SAN ANTONIO – Once a year, countries from around the world participate in the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, or COP for short. While the talks broadly focused on reducing global emissions, this year’s meeting featured climate financing, limiting uncertainty as the summit concludes.
The main points are:
Despite the international situation, San Antonio climate officials remain focused on local mitigation efforts that overlay national and global climate factors, such as extreme heat.
Cities and local authorities will come under increased scrutiny for their efforts to mitigate climate change, academics and climate officials say.
Texas and California lead the nation in renewable energy. However, other forms of carbon-free energy are also receiving more attention for their energy production.
The two-week conference brought together diplomats and policymakers from around 200 countries to set goals to limit the effects of global warming.
Although this conference exists in microcosm, its impact is far-reaching as countries around the world work to implement ways to curb climate change.
COP: Breakdown
According to the United Nations website, the Conference of the Parties (COP) is a formal intergovernmental meeting to “assess global efforts to advance the Paris Agreement’s key goal of limiting global warming.” be.
Governments come together to discuss how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and how to adapt to and reduce the effects of climate change in their countries.
This year’s conference was interestingly held in Baku, Azerbaijan, where the president conferred the status of an oil and gas god in the summit’s opening speech.
Several UN officials told the BBC that some questioned the legitimacy of the comment and the climate change talks, given the country’s obsession with fossil fuels.
The same officials said they questioned the “slow process” of the COP summit amid the growing climate crisis.
The host country is usually selected from the five UN regional groups: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Western Europe and the rest.
Baku is considered by many to be a “petrostate” whose economy depends primarily on oil and gas exports. The selection of the host city drew criticism.
But despite the criticism, some argue that these states need to be included in these conversations. By the way, COP28 was held in the United Arab Emirates.
Dr. Ben Miele, associate professor at the University of the Incarnate Word and director of the university’s sustainability program, said dialogue between parties is essential to the climate change movement.
“The United Nations has a very interesting approach to this issue. They deliberately hold these meetings in oil-producing countries and allow lobbyists to participate,” Miele said. “We can’t just preach to the choir. We need to bring everyone to the table, including lobbyists. We need to engage all members, everyone who cares about climate. there is.”
Local and regional takeout
Alternative energy sources are proliferating in Texas, even as other carbon-free forms such as nuclear power gain traction.
Representatives in Baku and the Biden-Harris administration detailed plans to expand U.S. nuclear energy capacity “safely and responsibly.”
According to a White House statement, the United States plans to triple production capacity by 2050.
Regarding the renewable energy sector, it looks like this:
“In fact, no state produces more renewable electricity than Texas,” Peter Girard, Climate Central’s vice president of public affairs, told KSAT. “This should come as no surprise given Texas’ investment and industry expertise in power generation, transmission and sales.”
Girard said it’s important to increase wind and solar infrastructure capacity across Texas. The state leads the nation in wind power generation.
“Wind and solar are currently the cheapest sources of electricity in the United States, so it makes economic sense to continue to add generation capacity,” he said.
Investing in heat mitigation is important for San Antonio, especially as we continue to have a hot summer. In 2024, the city experienced its fifth hottest summer, and August 2023 was the hottest month on record.
Through its Office of Sustainability, the city is working to combat the effects of extreme heat through the Cool Pavement Program and mitigation measures inspired by data from researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
“Innovations that slow global warming can have meaningful regional impacts,” Girard said.
In an email to KSAT, the Office of Sustainability said it remains focused on domestic issues.
“While we recognize the uncertainties surrounding international and national issues, our focus is on the projects that have been approved and prioritized by City Council and that we are working on. These projects include ongoing solar installations and cool pavement applications,” said Doug Melnick, Chief Sustainability Officer.
American climate before COP29 and Trump
Now that COP29 has ended, the United States is in a unique position.
President-elect Donald Trump has promised to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord for a second time.
The agreement is a binding commitment between nations to limit global warming and was signed at COP21 in 2016.
Trump also could halt most, if not all, of President Joe Biden’s climate change efforts, suggesting a cycle of halts and reversals under both administrations.
According to Politico, such a move could force other countries to step up efforts to reduce climate pollution, but if the world’s second-largest greenhouse gas emitter backs down, the need for such efforts would be diminished. gender may be questioned.
President Trump has expressed interest in suspending unused clean energy funds from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a move that has raised suspicions among beneficiaries on both the climate and political divides.
Breaking the Inflation Control Law
California and Texas are two states that collectively benefit greatly from IRA investments.
Although the law targets energy and climate change investments, its scope is much broader.
Biden signed the IRA into law on August 16, 2022. The cross-agency bill targeted projects in the clean energy and climate mitigation sectors.
Funding for the IRA is often done in conjunction with the bipartisan infrastructure law that Biden signed into law on November 15, 2021.
“The Inflation Control Act will help Americans no matter what,” Miele said.
IRAs have a “focus” on taxpayers who are in low-income situations or who are socio-economically unstable. Miele said people who pay higher taxes are also eligible for some IRA rebates.
“The Inflation Control Act would make a huge difference in how Americans understand climate and energy,” he said.
As the United States prepares for a presidential transition, with Republicans holding majorities in the House and Senate, Miele focused on the last time there was a majority and what laws were enacted during that time.
Activists worked in partnership with nonprofit organizations as mayors and governments sought to implement plans to mitigate climate change and adapt at the local level.
San Antonio’s answer this time in 2017 was that the mayor and City Council passed a climate action and adaptation plan, which Miele called a “monumental accomplishment.”
“That’s San Antonio’s north star in terms of how we respond to climate change locally,” Miele said. “It would not have been possible without all the cooperation from local activists.”
The plan was prompted by a city resolution supporting the Paris Agreement.
Regarding the current U.S. presence, Miele believes that in a situation similar to 2017 at the federal level, more nonprofits taking action and interest from the private sector could lead the discussion. There is.
“I think we’ll see more nonprofits taking action again, both at the state level and at the local level,” Miele said.
But globally, even if the United States suspends its participation at future COPs, those negotiations will still proceed, Girard said.
“An administration that does not prioritize climate action will likely impact U.S. progress in reducing global warming, including progress in international negotiations,” Girard said. “Nonetheless, global climate change talks and cooperation will continue to move forward, regardless of how the United States participates.”
U.S. involvement is not the only driver at the federal level.
“At home, federal policy is not the only driver of progress on climate change; national and local actions are contributing to pollution reduction, as is private industry,” Girard said.
What is “climate change finance”?
At COP29, negotiators from around 200 countries tripled the funding needed to combat rising temperatures in developing countries, announcing a pledge just days after the conference officially ended.
Most COP meetings involve countries seeking funding to help poor countries deal with climate change. The “complex packages” often consist of grants, loans and private investment, according to the Associated Press.
>> Here’s what you need to know about the new funding deal countries agreed to in UN climate talks
Climate finance was at the center of the negotiations, with $1.3 trillion proposed to help developing countries.
Developing countries pledged to provide $300 billion a year by 2035, with the decision ultimately made over the weekend, Bloomberg reported.
Biden issued a statement Saturday praising the efforts of the U.S. delegation to pass the funding goal.
“We are confident that in the coming years, America will continue this work through our states, cities, businesses, and citizens, supported by permanent legislation like the Inflation Control Act,” the statement said.
“None of this is a hoax.”
On the first day of the conference, US climate change envoy John Podesta set the record straight on climate change.
“None of this is a hoax. It’s real. It’s a matter of life and death,” Podesta said in an Associated Press report.
Podesta highlighted global climate issues such as heat and prolonged drought that San Antonio and Texas residents are already experiencing.
“This goes beyond American politics. This is a global issue,” Miele said.
Additionally, Biden has been busy across the Atlantic, spending time in Brazil for the G20 summit last week.
During his visit, Biden announced millions of dollars in funding for new climate pledges, including $325 million in support for the World Bank to help developing countries wean themselves from fossil fuel dependence, according to the Associated Press. Announced.
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