Monica Starr
November 2021
Monica Starr is an intern with Ecology Florida, serving as the Public Communications Facilitator for Ecology Florida News. Monica is a graduate student at the University of South Florida studying Global Sustainability.
This past weekend, the UN kicked off the 2021 Climate Change Conference hosted by the United Kingdom in partnership with Italy and will take place at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow, UK. This summit will last until November 12th with daily programs and meetings that can be accessed on the UN Climate Change website (https://unfccc.int/conference/glasgow-climate-change-conference-october-november-2021#3) or you can view recorded versions of the events on YouTube. These events are based around a long list of topics related to environmental and social change on a global scale. Some of these topics discussed during the summit include climate finance, climate technology, education & youth, gender, adaptation and resilience, land use, innovation and many more. This type of international event is so important for sustainability because it allows people to be informed about the major topics that the United Nations are focusing on to fight climate change. These events allow for people to participate and ask questions during the live sessions while getting information from experts all over the world. Various sectors are working to increase climate ambition, build resilience and lower emissions [1].
A mural near the site of the 26th Conference of Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (https://theconversation.com/4-key-issues-to-watch-as-world-leaders-gather-for-the-glasgow-climate-summit-170536) [2].
During the UN climate conference, world leaders will be discussing and sharing how their countries are working to address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. At the UN climate change conference in Paris (21st Conference of Parties), various governments established a more ambitious climate action plan in order to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement [3]. In order to implement the Paris Agreement, all sectors must be involved and we must establish a nexus-mindset involving governments, cities, business and investors. The commitments made by various countries thus far is a step in the right direction in our global response to climate change.
Over the next two weeks, a cross section of world governments will the in Glasgow discussing various pathways to reducing global carbon emissions to net zero while building a global resilience to climate change [2]. During this time, these countries, non-governmental organizations and businesses will be pledging goals including: emissions-free shipping, ending coal financing, green steel and cement, reducing methane, and using nature-based solutions [2]. Ultimately after this conference, all sectors involved will have a better understanding of the global climate changes goals.
Monica Starr is an intern with Ecology Florida, serving as the Public Communications Facilitator for Ecology Florida News. Monica is a graduate student at the University of South Florida studying Global Sustainability.
[1] https://unfccc.int/conference/glasgow-climate-change-conference-october-november-2021
[3] https://unfccc.int/climate-action/introduction-climate-action
Leave a Reply