Alok Sharma is sitting in a chair near the sparkling water at a hotel in Saltsjöbaden. He is relaxed and in a good mood. After our short interview, he will go to Älvsjömässan to lead a conversation about forest and land use, an event in connection with Stockholm + 50.
The last time I saw him was six months ago, on November 13, 2021. Then he sat as chairman of COP 26, it was the last day of the meeting and the final minutes became chaotic when India at the last minute demanded, and got through, changes to wording in the final document.
Alok Sharma asked the others countries apologize for what happened. The pictures when he bent his neck to hide tears in his eyes could be seen all over the world.
– I became emotional at one point, the reason was that we spent a little over a year making sure that the process was completely transparent. That we were consistent and gave all countries the same information. I visited about 40 countries and gave them the same message about what we must do, says Alok Sharma.
– The last hours at the meeting, I think there was a feeling that we had not been as transparent in the process as we could have been. That’s what I apologized for.
He emphasizes that the meeting was successful in many ways and went further than many had expected. The rulebook for the Paris Agreement was finally finalized, almost 200 countries agreed on strong commitments and have promised to return with stricter emission targets for 2030. In terms of funding, the amount that developed countries will contribute to support developing countries was doubled.
– We went from 30 percent of the world economy being covered by the net zero target to over 90 percent being covered.
He does not think that what happened at the end of COP 26 will disrupt the negotiations in COP 27, which Egypt is hosting and will hold in Sharm el-Sheikh in November.
– What is important going forward is that the countries of the world deliver on the promises made in Glasgow.
Stockholm +50 is not a pure climate meeting, it is broader and also includes the environment and sustainability. But in time, it lies between the UN’s major climate meetings COP 26 and COP 27. The meeting in Stockholm will therefore also be an opportunity to remind of promises of the increased ambitions.
To COP 27 Among other things, the countries of the world have promised to raise their ambitions in climate work. One of the key commitments is that each country has promised to review its emission reduction targets by 2030.
– Will you deliver on that promise, is the message I will convey here in Stockholm. And I also conveyed that message in Copenhagen a few weeks ago when almost 50 governments gathered.
– We have made some progress since the Glasgow meeting. We have received new emission reduction targets from eleven countries. But the next six months are critical for us to move forward.
The UN has set a deadline on 23 September for countries to submit new commitments to COP 27.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has radically changed the playing field.
– What we see in Ukraine is an illegal and brutal invasion of Putin’s regime. It is important that we stand together with the people of Ukraine, says Alok Sharma.
Have you had any contact with Russia?
– No, I have not had any contact with representatives from Russia since the invasion started.
The invasion war has led many countries to now see the danger of dependence on fossil fuels and more say they want to increase the share of renewable energy.
At the same time, the need to phase out Russian fossil fuels has led to an increase in coal use, and countries have asked Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to increase oil production. A development that goes against the climate goals.
– The Ukraine war has led countries to understand that climate security and environmental security are absolutely synonymous with energy security and national security. All those issues are closely linked and I think we will see a strong expansion of fossil-free energy, says Alok Sharma
– Attempts to escape dependence on Russian fossil fuels could lead to an increase in the use of fossil fuels in the short term. But it is to create space to increase the renewable.
Do you think the 1.5 degree goal is within reach?
– Yes, I really believe so. But then it is required that each country lives up to its commitments. We also know that the time window that exists quickly is about to close.
– We must increase the pace. The message I have is that world leaders must now show leadership, to step forward and actually deliver and make a reality of the commitments that exist, says Alok Sharma.
Read more: So close was the world a failure in Glasgow
11 countries have submitted new climate plans
Since COP 26 in Glasgow, eleven countries have submitted new national climate plans, so-called NDC, Nationally determined contributions.
Those countries are: Bolivia, Côte d’Ivoire, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mozambique, Niger, South Korea and Switzerland.
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