COP26: Ambition, Coal, Finance, and the Paris Rulebook

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This chapter explores whether the Conference of the Parties (COP) 26 was critical for the implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement. Adopted at COP21, Article 2 of the Paris Agreement seeks to limit increase in global average temperature to well below 2 °C, preferably to 1.5 °C, compared to pre-industrial levels (“the Goal”). This chapter focuses on how COP26, the fifth COP since COP21, was potentially critical for the Paris Agreement’s implementation in four vital areas—(a) ambition, (b) coal, (c) finance, and (d) the Paris Rulebook—and how it found some wins and losses in these aspects. The chapter then focuses on Singapore, and argues that the Singaporean national climate plan falls short of the ambitions that Singapore ought to have. This chapter proposes that a collaboration with Indonesia and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to develop the production of solar energy would not only improve climate mitigation efforts critical for the Goal, but also create better energy security for the region. Finally, this chapter argues that, for countries to meet the expectations of COPs, two underlying issues must be addressed. First, a dispute resolution and enforcement mechanism by way of an international instrument like the World Trade Organisation should be implemented in climate agreements. Second, all levels of society must understand that addressing climate change is not about saving the planet, but saving ourselves.