The United Kingdom is among a few that have updated their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), in the context of the Paris Agreement. What leadership and advocacy measures has it initiated for greater participation?

On April 20, the UK announced that it will set the world’s most ambitious climate change target into law to reduce emissions by 78% by 2035, compared to 1990 levels. By doing this, the UK is trying to set a good example ahead of hosting the crucial COP26 climate summit, later this year, with the ‘ratchet’ mechanism of the Paris Agreement requiring countries to put forward strengthened climate action targets, known as Nationally Determined Contributions, every five years.

Janet Rogan

Through its COP26 presidency, the UK is urging countries and companies around the world to join together to deliver net-zero globally by the middle of the century in order to keep alive the aim of limiting global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees C. On April 22, over 40 world leaders came together at the Leaders Summit on Climate, convened by the United States.

The Summit sent a clear signal of intent to make this decade the moment of decisive change to tackle the climate crisis and to keep 1.5 degrees C within reach. The US, Japan and Canada all published more ambitious NDCs. This means that all G7 countries, responsible for almost half of global GDP, have now committed to deep cuts to their emissions over the next decade, aligning with their net-zero commitments. Collectively, these commitments take us closer towards the global goal of limiting global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees C.

There is progress, but more needs to be done. Globally, emissions must be halved in the next decade if we are all to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and keep 1.5 degrees C in reach.

Is the United Kingdom offering technological and strategic support to specifically reduce energy and water waste the world over and in the GCC region?

The UK is committed to supporting all aspects of the energy transition. The UNEP Emissions Gap Report states that efficient appliances are one of the six areas with the highest potential to close the emissions gap to Paris. This issue is often overlooked despite the significant emissions-saving potential. Improving the efficiency of the highest energy-using products is crucial if we are to meet the Paris goals.

The UK’s COP26 Presidency is supporting the Super-Efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) initiative to deliver a COP26 Product Efficiency ‘Call to Action’, which aims to double the energy efficiency of four key products – electric motors, room air conditioners, refrigerators and lighting by 2030. We are working closely with our country co-leads of SEAD – India, Sweden and the European Commission – as well as the International Energy Agency (IEA), as operating agents for SEAD, to deliver more ambitious action on product efficiency to COP26 and after.

The UK actively supports energy generation, supply and efficiency improvements in ODA-eligible countries, ensuring they are not locked into high emissions and low efficiency, through programmes such as Africa Clean Energy with the African Development Bank or UK PACT.

Food loss and wastage amount for substantial emission of methane from landfills. With methane considered to be one of the most potent greenhouse gases, has the United Kingdom taken any specific steps to address the problem at a global level?

Modernisation and industrialisation of agricultural systems have delivered tremendous benefits, tripling production in the last 60 years to provide food, incomes and economic growth for a growing global population. But this has come with unintended costs and consequences.

After energy, agriculture – including land use change for agriculture – is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. It uses 70% of freshwater resources and is causing unprecedented biodiversity loss. These impacts are driving climate change, increasing vulnerability to shocks, reducing yields and undermining viability of the natural eco-systems we depend on. This, in turn, threatens food security, livelihoods and economies.

To ensure healthy diets, achieve Paris Agreement targets and the Sustainable Development Goals and to secure future prosperity we must address this crisis. We need an urgent transition to sustainable land use, agriculture and food systems, to match the clean technology revolution. In order to tackle these issues, we need a concerted global effort. In economic terms, the benefits of a global transition to low[1]emission sustainable land use and food systems could be huge – over USD 500 billion in business opportunities by 2030.

The UK’s COP26 Presidency is building on the foundations laid at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit, and is working with governments, businesses and civic organisations to raise ambition, scale up nature-based solutions and kick-start a Just Rural Transition (JRT). The UK is committed to a Just Rural Transition.

The JRT Initiative Vision Statement reads: “Feeding a growing population by 2030, while protecting vital natural systems which sustain life, as rural and indigenous communities, food production and key ecosystems come under growing stresses from climate change. Putting in place policies, regulations, plans and incentives to halve global food loss and waste from 2019 levels, is a JRT objectives”.

The UAE is among the few countries that have updated their NDCs. What is being done to persuade others in the region to show greater climate ambition, though the 2020 deadline has passed?

The UK is committed to working with all countries and joining forces with civil society, companies and people on the frontline of climate change to inspire action ahead of COP26. We want all countries to come forward with updated, more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions and Long-Term Strategies to reach zero carbon emissions as soon as possible.

As host of COP26, the UK is trying to lead by example and urge countries to raise ambition on tackling climate change by setting ambitious targets for reducing emissions by 2030 to align with net-zero. In a recent announcement that the UK is committing to cutting emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, “We want to continue to raise the bar on tackling climate change, and that’s why we’re setting the most ambitious target to cut emissions in the world.

We want to see world leaders follow our lead and match our ambition in the run up to the crucial climate summit COP26, as we will only build back greener and protect our planet if we come together to take action.” COP26 President-Designate, Alok Sharma is engaging globally. On April 4, he attended a Regional Dialogue on Climate and Energy in the UAE, attended by senior delegations from across the region. Climate change is now an urgent issue in the MENA region. The region has witnessed extreme floods, forest fires, record heatwaves and even unprecedented snowfall – all because of climate change. By 2025, 80-90 million people in the MENA will be exposed to water stress. If nothing is done, these conditions will eventually make parts of the region uninhabitable.

While the countries that have updated their commitments towards ratcheting up their climate actions deserve praise, what concrete steps need to be taken to ensure trickle-down action from all stakeholders in the building sector and the manufacturing sector, to name two?

There is a need to set targets that help achieve a completely carbon-neutral future, while also seizing the new economic opportunities and capitalising on green technologies. All sectors, particularly building and manufacturing, should focus on building back greener from the pandemic. To share an example from the UK, the UK Government recently published an Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, to help key heavy industry sectors, such as steel, cement and chemicals, achieve net-zero by 2050.

The policy looks forward to new and innovative technologies, such as hydrogen and CCUS, and aims to put low-carbon products on a level playing field with fossil fuel[1]based products. On buildings, the UK is set to publish its Heat and Buildings Strategy shortly, which will set out policies to support the transition away from fossil fuel-based heating. This will include support for the renovation of existing buildings, to make them as thermally efficient as possible, as well as incentives for the uptake of low-carbon heating technologies, such as heat pumps.

Speaking of the building sector, we are seeing uncoordinated, disjointed approaches to constructing, installing, operating and maintaining residential, commercial, mixed-used and industrial structures? The building sector is characterised by a lack of acute awareness or an unwillingness to adopt even low-hanging-fruit measures to improve energy efficiency? What should policy-makers focus on to persuade and galvanise stakeholders down to the bottom-most rung into climate action?

One of the key barriers to coordinating international action in decarbonising the buildings sector is that it has a fragmented and localised supply chain. One of the key internationally traded elements in the sector is products, such as appliances, etc. Therefore, the most tangible area of action we can seek for COP26 is to ask countries to make commitments to raise efficiency standards on these products in order to move the global market.

The UK’s COP26 Presidency headline objective for energy efficiency is thus to double the efficiency of four key products – electric motors, air conditioners, refrigerators, lighting – sold globally by 2030. Improving energy efficiency of these four key products will be an important step along the way to solving all the challenges faced in decarbonising buildings. COP26 is one of the best, and most feasible moments, to call for more action.

An estimated 40% of conditioned air (thermal energy) in buildings is lost through leaking ducting systems, resulting in buildings consuming more energy to make up for the losses? This adds to the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for building owners, be they hypermarkets, malls, residential units or other commercial units. Would it help for governments to direct building owners to focus on TCO through grants and penalties, which in turn, as a collateral benefit, would help lower emissions substantially?

Improving the efficiency of heating and cooling systems is an important early win for building managers and homeowners. Significant cost savings can be achieved, and this should drive building owners to seek out the best quality installers and to minimise leaks. Further training of installers in this area could also be a useful supporting measure.

Are nations and the inherent sectors still following a silo approach, as opposed to a comprehensive energy use strategy? While energy efficiency is a much-used term, is there enough understanding that water use optimisation can help lower energy consumption, in terms of reducing energy use in operating pumps for shorter durations?

All nations and industry must work in tandem to keep 1.5 degrees C of warming in reach, and the next decade is the most critical period for us to change the current perilous course. Long-term targets must be backed up with credible delivery plans if we are together to tackle the climate crisis and safeguard lives, livelihoods and Nature for future generations.