate)

(2) The Santiago Network, previously set forth during COP25, in Madrid, under the presidency of Chile, was designed to bring together multiple parties for technical assistance, in connection with reports of climate-related loss and damages, occurring particularly in developing and vulnerable countries. The Santiago Network is accessible via the UNFCCC portal  (Santiago Network, UNFCCC). 

References

Aljazeera Staff (Nov 14, 2021). Betrayal of people planet: World reacts to COP Climate Pact. 

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/14/betrayal-of-people-planet-world-reacts-to-cop26-climate-pact

Jordans, F. (Nov. 13, 2021). Good COP, bad COP? Takeaways from the new climate deal. 

https://apnews.com/article/climate-business-scotland-glasgow-europe-ef49bd6336c3cbd5356aea1e8af19f6d

Guterres, A. (Nov 13, 2021). Re: UNFCCC COP26 Glasgow Climate Pact.  Tweet https://twitter.com/antonioguterres/status/1459615542764093447?r

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report. 
https://www.ipcc.ch/assessment-report/ar6/

Net Zero Climate -  https://netzeroclimate.org/what-is-net-zero/

Rathi, A. & J. Shankleman (Nov. 13, 2021). COP26 seals breakthrough climate deal after major compromises.
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/cop26-seals-breakthrough-climate-deal-after-major-compromises

Santiago Network at the UNFCCC 

https://unfccc.int/santiago-network/about 

United Nations Climate Action  https://www.un.org/climatechange

UNFCCC COP21 Paris Agreement  

https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement

UNFCCC COP26 Glasgow Climate Pact (Advanced version - Nov. 13, 2021)
https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/cma2021_L16_adv.pdf 

UNFCCC (Dec. 3, 2020) - COP 25 & Incoming COP 26 - Developing the Santiago Network for loss and damages. 

https://unfccc.int/event/developing-the-santiago-network-for-loss-and-damage

COP 26 - Stella McCartney's technology-powered sustainable fungi fashion

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann 

Early October 2021, Stella McCartney took the runways of the Paris Fashion Week by storm with a Spring 2022 collection, celebrating sustainable mycelium fashion (Friedman, Oct. 5, 2021), aka patented recombinant mushroom technologies. Scroll forward to COP26 in Glasgow UK, and the hottest cruelty-free House of British fashion was also present, exhibiting: The Future of Fashion. A showcase of fashion innovation powered with such sustainable patented technologies as Mylo™ leather and Microsilk™ (Mitchie, 2021). An exhibit that brought together the fashion industry, responsible for an estimated 18% of GHG, into sharp focus.

 Indeed, lab-grown mycellium and silk thread technologies have a much smaller carbon footprint. A smaller footprint compared to the millions of animals in cattle ranching, whose hides are used to manufacture shoes, accessories and apparel;  or compared to the use of silkworms, and the impossible use of spiders. More deeply, however, lab-grown  Mylo™ leather and Microsilk™ are 100%  cruelty-free, the hallmark of Stella McCartney fashion (Stella McCartney). A truly synergistic hallmark that brings together climate change, sustainability, ethical treatment of animals, and the best of the fashion world, all under a single banner.

The fashion industry’s commitment “to net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 in line with keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius”, consistent with the provisions of the UNFCCC(1) 2015 Paris Agreement, was initially set forth in the UNFCCC 2018 Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, launched during COP24 in Katowice, Poland.  However, as Stella McCartney pointed out in an interview on Nov 4^th 2021 with CNN, the fashion industry is “the most unfashionable” in terms of sustainability, as it still lags far behind with no regulations in sight for monitoring emissions, setting deadlines, implementing accountability, or for supplying incentives for change.

A viewpoint that appears largely shared by other fashion industry leaders, since according to Vogue, the COP26 Fashion Charter event resulted not only in additional signatories to the existing group of 130 brands(2), but also a renewed commitment to more concrete, more ambitious, and much stronger action in view of achieving the goals set forth in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate action (Chan, 2021). Tighter control, such as phasing out coal from tiers one and two suppliers by 2030, and no new coal by 2050, or requiring brands to submit plans for climate action.  A COP26 takeaway in the form of an amended UNFCCC Fashion Charter for Climate Action, considering that, according to The Global Fashion Agenda the Fashion industry’s emissions, at their current pace,  are set to rise to 2.7 billion tons by 2030, which is double the amount required to keep climate warming below the 1.5 degrees  (Fashion on Climate Report, 2020).

The patented technologies driving Stella McCartney's Future of Fashion include Mylo™ leather, and Microsilk™, both produced by the California Bay Area company Bolt Threads. Leather that meets the Stella McCartney criteria of “ cruelty-free alternatives that look and feel luxurious and have [in this case]  an environmental impact that is up to 24 times lower than animal leathers.[ilalics mine]" (Stella McCartney). Likewise, Microsilk™ is a vegan product, made entirely from yeast, sugar and DNA, with high tensile strength, softness, elasticity and durabulity, fabricated using green chemistry practices to minimize the environmental footprint.  

Indeed, according to Stella McCartney,  there are no sacrifices in The Future of Fashion. Quite the contrary, when technology, ethics and sustainability are synched, The Future of Fashion is invigorated, and more stunning than ever, as evidenced in the included clip of the Stella McCartney Spring 2022 show (Cohn, 2021).

Imagine now what might happen, considering that the fashion Houses of Louis Vuitton, Dior, Givenchy, Celine, Loewe, Fendi, Marc Jacobs, and the like of luxury and prestige, belonging to the LVMH group, are all on board (i.e.; signatories) for climate action!

Notes

(1) UNFCCC - United Nations Framework on Climate Change Convention. (UN on Climate Change)

(2) The LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) conglomerate which groups 75 luxury Houses such as Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Kenzo and Fendi signed on to the Charter.

References

Bolt threads https://boltthreads.com/

Chan, E. (Nov. 9, 2021). How fashion is ramping up its climate effort at COP26. Vogue.

 https://www.vogue.com/article/cop26-un-fashion-charter-climate-change-efforts

Climate Change Tracker https://climateactiontracker.org/

CNN Interview (Nov. 4, 2021) - Stella McCartney: Fashion industry is the most unfashionable for sustainability. 

 https://www.cnn.com/videos/style/2021/11/04/stella-mccartney-sustainable-fashion-cop26-nobilo-tgb-intl-hnk-vpx.cnn

Cohn, A. (May 14, 2021). The future of fashion is Fungi- Harper’s Bazaar.
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/designers/a36182113/fashion-designers-fungi/

COP26 – The future of Fashion – Stella McCartney.
https://fashionunited.uk/news/fashion/stella-mccartney-unveils-future-of-fashion-exhibition-at-cop26/2021110358986

Fashion on climate (Aug. 27, 2020).  Report by the Global Fashion Agenda.
http://www2.globalfashionagenda.com/initiatives/fashion-on-climate/#/

Friedman, V. (Oct. 5, 2021). Stella McCartney does mushrooms in Paris. Maison Margiela and Chanel practice sustainability of a different kind. NYTimes.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/style/stella-mccartney-mushrooms.html

Global Fashion Agenda https://www2.globalfashionagenda.com/

LVMH (website) https://www.lvmh.com/ 

Mitchie, N. (Nov. 4, 2021). Stella McCartney imagines a nature-positive fashion industry in COP26 exhibit. Fashion Magazine. https://fashionmagazine.com/events/stella-mccartney-cop26-exhibit/

Paton, E. (Oct, 2, 2020). Fungus may be be the hottest fashion trend. NYTImes.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/fashion/mylo-mushroom

Stella McCartney (website) Sustainability.  

 https://www.stellamccartney.com/us/en/sustainability/sustainability.html

United Nations on Climate Change https://www.un.org/climatechange

UNFCCC – Fashion industry Charter (launched at COP24 Katowice, Poland).
https://unfccc.int/climate-action/sectoral-engagement/global-climate-action-in-fashion/about-the-fashion-industry-charter-for-climate-action

UNFCCC 2015 Paris Agreement https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement