Three key topics at the horizon of climate change

It is time to go beyond the controversial outcomes of COP26 and look at the future. Here are three key topics that will be crucial for tackling climate change in the coming months.

Credits to Brandan Reynolds

During the last two weeks, I have been travelling through the Canary Islands - trying to disconnect from the internet and connect with nature. I spent five days in a place that silently stole a piece of my heart: Pozo Izquierdo (literally “left well”) is a little village with 1,400 inhabitants on the south-east coast of Gran Canaria. 

Unless you are a fellow windsurfer, I bet you have never heard this name before. The spot of "El Arenal” - as called by locals - is part of the PWA windsurfing world championship and gave birth to Daida and Iballa Moreno. With jointly 28 world titles they are regarded as the “queens of windsurfing”. 

Not only do the Moreno Twins make impressive jumps and tricks in the water - I was lucky enough to enjoy a live performance of Daida last Sunday - but they also fight for a good cause when their feet are on the ground. The twins have organised the first windsurfing event with equal prize money for men and women. Quite inspiring!

I was surrounded by windsurfing gurus. I met inspiring fellow travellers. I had long conversations with the lovely owners of the cozy Ca'Artù guesthouse. And the wind blowing at peaks of 28 knots (roughly 50 km per hour) has cleared my mind. I admit it was nice to have a break from all these climate-related talks. 

Having reset my brain, I did not want to refill it with the same concepts and thoughts as before. This is why I stopped ruminating on the (un)successes of COP26 and focused on what awaits us next. So I came up with three major themes that we should keep under the radar in the coming months to ensure that we deliver on our promises to limit global warming.

1. Twist the curve to 1.5°C

Countries agreed to come back with more ambitious targets at the next climate saloon. COP27 will take place in an exotic location - Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt - in November 2022. The goal is to put the world on track for 1.5°C with adequate commitments at the country level. And so the spotlight is on national action. Not only in determining the right targets but also in providing concrete plans to back their implementation.

2. Get serious about loss and damage

Climate change is a three-leg wobbly stool: mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage (L&D). Although the latter was snubbed for many years, we have heard a lot at COP26. The idea is simple: you broke it, you pay for it. But since the cost is very high, those who should pay (the US and Europe) have so far opposed progress. Next year in Sharm, the topic will be on top of the agenda. We will be delighted with a L&D mechanism proposal and creative ideas to fund it.

3. Let the money flow

We heard it many times already. Developed countries promised to provide USD 100 billion per year to developing ones but have miserably under-delivered. Now they are planning to close the gap within two years, and to double funding for adaptation. Not much to say. Let’s be optimistic and see where we stand in one year time when - ideally - half of the gap should be already closed. 

***

All these themes rely on a fundamental principle of the UNFCCC system: countries have common but differentiated responsibilities. The idea is simple: individual countries have different capabilities and differing responsibilities in addressing climate change. Unfortunately, the concept has been heavily marketed on newspapers and social media but barely put into action.

Ambitious climate targets should come from big polluters like China, the US, and India. A 1.5°C aligned target from the Fiji islands will certainly help, but will not play a key role in bending the CO2 curve. Same with money for loss and damage, and finance more in general. 

So my big wish for the coming months is to see this noble principle applied in reality. And the little wish is to be in Pozo Izquierdo again next December. Maybe joining the windsurfing champions in "El Arenal" and writing about the successes of COP27!