COP26 RECAP: Greta Thunberg labels summit 'a failure' at panel hosted by Emma Watson | LA Mayor tests Covid positive after attending summit | Nicola Sturgeon defends Scotland's emission targets
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First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has defended the country’s ambitious targets to reduce emissions by 75 per cent by 2030 at an event during COP26.
Chief executive of the committee of climate change Chris Stark said the Scottish Government may have “overcooked its emission reduction targets, particularly the 75 per cent number” in an interview with BBC Scotland last week.
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Hide AdMs Sturgeon responded saying the targets were “ambitious” but she would much rather be “criticised on being over ambitious than under ambitious.”
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COP26 RECAP: Greta Thunberg labels summit ‘a failure’ at panel hosted by Emma Watson | LA Mayor tests Covid positive after attending summit | Nicola Sturgeon defends Scotland’s emission targets
Carbon emissions rebounding to close to pre-pandemic levels, scientists warn
Global carbon pollution is set to bounce back in 2021 to almost its pre-pandemic levels, scientists have warned as the Cop26 climate talks continue.
Carbon emissions from fossil fuels fell 5.4 per cent in 2020 from a record high the previous year due to widespread Covid-19 lockdowns.
But they are expected to rise again by 4.9 per cent to 36.4 billion tonnes this year, or about 0.8 per cent below 2019 levels, the annual Global Carbon Budget analysis reveals.
Researchers analysing the figures expressed surprise that carbon emissions had rebounded so quickly, especially as parts of the global economy have not fully recovered.
Sixty of the FTSE 100 commit to net zero by 2050
Six in 10 of the UK’s biggest listed companies have said they will eliminate their contribution to carbon emissions by the middle of the century as negotiators meet in Glasgow to find a path to avoid catastrophic climate change.
By Thursday, 60 of the FTSE 100 – with a combined market value of over £1 trillion – had committed to a net zero target as part of the United Nations Race to Zero campaign.
They are part of the 5,200 companies which have joined up to the UN pledge. Nearly half of these companies are British, the Government said.
Funeral director offers a greener way to say goodbye
This week, United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres told delegates at COP26 that the world was digging its own grave by burning fossil fuels and destroying the environment.
Now an Edinburgh-based funeral director hopes to help put a stop to that, in more ways than one, by embracing sustainability and new technology.
William Purves – Scotland’s largest independent funeral director – has launched what is thought to be the first smartphone app offering carbon neutral funerals.
LA mayor tests positive for Covid after COP26 breakfast with global leaders
The mayor of Los Angeles has tested positive for coronavirus a day after attending a breakfast with the Prime Minster, the leaders of the UK’s devolved nations and a host of other heads of government.
Mayor Eric Garcetti is now isolating in his hotel.
Boris Johnson made a brief appearance at the event on Tuesday in the blue zone at Cop26 in Glasgow.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her Welsh counterpart Mark Drakeford hosted the event along with Northern Ireland’s First Minister Paul Givan and Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill.
A message on the official mayor of Los Angeles Twitter account posted on Wednesday afternoon said: “Mayor Garcetti tested positive for COVID-19 earlier today.
“He is feeling good and isolating in his hotel room. He is fully vaccinated.”
Pikachu protesters demand end to coal power as COP26 protests continue
Protesters dressed as Pikachu have gathered opposite the COP26 conference as climate protests continue in Glasgow.
The giant Pokemon were demanding an end to Japan’s support for coal power.
It comes after several demonstrations took place in Glasgow on Wednesday, including an Extinction Rebellion march through the city attended by hundreds.
Another Extinction Rebellion protest is expected outside the Home Office building in Cessnock on Thursday, while there will be other large marches through the city on Friday and Saturday.
On Wednesday evening, Police Scotland said five arrests had been made at the demonstration, including two after officers were sprayed with paint.
Ed Miliband says ‘Any progress towards powering past coal is welcome, but glaring gaps remain'
Labour’s shadow business and energy secretary Ed Miliband tweeted: “Any progress towards powering past coal is welcome, but glaring gaps remain.
“There is no commitment from large emitters like China to stop increasing coal at home, and nothing on the phase-out of other fossil fuels.
“Whether it’s flirting with a new coal mine or licensing a massive oil field here at home, too often the Government has been looking both ways on climate.
“Rather than driving the ambition we need, as Cop President the Government has let others off the hook.”
‘We do have to put our foot down and say coal’s got to go’ says Keir Starmer
Sir Keir Starmer said the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow needed to reach a global agreement to set out how to reduce emissions by 2030 because if those targets were missed, he would fear that goals for 2050 would not be achieved either.
He told Jeremy Vine on BBC Radio 2: “Cop is very, very important. Obviously, the most important conference we’ve had in many, many years.
“We all want it to succeed. There’s a long, long way to go.
“I’m afraid we do have to put our foot down and say coal’s got to go. And the sooner we do that, the better and some of the advances on deforestation the other day and on coal are a step in right direction.
“I have to say, our ability to argue on the world stage that we should stop using coal is undermined by the Government not, or at least flirting with the idea of opening a coal mine in Cumbria which would be a completely wrong step.
“So we need to end coal but we do need obviously safe, secure forms of energy and the sooner we can get on to those safe, secure forms, the better.”
Business Secretary defended Boris Johnson’s decision to fly back to London
The Business Secretary defended Boris Johnson’s decision to fly back to London from the Cop26 summit in Glasgow.
Kwasi Kwarteng told the ITV’s Good Morning Britain programme: “So he’s travelled back like many world leaders did, they came here for world leaders day, I think we had 120 heads of governments on Monday, and many of them flew back to their countries and went back.”
He said: “What is completely without question is the fact that in the UK, the Prime Minister is leading a Government that’s totally focused on net-zero, and as I’ve said, we’ve had huge successes, we had 40% of our electricity was generated by coal 10 years ago, and today that’s 1%.”
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