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Billions more needed for UN-backed global collaboration to end pandemic

The funding for the Access to COVID Tools (ACT) Accelerator – the UN-backed global initiative to end the pandemic – is critical to prevent some five million additional potential deaths, as well as $5.3 trillion in global economic losses. 

The strategic plan and budget for the mechanism, a partnership of leading global health agencies established last April, will help the most at-risk countries to secure and deploy these tools between now and September 2022. 

Unfulfilled potential 

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said through its vaccine pillar, COVAX, the ACT Accelerator has so far delivered 425 million doses to 144 countries alone. 

Nearly 130 million tests, as well as increased supply of oxygen, personal protective equipment (PPE) and treatments, have also been distributed. 

“But the ACT Accelerator has so far been prevented from fulfilling its potential by severe supply and financing constraints,” said Tedros, speaking during the regular press briefing from WHO headquarters in Geneva. 

He warned that unless the pandemic is controlled everywhere, the virus will mutate and continue to circulate everywhere. 

“The high transmissibility of the Delta variant has reinforced what we have been saying since we set up the ACT Accelerator: vaccines alone will not end the pandemic. We need all tools – vaccines, tests, treatments, PPE and public health measures – to fight COVID-19 and save lives and livelihoods now.” 

Europe driving case rise 

The spike in COVID-19 cases globally is a reminder that the pandemic is far from over. Numbers are increasing for the first time in two months, largely due to an ongoing rise in Europe, which outweighs declines elsewhere. 

Tedros said the pandemic persists mainly because inequitable access to tools persists. As of Thursday, there were 244.8 million confirmed cases worldwide, and 4.9 million deaths. 

“If the 6.8 billion vaccine doses administered globally so far had been distributed equitably, we would have reached our 40 per cent target in every country by now,” he told journalists. 

Appeal to G20 leaders 

Ahead of the G20 summit this weekend in Rome, Tedros issued an appeal to the world’s leading industrial nations, as they “have the ability to make the political and financial commitments that are needed to end this pandemic, and to prevent future crises.” 

He urged leaders to fully fund the ACT Accelerator and to support creation of legally-binding global treaty on pandemic preparedness and response.  He further called for creation of a Health Threats Financing Board, supported by a Financial Intermediary Fund, hosted by the World Bank. 

Actions louder than words 

Despite lofty rhetoric about global solidarity, the goal of a “people’s vaccine” against COVID-19 is far from being reached, the UN and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement said in a joint statement on Thursday. 

Stressing that “it is time for actions to speak louder than words”, the partners have united to reinforce a joint call for global vaccine equity ahead of the G20 Rome summit. 

“Profits and short-sighted vaccine nationalism continue to trump humanity when it comes to the equitable distribution of vaccines,” they said.  

‘A humanitarian imperative’ 

Although some 48 per cent of the world’s population has received at least one vaccine dose, the number plummets to barely three per cent in low-income countries, and the situation is “particularly worrying” in countries suffering humanitarian crisis. 

“It is a humanitarian imperative and our shared responsibility to ensure that lives everywhere are protected, not only in the few countries that have the means to buy protection,” they said. 

The partners issued a five-point call to governments, partners, donors, the private sector, and other stakeholders, urging them to scale up COVID-19 vaccine supply and access to COVAX, including through donations, and to increase funding and support so that vaccines can reach all people. 

They appealed for strengthening vaccine production and distribution capacity, particularly in low and middle-income countries and accelerating technology transfers, and urged manufacturers to lift all remaining barriers to allow humanitarian agencies access to vaccines.

UN commits to long-term support for Afghan mothers and newborns: Najaba’s story

A mother of four from Zaradnay Village, she visited the district hospital just before her due date on 17 August, to check on the progress of her pregnancy.

An ultrasound revealed that the fetus was in a transverse position, meaning it was lying horizontally rather than head-down, a dangerous complication.

Concerns over Caesarean

The doctor told her she needed a Caesarean section, but Najaba was fearful of the operation. She left the hospital to give more thought to her situation.

She even considered trying to deliver at home. “When the district hospital discharged me, I decided to do the delivery at home with support of my mother,” Najaba told UNFPA.

But in the following days, growing insecurity caused many health facilities to close – including the district hospital.

Najaba realized that if the delivery proved complicated, she would be unable to seek emergency assistance.

Desperate search for care

She called her mother in desperation. Her mother called many of the women elders in their community to seek advice. Finally, Najaba recalled, “My relative called me and informed me about a small clinic.”

It was the nearby Ghuchan Family Health House, a UNFPA-supported facility where a community midwife was still providing services to pregnant women.

Going into labour

Not long after, Najaba went into labour. With her mother and husband, she rushed to the family health house. There, the midwife took her medical history, conducted a physical examination and listened to her concerns.

When Najaba expressed anxiety about the delivery, the midwife comforted her and said she would try to deliver the baby without any surgical procedure.

Four hours later, a healthy baby was born naturally.

The skilled midwife had been able to avoid a Caesarean section, and Najaba and the baby were both healthy enough to be discharged soon after.

A midwife at a family health house in Daikundi, Afghanistan, provides care (file photo). .

© UNFPA Afghanistan
A midwife at a family health house in Daikundi, Afghanistan, provides care (file photo). .

Keeping doors open

Najaba was relieved to safely welcome her fifth baby, and her family was overjoyed. Najaba returned to the midwife for postnatal care and neonatal services for the baby.

She and her family say they plan to recommend the family health house to all pregnant women who they may meet in the future.

The family health house, located in Shahristan district in eastern Daikundi Province, provides life-saving reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health services.

It is one of 172 family health houses in geographically remote villages where people have little access to health services.

With support from UNFPA and local communities, these facilities have been able to continue operating, or to reopen after a short closure, even amid the ongoing security situation.

Services include prenatal care, safe delivery, antenatal care, family planning, nutrition services and integrated management of childhood illnesses services to children under five.

UN expert criticises boycott of Durban Process against racism, calls for action 

Two decades after Durban, Tendayi Achiume Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, presented a report to the General Assembly highlighting the contributions of the Durban Declaration, including recommendations for fighting intolerance and structural inequality. 

“The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA), agreed two decades ago, offers a principled and practical blueprint for undoing discriminatory structures and achieving equality and justice for marginalized and exploited groups and individuals”, she said. 

Still at a crossroads 

The UN expert told the Assembly that the unequal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is the most recent reminder of how “deeply entrenched racial, ethnic and national disparities remain in enjoyment of fundamental human rights”. 

Yet, despite two decades of dedicated advocacy and grass-roots mobilization, just as the world “stood at a crossroads in Durban” 20 years ago, today it “stands at a similar crossroads” now, she noted.  

The Special Rapporteur urged all countries to reaffirm their commitment to the transnational fight against racism.  

“I urge UN Member States – and the entire international community – to reaffirm the commitments enshrined in the Durban Declaration and take concrete steps to realize the promise of transnational racial equality and racial justice”. 

Protest, don’t boycott 

Ms. Achiume criticized the countries that announced their non-participation in a recent General Assembly commemoration of the Durban Conference and the Declaration, or in the Durban Process.  

“Rather than using the DDPA to fight against racism, several States have instead signalled they intend to abandon the Durban process”, she said.  

The group of non-supporters includes some of the greatest beneficiaries of colonialism, slavery and the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the UN expert noted. 

“I call on States participating in any form of DDPA boycott to instead demonstrate their genuine commitment to racial justice and equality by implementing the DDPA and engaging in its follow-up mechanisms”, she concluded. 

Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not paid for their work. 

World Heritage forests releasing more carbon than they absorb: UNESCO 

The agency’s new analysis, World Heritage forests: Carbon sinks under pressure , shows that instead of helping mitigate global warming, some of the world’s most treasured forests are in fact adding to overall CO2 emissions.    

The first ever scientific assessment of greenhouse gas emissions in forests on the UNESCO World Heritage list, has found that since the turn of the millennium, some forests such as the Yosemite National Park in the United States, and the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve in Honduras, have released more carbon that they sequestered due to wildfires, deforestation and global heating.  

Alarming 

Given that the sites are highly prized and protected, the fact that 10 of the 257 forests surveyed are showing a carbon surplus, between 2001 and 2020 due to human activity, is alarming, said UNESCO. 

According to UNESCO’s findings, at some sites the clearance of land for agriculture caused emissions to be greater than sequestration. The increasing scale and severity of wildfires, often linked to severe periods of drought, was also a predominant factor in several cases. Other extreme weather phenomena, such as hurricanes, contributed at certain sites.  

For Tales Carvalho Resende, co-author of the report, the date provides “evidence of the severity of this climate emergency’.  

Forests’ vital role  

The news is not all bad. The same research also reveals that overall, the network of 257 forests in World Heritage sites, played a vital role in mitigating climate change, by absorbing 190 million tons of CO2 from the atmosphere every year. That’s roughly half of the United Kingdom’s annual CO2 emissions from fossil fuels.  

World Heritage forests, whose combined area of 69 million hectares is roughly twice the size of Germany, are biodiversity-rich ecosystems.  

In addition to absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere they also store substantial amounts of carbon. 

According to the report, carbon sequestration by these forests over long periods has led to total carbon storage of approximately 13 billion tons, which is more than the carbon in Kuwait’s proven oil reserves.  

Drawing the most detailed picture to date of the vital role that forests in World Heritage sites play in mitigating climate change, the report shows that strong and sustained protection of those sites and surrounding landscapes can contribute to effective solutions for climate change mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity.  

Better decision-making 

By combining satellite-derived data with monitoring information at the site level, researchers at UNESCO, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), were able to estimate the gross and net carbon absorbed and emitted by UNESCO World Heritage forests between 2001 and 2020 and determine the causes of some emissions.  

This analysis of iconic sites showed that combining satellite data with on the-ground-information can improve local decision-making and strengthen accountability, thereby helping forests, climate and people.  

Recommendations 

According to UNESCO, in the coming years, ongoing sequestration and carbon sinks are likely to be affected at a growing number of sites worldwide, as a result of increasingly fragmented and degraded landscapes, and more frequent and intense climate-related events. 

To address the problem, the report urges increased and sustained protection of UNESCO World Heritage sites and their surrounding landscapes to ensure their forests can continue to act as strong carbon sinks and stores for future generations.  

To achieve this, the report recommends a more urgent response to climate-related events, as well as maintaining and strengthening ecological connectivity through improved landscape management.   

For example, in Indonesia, government agencies have been using near real-time fire alarm systems to significantly reduce their average response time. 

10 World Heritage Forests that are emitting more carbon than they absorb
  • Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra, Indonesia
  • Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve, Honduras
  • Yosemite National Park, United States
  • Waterton Glacier International Peace Park, Canada & United States
  • Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains, South Africa
  • Kinabalu Park, Malaysia
  • Uvs Nuur Basin, Russia & Mongolia
  • Grand Canyon National Park, United States
  • Greater Blue Mountains Area, Australia
  • Morne Trois Pitons National Park, Dominica

Greater global solidarity needed to achieve peace and security for Africa

Speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed drew the attention of the Council to “a number of worrying trends” Africans face today.

The Deputy Secretary-General highlighted the socio-economic burdens of COVID-19, saying it has not only impacted the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across Africa, but also exacerbated poverty, inequalities and all the drivers of conflict.

“It has undercut the provision of public services, disrupted supply chains, slowed economic activity, and hampered peace agreements and conflict resolution”, she said.

And from a military coup d’état in Sudan earlier this week to continuing conflict in northern Ethiopia’s Tigray region, and persistent threats of terrorism and violent extremism, she observed “a rise in seizures of power by force” and “a proliferation of militias” across Africa.  

Broadened cooperation

She said that despite these “worrisome developments”, Africans continue to work relentlessly for a prosperous, sustainable and peaceful continent, based on the universal principles of human rights, as witnessed through growing cooperation between the UN, AU and sub-regional organizations on sustainable development, elections and peace processes. 

Ms. Mohammed cited the example of Libya, where the UN, AU, League of Arab States, and European Union, are working to support the ceasefire agreement and prepare for upcoming elections.  

“We’re also working closely with the African Union and sub-regional organizations, to support the countries of the Sahel and beyond, including to address the return of mercenaries and foreign fighters to their countries of origin”, she said. 

Mission support

UN special political missions, peacekeeping missions, and country teams in Africa continue to provide comprehensive support to other peace initiatives and political transitions – including in Cameroon, Mali, Somalia and South Sudan.  

And once ongoing discussions on the division of responsibilities between the AU and Regional Economic Communities/Mechanisms are concluded, Ms. Mohammed “looks forward to continue harnessing the opportunities and strengths of each organization and build effective conflict prevention and resolution strategies as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change continues to affect the continent, particularly women and youth”.  

‘Reembrace global solidarity’

The UN’s strong partnership with the AU and sub-regional organizations must be supported by all Member States. 

Citing Our Common Agenda, she underlined the need to “reembrace global solidarity” to find new ways to work together for the common good of all people in every country.

Pointing to three urgent actions, she began with prioritizing the COVID-19 response in Africa through “accelerated vaccine distribution, strengthening national health systems and much needed investments in preparedness”. 

The deputy UN chief reaffirmed the UN’s “focus on sustainable development”, with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the AU’s Agenda 2063 “at the heart of our common efforts”.

“Ultimately, sustainable and inclusive development is our best chance to address the root causes of conflict and achieve a future of peace and prosperity for all”, she said.

Sustainable and inclusive development is our best chance to address the root causes of conflict — UN deputy chief

‘Spare no effort’

To “continue securing adequate, predictable, and sustainable resources that will bring to life development, peace and security mandates across Africa”, was the deputy UN chief’s final point.

In this regard, she highlighted the centrality of coherent action across peace, development and humanitarian approaches, throughout the continent, “in establishing a common vision, in ensuring complementarity and safeguarding of investments”. 

Under the guidance of Member States, Ms. Mohammed attested that the UN would “spare no effort to make our partnerships more effective to help all Africans build a more inclusive, prosperous, integrated, and peaceful continent”. 

Africa asks

On behalf of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, encouraged more effective African engagement with UN preventive diplomacy capacities while calling for higher levels of solidarity and more understanding of current threats.

He also highlighted the need for more women and youth at all stages of conflict-related decision-making and management, including the silencing the guns initiative, and called for improved responses to security challenges, such as threats posed by terrorists and opposition activity which undermines democratically-elected governments.

Toxic narratives

With Kenya holding the presidency of Security Council, the country’s President Uhuru Kenyatta warned that political differences and toxic narratives, which are proliferating on the continent, were being “weaponized” – even in the most stable democracies.

He also explained that UN and AU missions are dealing with increasingly sophisticated terror threats as multi-lateral responses are falling short in many countries, including on climate and vaccine access, urging “a new conversation” over Africa’s security architecture.

Fiscal stability

The AU High Representative for Financing and the African Union Peace Fund, Donald Kaberuka said that to date, UN-AU cooperation, including on security, has been largely ad hoc and pushed for the Organization to reassess the importance of supporting African peace operations through assessed contributions.

He called for more predictable funding to address peace and security emergencies as well longer-term stability efforts.

Beneficiaries of projects supported by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Somalia

©FAO/Arete/Ismail Taxta
Beneficiaries of projects supported by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Somalia

Millions missing out on remote learning during emergencies: UNICEF

More than half, or 102 million, are students in 14 countries which either fully or partially closed their classrooms for at least half of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Remote Learning Readiness Index

“Even in the midst of an ongoing emergency, we know there will be another one, but we aren’t making enough progress to ensure the next time students are forced out of the classroom, they have better options,” said Henrietta Fore, the UNICEF Executive Director. 

Young minds left behind 

The report measures countries’ readiness to provide remote learning when in-person education is disrupted, and covers nearly 90 per cent of students in low and middle-income countries.   

It also examines the limitations of remote learning and inequalities in access, and warns that the situation is likely far worse than available data shows. 

Benin, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Congo, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger and Togo, are among the countries with the most significant need for improvement within the education sector. 

The report found pre-primary education to be the most neglected level.  Many countries did not deploy a corresponding policy during the pandemic, therefore the youngest learners were left behind during their most critical years of development. 

Meanwhile, Argentina, Barbados, Jamaica, and the Philippines have the highest level of readiness. However, UNICEF cautioned that even among nations with higher scores on the index, disparities within their territories mean poorer children, or those in rural areas, are far more likely to miss out during school closures. 

Leveraging tech power 

While there is no replacement for in-person learning, the report said schools with “robust” remote learning systems, especially digital learning, can provide a degree of education when emergencies force classrooms to shutter.  These systems can also help students to catch up once schools eventually reopen.  

Although the past 19 months have been disruptive, the UNICEF chief said they have given a glimpse of what is possible during and after the pandemic.   

“Together with partners, we have been hard at work to leverage the power of technology and to provide learning opportunities for children and young people everywhere,” she added. 

Through the Reimagine Education initiative, UNICEF and partners are striving to give children and young people equal access to quality digital learning, with a goal of reaching 3.5 billion learners by 2030. 

Countries most at risk, lead the way on climate action 

In a new analysis, released ahead of the COP26 climate negotiations, the agency said that 93 per cent of least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS) have submitted enhanced national climate plans (NDCs), or plan to do so. 

On the other hand, UNDP says, some countries in the G20 bloc of leading industrialized countries have been “dragging their feet on adhering to the core principles of the Paris Agreement to ‘ratchet up’ their climate ambition.” 

The G20, meeting in Rome this weekend, is responsible for more than three-quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions.  

Deadlines missed 

Three G20 members submitted new pledges in just the past few days, missing a deadline of 12 October for inclusion in analysis of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).  

In addition, of the 18 NDCs that have now been submitted, many rely on long-term targets and lack the meaningful near-term ambition needed, said UNDP. 

Looking only at intentions to reduce emissions, 86% of LDCs and SIDS, intend to raise mitigation ambition, up from 40% in 2019. The agency also notes that, ultimately, this group of 78 countries is only responsible for 7% of global emissions. 

For the UNDP Administrator, Achim Steiner, “these figures demonstrate that many developing countries across the world are leading the way for decisive climate action.” 

“COP26 must be the moment where all nations rise to the challenge of climate change, especially high-emitters. As the window to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius narrows, this is our only pathway to secure the future of people and planet”, he said.  

Encouraging news 

The report also highlights some encouraging news. 

For example, the Paris Agreement’s ratchet mechanism is working, with most countries following the key requirement to revise and submit increasingly ambitious NDCs, every five years. 

In total, 178 countries representing 79.3% of global emissions, plan to submit enhanced NDCs. In 2019, only 75 countries did so. Of this group, 160 countries have strengthened their targets. 

UNDP also notes an uptick since 2019 in the number of countries preparing and submitting long-term strategies to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century.  

Saudi Arabia, for example, announced earlier this week a 2060 net zero target. This Thursday, Australia and China confirmed net zero targets for 2050 and before 2060, respectively.  

For the President of the UN General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, this news offers “a slightly more hopeful view.” 

“While the report acknowledges the gaps, particularly around financing, and commitments from wealthier countries, there is nonetheless cause for cautious optimism”, he said.   

Human Rights chief says climate action only way to ‘safeguard humanity’ 

“We need laws to be passed, programmes to be implemented and investments to be swiftly and properly funded, without further delay”, Michelle Bachelet said in a statement. 

According to her, only urgent action “can mitigate or avert disasters that will have huge – and in some cases lethal – impacts on all of us, especially our children and grandchildren.” 

Ms. Bachelet said that Member States attending the meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, starting next Sunday, “need to fulfil their existing climate finance commitments, and indeed increase them, not ignore them for a second year in a row.” 

Support to those most affected 

People most at risk from the adverse effects of climate change, including poor and marginalised communities, should be the first recipients of those resources, she added. 

“And those directly affected should have a seat at the table. Their meaningful participation is key to effective and equitable action.” 

States also need to agree to environmental and social safeguards. They should also ensure that those harmed when climate action is taken, under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, have access to effective remedies. 

“This is a human rights obligation and a matter of survival. Without a healthy planet to live on, there will be no human rights. And if we continue on our current path, there may be no humans”, Ms. Bachelet argued. 

A new right 

The world’s premier intergovernmental human rights body, the Human Rights Council, adopted last month a landmark resolution recognising for the first time that every human being has a right to live in a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. 

For the High Commissioner, “this was a major step forward”, but those “declarations of principles have to be turned into concrete action backed by resources.” 

“Let me be very clear: the triple threat of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss constitutes the single greatest challenge to human rights in our era”, she argued. 

According to her, governments and other authorities, businesses and individuals have a responsibility to act, and should do it by shifting to a sustainable, zero-carbon economy, and stop subsidizing activities proven to harm our only home. 

“We must change course now. It is the only option if we want to safeguard humanity”, she concluded. 

Green industrial policies key for climate adaptation in developing world

The agency has called for a “transformative approach” that will allow these nations to address current and future climate threats while also driving growth and job creation. 

The ‘eco-development trap’ 

UNCTAD said many developing countries are caught in an “eco-development trap” as vulnerability to economic and climate shocks are compounding each other, resulting in permanent disruption, economic uncertainty and slow productivity growth.   

“The report demonstrates that sufficient action to adapt to the climate challenge will require a transformed approach that is proactive and strategic rather than simply retroactive,” said Rebeca Grynspan, the UNCTAD Secretary-General. 

“But developing country governments need adequate policy and fiscal space to mobilize large-scale public investment to face future climate threats, while ensuring these investments complement development goals.” 

The study is the second part to UNCTAD’s annual Trade and Development Report, which was released in September. 

Adaptation costs rising 

Although climate adaptation is viewed as a kind of “poor cousin” to mitigation, the UN agency said, this is both shortsighted and costly for developing countries, where climate shocks have damaged growth prospects and forced governments to reallocate scarce resources. 

Adaptation costs for developing countries doubled over the past decade due to inaction, and are set to rise further as temperatures increase, reaching $300 billion in 2030 and $500 billion in 2050. 

Although countries have been advised to strengthen climate resilience by improving data gathering and risk assessment techniques, the report argues that “adaptation is less a matter of risk management and more one of development planning”, with the state playing a key role. 

Sustainable and meaningful impact 

 “Climate adaptation and development are inextricably connected and policy efforts to tackle adaptation must acknowledge this, in order to have a sustainable and meaningful impact,” said Richard Kozul-Wright, director of UNCTAD’s globalization and development strategies division, and lead author of the report. 

He suggested that the only lasting solution, therefore, “is to establish more resilient economies through a process of structural transformation and reduce the dependence of developing countries on a small number of climate-sensitive activities.” 

The report proposes that development can be “retrofitted” to implement green industrial policies which take local economic circumstances into consideration. 

Renewable energy production, for example, can operate at a low scale, thus opening business opportunities for small firms and rural areas. 

This would help to diversity economic production overall, reduce dependency on prime commodities, and even enlarge the tax base, helping create new domestic sources of development finance.  

To escape the eco-development trap, the report recommends that climate adaptation in developing countries should include key features such as “abandoning austerity as the default policy framework”, large-scale public investment in renewable energy and green technologies, and adopting a green agricultural policy that protects small producers and the environment. 

The UN News COP26 climate quiz

1) Who said this about climate change: ‘we have unwittingly begun a massive experiment with the system of this planet itself’?

  1. Legendary TV nature presenter David Attenborough

  2. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher

  3. Swedish climate protestor Greta Thunberg

2) Only four United Nations Member States have still not ratified the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement. Name one of them (bonus point for each extra country).

3) COP15 in Copenhagen was branded a failure by many, but it also saw a notable figure cause a stir by gate-crashing a private meeting being held by the leaders of India, China, South Africa, and Brazil. Who was it?

  1. Actor and activist George Clooney

  2. Renowned Belgian pie thrower Noël Godin, otherwise known as Georges le Gloupier

  3. US President Barack Obama

4) From a climate change perspective, what do Mumbai, Miami, and the Maldives have in common?

5) COP26 is being held in Scotland which, whilst a beautiful country in many respects, is not known for its warm, sunny climate. Which Scots word best sums up the weather forecast for Glasgow during the conference?

  1. Mochie

  2. Dreich

  3. Drookit

6) What climate-related superpower do seaweed, forests and mangroves all possess?

7) Which phenomenally successful K-Pop group have been named Goodwill Ambassadors for COP26?

  1. BTS

  2. BLACKPINK

  3. XTC

8) Which of the following is the acronym for the improved emissions reduction plans that individual countries are expected to present at COP26, assuming they haven’t already done so?

  1. NDC

  2. SDG

  3. PRI

9) What single word almost scuppered the final negotiations over the landmark Paris Climate Agreement at COP21?

  1. May

  2. Shall

  3. Must

10) How did UN chief António Guterres describe the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released in August, which showed that, unless there are rapid, sustained and large-scale reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C will be beyond reach?

  1. A tipping point for climate action

  2. On track for climate catastrophe

  3. A code red for humanity

UN News is producing special coverage from COP26 in Glasgow. You can find all our COP-related stories here.

Answers

1) a) Margaret Thatcher. The “Iron Lady” studied chemistry at university, and so was well placed to understand the threat of climate change, when she made the statement in a speech in 1988. The following year, she expressed similar sentiments in a speech to the UN General Assembly, when she said that “the environmental challenge that confronts the whole world demands an equivalent response from the whole world. Every country will be affected, and no one can opt out. Those countries who are industrialised must contribute more to help those who are not”.

2) The United Nations Treaty Collection website shows that Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Libya and Yemen have not ratified the Paris Agreement.

3) c) Former US President Barack Obama. Nearing the end of the conference, and without an agreement between the US and the BASIC bloc of countries (Brazil, South Africa, India and China), Mr. Obama heard that the leaders of these nations were holding a meeting. In the full view of the media, he arrived at the conference room containing Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and South African President Jacob Zuma, and announced himself by saying loudly “are you ready?”

4) They are all at serious risk of being completely submerged, due to rising sea levels, in the coming decades. According to projections by NASA, Mumbai could be underwater by 2050, some studies show that Miami is one of the most vulnerable coastal cities in the world, and The Maldives, a low-lying island nation heavily reliant on tourism, is reportedly planning a floating city in order to stay afloat.

5) c) The forecast says heavy rain, so “drookit” is the most appropriate way to describe Glasgow next week, evoking weather that leaves you completely drenched. The word “dreich” even sounds like the weather it is describing: gloomy, grey and overcast. So if the rain ever stops, the outlook is still likely to be dreich! Things are unlikely to get “mochie” however: mochie is how you feel when it is hot, clammy and humid.

6) They are all nature-based solutions to climate change, and significant “carbon sinks”: underwater kelp forests have the potential to remove vast quantities of harmful greenhouse gases from the atmosphere; reforestation programmes are reducing land degradation and soaking up carbon; and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) calls mangroves a “super solution” to the climate crisis, citing their ability to store four times as much CO2 as rainforests.

7) b) BLACKPINK were appointed as advocates for COP26 back in February. BTS are friends of the UN, having played a prominent role during this year’s General Assembly week, even shooting a music video at UN Headquarters. XTC, however, are not even a K-Pop group, but rather a 1970s English pop band.         

8) a) NDC, which stands for Nationally Determined Contribution. SDG stands for Sustainable Development Goals, the building blocks of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and PRI is Principles for Responsible Investment, a UN-backed network of financial industry experts, which works to promote sustainable investment.

9) b) ‘Shall’. We all remember the cries and cheers after the triumphant COP21 agreement in Paris, but it could have been very different. At the last minute, the legal team of the US delegation reportedly noticed that the word “shall” was included in a crucial clause related to emission reductions, rather than “should”. The elegant solution of the French hosts was to describe this as a “typographical error”, ensuring that the agreement was adopted by consensus.
10) c) A code red for humanity. The report, prepared by 234 scientists from 66 countries, highlighted that human influence has warmed the climate at a rate that is unprecedented in at least the last 2,000 years. “The alarm bells are deafening”, said Mr. Guterres, “and the evidence is irrefutable”. The UN chief said that the world has reached a tipping point on the need for climate action at the launch of the United in Science report in September. At the launch of the UN Environment Programme’s Emissions Gap report, he warned that “we are still on track for climate catastrophe”.

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