Nicaragua, Climate Change and COP26

Guest:


Javier Gutierrez, Secretary of the Presidency of Nicaragua for
Climate Change and Vice-Minister of Environment and Natural
Resources


Background:


Under the slogan Uniting the world to tackle climate change, the
forthcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26),
which will be held in Glasgow (UK) from 1 to 12 November 2021,
will bring together representatives of some 200 governments with
the aim of accelerating climate action to fulfill the Paris
Agreement. The Presidency of the conference is already working
with civil society and business to prepare the annual event and
inspire climate action ahead of the event.


What is COP:


The Conference of the Parties or COP is the supreme body of the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a
treaty that sets out the basic obligations of the 196 states (or
parties) and the European Union to combat climate change. It was
signed at the 1992 Earth Summit and came into force in 1994.
Since then, a COP has been held every year to review the status
of its implementation and to propose, evaluate and approve other
instruments to support its establishment.


On 12 December 2015, in the framework of COP21, world leaders
approved in Paris a historic agreement to slow down climate
change. They committed to keeping the global average temperature
increase to well below 2 ºC with respect to pre-industrial
levels, and to work to limit this increase to 1.5 ºC. They also
agreed to intensify efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate
change and to make funding flows consistent with the transition
to a low-carbon economy and climate-resilient development.


Now, five years after the adoption of the Paris Agreement,
climate action has become a key part of the recovery plans for
the COVID-19 pandemic. A green recovery that creates sustainable
jobs and that addresses challenges linked to public health,
climate change and loss of biodiversity in order to protect the
environment for future generations.


 Many in the audience may know that Nicaragua did not sign
the Paris Agreement because the Ortega Government did not believe
the accord went far enough specifically regarding wealthy
northern hemisphere countries to the detriment of the vulnerable
countries of the global south. This is why we are so
fortunate to hear from Vice-Minister Gutierrez today about
Nicaragua’s impending proposals at COP26 and how these proposals
emphasize the effects of climate change and the necessary
response required for Nicaragua and all of Central America.


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