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As over 190 world leaders and tens of thousands of government representatives, businesses and citizens gather at the twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) in Glasgow this week and next, we unpack what to expect and delve into the latest climate science from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

1. What can we expect from COP26?

National leaders are being urged to take the necessary steps to reduce emissions, mobilize funding, and boost adaptation and resilience. Countries are also being asked to come forward with ambitious 2030 emissions reductions targets that align with reaching net zero by the middle of the century. To achieve these goals, developed countries will need to make good on their promise to mobilize at least $100bn in climate finance per year for developing countries by 2020. Public and private sector financial institutions will also need to provide the trillions required to secure global net zero.

Parties will discuss several articles of the Paris Agreement - which sets the target of keeping global warming this century to under 2°C - while pursuing efforts to keep it below 1.5°C. This includes finance, carbon markets, loss and damage, transparency and looking to wrap up important technical details of the “Paris Rulebook.”

2. What does UNEP hope to see achieved at the end of the climate talks?

UNEP hopes that COP26 will result in increased global action on three core policy areas: mitigation, adaption and finance. This means credible political commitment that leads to enhanced efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to climate change known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), along with agreement on critical technical issues, demonstrated movement by the private sector and financial commitments by public and private financial institutions.

3. Why is methane important?

UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report 2021: The Heat Is On released last week shows that methane is crucial for short-term climate action. This gas has a global warming potential of more than 80 times that of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, making it a powerful heat trapper. But it only stays in the atmosphere for 12 years, far less than carbon dioxide. In practice, this means reducing methane emissions can have a faster impact on reducing global warming and buy us some valuable time. Over 60 countries have joined the Global Methane Pledge to cut methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030. The report shows it is feasible to achieve this goal in the oil and gas, agriculture and waste sectors at low or no cost.

4. What are the key findings of UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report 2021?

This annual UNEP report highlights the difference between where greenhouse emissions are predicted to be in 2030 based on current government commitments and where they need to be to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement.