The good news:

• An unprecedented agreement was made to reduce the use of coal and accelerate the end of fossil fuel subsidies- this is the first time fossil fuels and coal have been specifically mentioned in 26 UN climate talks.
• About 90% of world emissions are now covered by a net-zero target.
• Promises were made to “revisit and strengthen” plans by the end of 2022 in order to keep the 1.5°C target ‘alive’.
• Climate change adaptation finally got significant attention: high-income countries agreed that by 2025 they must double adaptation finance to about $40 billion a year.
• A number of important ‘side deals’ were made, where groups of countries pledged to curb methane emissions, halt deforestation, block new oil and gas projects and stop international financing for coal.

The not so good news:

• The new pledges made at COP26 don’t keep us within the ‘well below’ 2°C global warming ‘safe zone’ (as per the Paris Agreement) – in fact, they would still lead us to global warming of 2.4°C by the turn of the century.  But this is better than the pre-COP26 trajectory of 2.7°C warming.
• Financial support for lower-income countries for climate action remains below what’s needed: for example, high-income countries wouldn’t deliver their promise of $100 billion of finance a year to lower-income countries until 2023, three years late.

What do we want to happen next?

Firstly, at a Northern Ireland level, today we remain without a Northern Ireland Climate Change Act. At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, without a Climate Act we are somewhat cast adrift, policy and action-wise – directionless and in limbo – whilst all bordering nations make progress with carbon budgets and sectoral plans.  All action must flow from this Act – so this needs addressing with true urgency, and having two climate change bills in the mix cannot cause further delays in progressing an Act.  The Climate Change rally on 6^th November demonstrated how strongly local people feel about this issue.

{Addendum: Breaking News! The AERA Committee met on 2nd December and expressed support for the vast majority of provisions in the Climate Change (No. 1) Bill (the Private Members' net zero Bill) – one step closer to the consideration stage, and to becoming law. This marks a major step forward for achieving a Northern Ireland Climate Change Act within the current Assembly's mandate}

The COP26 aim to ‘keep 1.5°C alive’ with commitments from nations for further pledges next year must be coupled with a local-to-global ‘30 by 30’ nature target, supported by a Nature Recovery Network approach. It’s time to get serious about putting nature in recovery across 30% of the UK’s land and sea by 2030 to tackle the twin climate and nature crises.

We cannot shy away from difficult situations, and the role of agriculture and land use in tackling emissions is vital – agri-environment policy reform is essential for providing support for a just transition and to enable land managers to act as carbon custodians- while also helping nature.

The Wildlife Trusts believe global ambition must now unite under the following principles:

1. Countries must keep 1.5°C alive through action and adaptation

We need to restrict global warming to a 1.5°C rise by using clear evidence-based plans and national policies from all countries to tackle and adapt to climate change, with continual monitoring of progress. We must virtually eliminate all greenhouse gas emissions, end the use of all fossil fuels and take urgent action to stop emissions from activities which harm natural habitats that store carbon.

2. Net zero by 2050 is not the destination – nature becomes increasingly critical to remove carbon beyond 2050

Nature has a critical role in removing carbon from the atmosphere, especially so after 2050, to balance out remaining greenhouse gas emissions.  We need to be seeing significant investment in nature now as it takes time for natural systems to be restored so that they will be able to perform this role.  Using nature to repair the climate is fundamental; we can’t leave this for later.

3. The global community must work together and finance climate action

G20 countries, including the UK, must urgently deliver the $100 billion of climate finance per year that was promised to developing countries for mitigation, adaptation, and damage caused by climate change.

The Wildlife Trusts have identified 5 areas for the UK to progress:

• Making all agriculture and fishing nature and climate-friendly

Farmland covers 75% of land in Northern Ireland and the agriculture sector accounts for 26% of Northern Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions. It is essential that the agricultural sector plays a prominent role in securing nature and climate recovery. Government must support and incentivise land managers to improve biodiversity and ecosystems services through new agri-environment schemes.  A similar approach needs to be embedded in fisheries management.

• Protecting and restoring peatlands

Strong and effective policy to protect and restore Northern Ireland’s peatlands is essential for their role in storing vast reserves of carbon to be assured for generations to come.  At 18% of our land area, with so much damaged and degraded to be currently responsible for emitting up to 6% of NI’s annual greenhouse gases, it is vital for the Executive to commit to landscape-scale peatland restoration, meeting Climate Change Committee recommended targets and the Goal of the draft NI Peatland Strategy.

• Developing clean technologies that support nature

Renewable energy schemes both onshore and offshore must be deployed in a way that helps restore nature, rather than damaging local ecosystems.  It should be innovative, diverse, and avoid over-reliance on any one technology.  We also need to see a much greater effort and investment being put into energy efficiency and energy saving.

• Greater protections for marine habitats

We need to map blue carbon stores and ensure we protect these, using strategic marine spatial planning that protects carbon stores and nature. 30% of our seas must be designated and effectively managed as Marine Protected Areas and there must be greater protection for our wider seas, with sustainable fishing policies and strategic marine spatial planning.

• A planning system that puts nature first

We need to update the planning system to address the climate and nature crises, putting Biodiversity Net Gain at the forefront of decision making, and ensure that a Nature Recovery Network approach is embedded within this.