COP26 Climate Summit: Everything You Need to Know About Glasgow Climate Conference

When it comes to climate change, the United Nations climate talks are the biggest show in town. After the Covid-19 epidemic forced the 2020 discussions to be postponed, governments convened two years ago to debate the global response to climate change.

The next round of negotiations will occur in Glasgow, Scotland, at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, beginning on October 31 and lasting at least two weeks.

More than 30,000 people are scheduled to attend the discussions in Glasgow, including government officials, the media, business groups, and non-governmental organizations and activists, collectively known as "civil society." They assist in holding the prominent actors accountable.

Along with the discussions, there will be a slew of other activities to shape and influence the result of the talks.

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Who Will Attend the Conference?

A significant number of international leaders are anticipated to attend the Glasgow talks. Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, will play a vital role in the negotiations, which Glasgow will host.

President Joe Biden of the United States, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, President Emmanuel Macron of France, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett are all slated to attend.

The negotiations were planned to be attended by Queen Elizabeth. However, she has now withdrawn owing to health concerns.

Dividing into Parties

Resolutions taken at the UN climate negotiations are decided by consensus; in principle, every nation participating in the discussions has agreed to all of the official decisions made by the conference.

However, because the UNFCCC has over 200 members, hearing the views of negotiators representing each country while debating critical topics would make the negotiations unmanageable.

To achieve this, countries organize themselves into a much smaller number of negotiating blocs, known as 'party groupings .' manage. These blocs are formed around common characteristics and allow a single spokesperson to speak on behalf of a larger group; however, countries frequently belong to multiple blocs.

Major Parties

The following are the major parties:

• Group of 77 plus China
• European Union
• The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) 
• Least Developed Countries (LDC) 
• Arab States
• African Group
• Umbrella Group
• Environmental Integrity Group

During the climate negotiations, nations will frequently proclaim that they have signed on to a common grouping and a commitment to specific policy measures, although they are not technically recognized negotiating blocs.

Negotiating Blocs

The Powering Past Coal Alliance, a network of 137 nations, cities, and organizations dedicated to accelerating the phase-out of coal-fired power plants, is one of the critical groups likely to appear in Glasgow.

The group was created in 2017 at COP23 by Canada and the United Kingdom. Australia, unsurprisingly, is not a member of this club.

Other Attendees 

While most of the conversations will occur between officials representing governments, non-governmental organizations will also play an essential role at COPs. Business groups, environmental groups, and other advocacy groups will be among them.

Recognized "civil society" representatives are allowed to participate in the discussions, with restricted speaking privileges, to offer views on the negotiations' progress and generally push negotiators to do more on specific subjects.

Purpose of the Event

The United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26) is a watershed moment in global climate governance. They are the first conference since the Kyoto Protocol came to an end and the Paris Agreement began.

Countries are likely to declare greater 'Nationally Determined Contributions,' a significant conference component (emissions reduction targets). 

Also Read: Carbon Rebound: Emissions from World's Richest Countries Rose Exponentially in 2021

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