Pacific Strong on Climate Negotiations, Aim for Net Zero: Analysis
Dr Tristan Smith is the Associate Professor at University College of London Energy Institute. The hard work and vocal leadership of Fiji and a number of Pacific countries has, once again, enabled major progress in climate negotiations. COP 26 started, just under a month ago, with the vast majority of countries, representing the majority of global Gas House Gas (GHG )emissions, signed up to ‘net zero’ targets. Most commonly targeting their national economies to emit net zero GHG by 2050. For the efforts made to achieve those targets not to be in vain, they need two international transport sectors, shipping and aviation, that most often lie outside of national GHG reduction commitments, to step up to commit to similar. In 2018, in direct response to calls initially made in 2015 by the late Tony deBrum, Foreign Minister to the Marshall Islands, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted its first commitment to an absolute reduction in GHG emis...