‘Cutting emissions’ means economic self-harm and loss of secure electricity supplies. This morning the UK is importing over 14% of its power, and its extensive wind turbine fleet is producing a pitiful 2.4% of the total supply. Gas is saving the day, but nobody wants to build new gas plants any more due to the ‘challenging economics’.
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A UN climate summit to be held in Glasgow in November will fail unless more countries follow Britain’s lead and make far more ambitious plans to cut emissions, the United Nations has said.

Only two of the world’s 18 largest greenhouse gas emitters — the UK and the European Union — — the UK and the European Union — have so far submitted plans for the COP26 summit that lay out extensive commitments and policies to reduce emissions, says The Times (via The GWPF).

Other big emitters are either yet to submit updated strategies or have drafted plans that are too weak to achieve the 2015 Paris climate target of limiting global temperature rise to less than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

“This report shows that current levels of climate ambition are very far from putting us on a pathway that will meet our Paris agreement goals,” Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the UN climate change body, said.

“While we acknowledge the recent political shift in momentum towards stronger climate action, decisions to accelerate and broaden climate action everywhere must be taken now.”

Alok Sharma, the COP26 president and former business secretary, said: “This report should serve as an urgent call to action. We must recognise that the window for action to safeguard our planet is closing fast.”

Full article here.

via Tallbloke’s Talkshop

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February 28, 2021 at 03:42AM