Jumat, 12 November 2021

Austria imposes lockdown on unvaccinated in battle to control Covid-19 - Financial Times

Austria’s government plans to impose a strict lockdown on the unvaccinated as it battles soaring rates of Covid-19 infection, in one of the most contentious measures in Europe to try to contain the pandemic.

Speaking at a press conference in the state of Tyrol on Friday, chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said the federal government was seeking a nationwide lockdown for those who have not been jabbed, to apply from Monday.

Austrians who have held out against being inoculated could expect Christmas to be “uncomfortable”, he told reporters earlier. The measures were needed to protect the rights of those who had been vaccinated or recovered from the virus. “I don’t see why two-thirds of the population should lose their freedom because another third hesitates,” Schallenberg said.

Austrian state governors will meet federal government officials on Sunday to thrash out details of how the lockdown will work.

Despite Schallenberg’s insistence a lockdown is necessary, the consensus between states is far from clear. Upper Austria and Salzburg have said they will enforce strict measures regardless of what is decided on Sunday, but other state governors have been more equivocal. Any new measures are likely to meet legal challenges.

Unvaccinated people are already banned from the country’s restaurants, bars and entertainment venues.

The government has yet to reveal details, but officials in the chancellery said measures would almost certainly mirror the harsh lockdown restrictions in Austria during autumn last year and spring.

If so, unvaccinated people will be able to leave their homes only once a day for a short period for “essential” reasons, such as buying food.

Police would be deployed to conduct spot checks in public places to check people’s vaccination status, the interior ministry said. Rule breakers would face hefty fines.

Schallenberg said further measures beyond a lockdown were also under consideration, such as a mandatory vaccination requirement for some employees.

More than 33 per cent of Austrians have yet to have a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine — one of the lowest rates in the EU — public health data show.

Austria this week recorded its highest infection numbers of the entire pandemic, with a rolling seven-day average of 9,593 daily infections reached on Thursday. The previous high, almost exactly a year ago, was 7,464.

Germany on Friday added Austria to its list of “high-risk” countries, caretaker health minister Jens Spahn said. Under that classification, anyone entering Germany from Austria who has not been vaccinated or recovered from the virus must quarantine for 10 days.

Schallenberg’s announcement sparked a fierce backlash. Herbert Kickl, leader of Austria’s far-right Freedom party — which won a quarter of votes in the 2019 federal elections — accused the government of “corona fascism” and said “all forms of resistance . . . are now needed”. 

“The lockdown for the unvaccinated . . . is unconstitutional, inhuman, harassing, completely illogical and not based on any evidence . . . With this step, Schallenberg and Co make their totalitarian attitude clear to everyone,” Kickl wrote in a media statement.

Austria’s move came as other EU countries sought to tighten coronavirus curbs.

Authorities in Germany proposed tougher measures as the seven-day incidence rate — which reached 263 people per 100,000 — hit a historic high for the fifth consecutive day.

Spahn called for access to public events to be restricted to the vaccinated or recovered and requiring them to be tested before entry. The Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s main public health authority, called for a cut in the numbers allowed into large events or for them to be cancelled, and for bars and clubs in areas with high incidence rates to be closed.

In Latvia, from Monday, lawmakers in the national parliament and all municipal councils will be able to work and be paid only if they have been jabbed or are recovering from a Covid-19 infection.

The Baltic country had the world’s highest number of coronavirus cases per capita last month and the country has a lower vaccination rate than the EU average.

The Netherlands is also expected to announce a partial three-week lockdown from Saturday after case numbers hit record levels. Infection rates have soared since the government removed most social restrictions in September.

The measures will include the closure of non-essential shops by 7pm, no more than four visitors inside homes and the reintroduction of teleworking wherever possible. The measures are due to be confirmed by the caretaker government on Friday evening.

Additional reporting by Erika Solomon in Berlin, Mehreen Khan in Brussels and Richard Milne, Nordic and Baltic Correspondent

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2021-11-12 15:16:04Z
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COVID-19's epicentre again: Europe faces fresh reckoning - Reuters

  • Europe accounts for half of latest infections and deaths
  • Outbreaks stir fears over winter months, economic impact
  • Various nations consider unpopular curbs again
  • Vaccines not the silver bullet, experts warn

LONDON/MILAN, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Europe has become the epicentre of the pandemic again, prompting some governments to consider re-imposing unpopular lockdowns in the run-up to Christmas and stirring debate over whether vaccines alone are enough to tame COVID-19.

Europe accounts for more than half of the average 7-day infections globally and about half of latest deaths, according to a Reuters tally, the highest levels since April last year when the virus first swept into Italy.

The fresh tumult comes as successful inoculation campaigns have plateaued ahead of the winter months and flu season.

About 65% of the population of the European Economic Area (EEA) - which includes the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway - have received two doses, according to EU data, but the pace has slowed in recent months.

Take-up in southern European countries is around 80%, but hesitancy has hampered rollout in central and eastern Europe and Russia, leading to outbreaks that could overwhelm healthcare.

Germany, France and the Netherlands are also experiencing a surge in infections, showing the challenge even for governments with high acceptance rates and dashing hopes vaccines would mean a return to close to normal.

To be sure, hospitalisations and deaths are much lower than a year ago and big variations by country in use of vaccines and boosters as well as measures like social distancing make it hard to draw conclusions for the whole region.

'DON'T TAKE EYE OFF THE BALL'

But a combination of low vaccine uptake in some parts, waning immunity among those inoculated early and complacency about masks and distancing as governments relaxed curbs over the summer are likely to blame, virologists and public health experts told Reuters.

"If there's one thing to learn from this it's not to take your eye off the ball," said Lawrence Young, a virologist at the UK's Warwick Medical School.

The World Health Organization's latest report for the week to Nov. 7 showed that Europe, including Russia, was the only region to record a rise in cases, up 7%, while other areas reported declines or stable trends.

Similarly, it reported a 10% increase in deaths, while other regions reported declines.

The bleak outlook is sending shivers through companies and governments, anxious that the prolonged pandemic will derail a fragile economic recovery, particularly as transatlantic flights resumed this week and borders have started reopening.

In Germany, some cities are reported to have cancelled Christmas markets again, while the Netherlands could shut theatres and cinemas, scrap large events and close cafes and restaurants earlier.

Most EU countries are deploying extra shots to the elderly and those with weakened immune systems, but expanding it to more of the population and getting shots in teenagers' arms should be a priority to avoid steps like lockdown, scientists said.

"The real urgency is to widen the pool of vaccinated people as much as possible," said Carlo Federico Perno, head of microbiology and immunology diagnostics at Rome's Bambino Gesù Hospital.

PROTECTING KIDS TOO

The EU's medicines regulator is evaluating the use of Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine in 5 to 11-year-olds.

The data justifies the steps.

German figures for the week to Oct. 31 show that while highest case loads are among relatively young people, those over the age of 60 account for the majority of hospitalisations.

The rate of hospitalisation for unvaccinated over-60s is also considerably higher than those inoculated.

Last month, roughly 56% of COVID-19 patients in Dutch hospitals and 70% in intensive care were unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated.

"This (outbreak) will probably make the EU look at booster doses and say 'we do need them pronto'," said Michael Head, senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton.

Still struggling to ramp up shots, central and eastern European governments have had to take drastic action.

Facing its most severe outbreak yet, Latvia, one of the least vaccinated countries in the EU, imposed a four-week lockdown in mid-October.

Czech Republic, Slovakia and Russia have also tightened restrictions. The Czech cabinet will consider whether fresh measures are needed on Friday.

In western Europe, Dutch experts have recommended imposing a partial lockdown, western Europe's first since the summer.

In Germany, a draft law would allow for measures such as compulsory face masks and social distancing in public spaces to continue to be enforced until next March.

It reported a record 50,196 new cases on Thursday, the fourth daily high in a row.

Some are holding out. Britain is relying on booster shots for the over 50s to increase immunity, while pressure grows on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to implement his "Plan B", involving mask mandates, vaccine passes and work-from-home orders.

Vaccines alone are not the silver bullet to defeat the pandemic in the long term, virologists say.

Several pointed to Israel as an example of good practice: in addition to inoculations, it has reinforced mask wearing and introduced vaccine passports after cases spiked a few months ago.

Measures such as spacing, masks and vaccine mandates for indoor venues are essential, said Antonella Viola, professor of immunology at Italy's University of Padua. "If one of these two things is lacking, we see situations such as we are seeing in many European countries these days."

Reporting by Josephine Mason in London and Emilio Parodi in Milan; Additional reporting by Maria Sheahan in Berlin; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2021-11-12 09:51:00Z
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Kamis, 11 November 2021

Belarus threatens to cut gas transit to EU as migrant crisis escalates - Financial Times

Alexander Lukashenko has threatened to cut the transit of gas and goods through Belarus to Europe if the EU imposes further sanctions on his regime over the migrant crisis on the Belarusian-Polish border.

The Belarus president was responding to an announcement by Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president, on Wednesday that the bloc would widen its sanctions on Lukashenko’s regime, accusing Minsk of a “cynical geopolitical powerplay” in funnelling migrants to the EU’s borders in an attempt to destabilise it.

On Thursday Lukashenko warned Minsk would respond to any “unacceptable” sanctions.

“We are heating Europe, and they are threatening to close the border,” he said, according to Belarus state news agency Belta. “What if we cut off gas to them? Therefore I recommend that the leaders of Poland, Lithuania and the other headless people think before speaking. We should not stop at anything to defend our sovereignty and independence.”

European gas prices have soared this year amid concerns over low supplies ahead of winter. Global availability has tightened as economies rebound from the Covid-19 pandemic, with Europe competing with Asia for shipments of liquefied natural gas from suppliers such as the US, Qatar and Australia, while pipeline shipments to western Europe from Russia have been lower than usual.

Prices eased this week amid signs that Russia’s state-backed gas giant Gazprom was beginning to refill its storage facilities in Europe. Gas markets were not immediately spooked by Lukashenko’s threat, rising only slightly. On Thursday morning the European benchmark was up 0.5 per cent at €71.85 per megawatt hour.

As much as 40 per cent of the EU’s gas comes from Russia, with about a fifth passing through Belarus in 2020, according to analysts. But EU lawmakers have accused Moscow of withholding supplies to the bloc in an attempt to speed up approval of the controversial new Nord Stream 2 pipeline through the Baltic Sea.

Thierry Bros, a former oil and gas adviser at the French economy ministry and a professor at Sciences Po in Paris, said Russia and Gazprom would ultimately determine whether Lukashenko carried out his threat.

“They control the transit through Belarus and if Lukashenko was to try and cut supplies, they have significant leverage over his regime and the option of rerouting gas supplies,” he said. “The key question is therefore whether Vladimir Putin supports Belarus in this threat.”

James Waddell at Energy Aspects, a consultancy, said Lukashenko’s threat did not look credible: “[It would be] very hard for the Kremlin not to be politically tied to any Belarus transit crisis and that would provoke an EU response.”

Lukashenko’s salvo comes amid growing international concern over the situation on the Belarus-Poland border, where thousands of migrants have gathered in recent days. Many arrived in Belarus by air from countries including Iraq, Syria and Yemen, and European officials say the surge is being orchestrated by Minsk in an effort to destabilise the EU.

Polish officials said on Thursday that several hundred migrants had attempted to force their way across the border in the area of Bialowieza the previous day.

Migrant smuggling experts from Europol, the international law enforcement body, are travelling to Poland after Warsaw requested their assistance, the European Commission said.

Asked about reports that Poland was pushing migrants back across the border, a commission spokesman said governments should act in line with “fundamental rights” and that Brussels was “looking into humanitarian options and [migrants’] safe return to their countries of origin”.

Von der Leyen has discussed the situation with US President Joe Biden. Russia has, meanwhile, taken an increasingly assertive stance, accusing the EU of fuelling “humanitarian disaster” for not letting the migrants in.

On Thursday, for the second day in a row, Russia sent nuclear-capable bombers into Belarusian airspace. Lukashenko said the move had been agreed with Moscow. “We have to constantly monitor the situation on the border,” he added.

The defence ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania said in a joint statement that the situation on the border posed “serious threats to European security”, warning of a risk of “provocations and serious incidents that could also spill over into military domain”.

Additional reporting by Richard Milne in Oslo and Andy Bounds in Brussels

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2021-11-11 13:44:30Z
CAIiEMwkstW0uA11lOd-fu6WOvwqGAgEKg8IACoHCAow-4fWBzD4z0gw_fCpBg

FW de Klerk: South Africa's former president dies at 85 - BBC News

FW de Klerk
Reuters

FW de Klerk, the former president of South Africa and the last white person to lead the country, has died at the age of 85.

Mr de Klerk, who was also a key figure in the nation's transition to democracy, had been diagnosed with cancer this year, a spokesman said.

Mr de Klerk was head of state between September 1989 and May 1994.

In 1990 he announced he was releasing anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, leading to multi-party polls in 1994.

A statement from the former president's FW de Klerk Foundation on Thursday morning read: "Former President FW de Klerk died peacefully at his home in Fresnaye (Cape Town) earlier this morning following his struggle against mesothelioma cancer."

The foundation had announced the diagnosis - a cancer that affects the lining of the lungs - in June this year.

FW de Klerk had taken over from PW Botha as the head of the National Party in February 1989 and the following year announced he was removing the ban on parties that included Mr Mandela's African National Congress (ANC).

His actions helped bring an end to apartheid-era South Africa, and he became one of the country's two deputy presidents after the multi-party elections in 1994 that saw Mr Mandela become president.

He shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Mr Mandela in 1993.

However, his role in the transition to democracy was always highly contested. Last year, he became embroiled in a row in which he was accused of playing down the seriousness of apartheid. He later apologised for "quibbling" over the matter.

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2021-11-11 11:03:08Z
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Russian bombers back Belarus in Polish border fight - The Times

Russia sent strategic bombers over Belarus yesterday as the EU prepared to impose further sanctions on Minsk for creating a migrant crisis on the border with Poland.

Dozens of people broke into Poland through three points on the tightly guarded frontier, piling pressure on Brussels to approve extra funding for a wall to be built along the EU’s eastern edge.

The EU accused Belarus of acting like a “gangster” by luring migrants from the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa and helping them to storm into Poland. Warsaw said that Russia was behind the operation.

Migrants clash with Polish police at the border

Mateusz Morawiecki, the prime minister of Poland, said yesterday: “We are dealing with a manifestation of state terrorism.” He sent about 15,000 soldiers to reinforce the border zone.

President Biden and

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2021-11-11 00:01:00Z
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London Playbook: Suspicious in Mauritius — Cox appalls — Whinge-o-meter - POLITICO.eu

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POLITICO London Playbook

By ALEX WICKHAM

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Good Thursday morning.

LOBBY MOVE: Insider (the website formerly known as Business Insider) has hired Cat Neilan from the Telegraph to be its new U.K. politics editor. Neilan has been the Telegraph’s Politics Live editor for the past couple of years. She starts the new gig in January.

DRIVING THE DAY

SUSPICIOUS IN MAURITIUS: Moonlighting MP Geoffrey Cox launched a defiant rearguard action amid his second job scandal yesterday, but the part-time politician’s defense has turned to farce this morning as it emerges he prepared his unrepentant statement some 6,000 miles away from Westminster in Mauritius. Today’s newspapers have new angle after new angle on the Cox saga, from another tax haven gig he landed in the Cayman Islands, to the highly damaging revelation that he has been renting out his taxpayer-funded London flat while coining it in the Caribbean. Boris Johnson yesterday refused to criticize Cox by name though made clear his displeasure at the former attorney general’s failure to put his constituents first. The news this morning paints a picture of a man who has spent years pushing the benefits afforded to members of parliament to the limit in order to maximize his own personal income.

Gimme More: Cox missed at least two sitting parliamentary days this week because he was on the Indian Ocean holiday island of Mauritius. The Mirror’s Pippa Crerar reports he was on a “short business trip” and is a partner at an international law firm, Thomas More International, based in the country. Crerar says he was paired with opposition MPs allowing him to miss four Commons votes. In other words, he has had the week off from his job as an MP — other than publishing a statement on his website on Wednesday morning in which he claimed he always makes sure he considers his constituents to be of “primary importance.”

Cox appalls: The Guardian’s political team led by Rowena Mason has looked back at Cox’s register of interests down the years since he entered parliament in 2005, and found he has earned at least £6 million working a second job as a lawyer in that time. They’ve also found Cox missed 12 parliamentary votes over four days while he was carrying out work on behalf of the British Virgin Islands in recent weeks. The Mail’s Jason Groves and Martin Beckford have done a similar tally and counted him declaring 10,700 hours of legal work since 2009. That’s over three full years worth of work on his second job, while he was supposed to be representing constituents in West Devon. In some years, Cox worked his second job for 30 hours a week on average.

**A message from Lloyds Banking Group: 75p. That’s all it costs for a farmer to plant a tree thanks to our partnership with the Woodland Trust. With agriculture accounting for 8.7% of the UK’s emissions, this partnership is an important part of our commitment to help Britain recover. Find out more.**

Labour’s Thangam Debbonaire sticks the boot in: “What on earth must Geoffrey Cox’s constituents think? He is meant to be representing them but instead habitually misses days and days of parliamentary time putting his business interests first. The Prime Minister must make Geoffrey Cox choose between putting his constituents first or his own interests.” A government source briefs the papers that they expect Cox to return to Westminster next week. Playbook for one can’t wait until the camera crews catch up with him.

MP for rent: The story that will really enrage opposition politicians and voters today is the Mirror‘s front page by Nick Sommerlad and Pippa Crerar. They reveal Cox owns a plush flat in a mansion block in Battersea — subsidized by taxpayer-funded expenses down the years — that he rents out for £4,000 a month, while claiming £1,900 a month on expenses to rent another home for himself in the capital. Readers may remember that this wheeze carried out by some MPs was exposed a few years ago in the so-called rent swapping scandal. It is not against the rules for MPs to use expenses to rent a place to live while they rent out their own properties and pocket the profits, but former standards committee Chairman Alistair Graham blasts the practice in the Mirror: “If they have got a flat in London they should be happy enough to use that rather than go through this device to gain somewhere else and build up extra income.”

Kicker: Remember those two months earlier this year Cox spent in the British Virgin Islands so he could make a load of dosh? He still charged the taxpayer £3,800 for the rent on his vacated home in London. Graham is critical of that as well: “If MPs are out of the country and in the case of Mr Cox earning vast sums of money then to be at the same time claiming money from the public purse to safeguard their flat is totally wrong.”

It isn’t just BVI … Cox has also been working for legal firms based in another tax haven: the Cayman Islands. The Guardian’s Aubrey Allegretti reports he made £40,000 from work in the Caymans in 2018, then just months later he spoke in the Commons against attempts to impose stricter regulations on British overseas territories by making them create a public register of company owners.

Quote of the day: Insider’s Henry Dyer has an absolutely classic Cox quote from his work on the BVI inquiry: “Let me be quite candid. There are real drawbacks to open registers. It becomes a political tool for every — many, many frivolous complaints are made. It is a profound invasion into a legislator’s private life because what happens is, as you can imagine, stories get written, minor infractions are written up to be morally shameful or even impute dishonesty. I accept the need for registers — of course I do; every legislator must — but there are perfectly understandable reticence to invite that kind of onslaught that that can sometimes mean.” Why on earth might such a “distinguished” figure, as he modestly described himself in yesterday’s statement, be so wary of public registers shining a light on legislators’ interests? We can only speculate.

How corrupt are we? The prime minister yesterday suffered the indignity of having to insist on the world stage that Britain is not a corrupt country, and my POLITICO colleagues Esther Webber and Emilio Casalicchio explore exactly how dodgy our politics system is in a piece out this morning. “If you talk to corruption specialists, some would say, yes, it’s already acting corruptly, and some would say it’s not quite,” says Robert Barrington, a professor in corruption at the University of Sussex. “My personal view is it’s teetering on the edge.” “Under the current government there has been a noticeable shift to how things like the ministerial code is followed,” says Steve Goodrich of Transparency International. “Where rules aren’t followed and there is no consequence, the absence of accountability can breed particularly egregious behavior that could easily slip into out-and-out corrupt practices that you might expect from less-established democracies.”

Polluting politics: There are several new stories involving other MPs in the papers today to help readers make their minds up on where Britain lies on the sleaze scale. City A.M.’s Stefan Boscia has a very decent story on how Tory backbencher Mark Pawsey is making £30,000-a-year as chairman of a packaging lobby group, and has spoken in parliament on multiple occasions in favor of watering down environmental laws to benefit plastic producers. Pawsey — the paid chairman of the Foodservice Packaging Association — argued in a debate on the Environment Bill earlier this year that packaging recycling costs should not fall on producers because: “It is not the packaging manufacturer that is the polluter — people are.” Mmhmm.

Greenpeace says: “It’s deeply concerning that Mark Pawsey is taking a second salary from the plastic packaging industry, while also lobbying in parliament to water down legislation that would help tackle the plastic pollution crisis. The big question here is whose interests is Mark Pawsey serving when he stands up to speak about plastic in the Commons? Is it his constituents, or is it the plastic packaging industry that pays his second salary?”

Yet another: In the Times, George Grylls, Billy Kenber and George Greenwood report former Tory Defense Minister Philip Dunne has been paid £51,000 by aerospace company Reaction Engines last year, while consistently asking questions in parliament demanding more defense spending.

Cronyvirus: Kenber also has another COVID contracts story, revealing former Cabinet Minister Alun Cairns took a second job at diagnostics firm BBI Group weeks before it was part of a consortium that secured a £75 million government contract for lateral flow tests. Expect calls for Cairns’ communications with the government and the company to be released.

In total: Analysis from Labour released this morning finds 50 Conservative MPs have earned more than £1.7 million in consultancy fees since the beginning of 2021 alone. LabourList has the details.

Seems legit: Readers will remember how the government wanted to appoint former Daily Mail Editor Paul Dacre to be the new chair of the media regulator Ofcom, only to have to rerun the process after it found Dacre was deemed “not appointable” to the position. Who will sit on the new interview panel? Former Tory aide Michael Simmonds — the husband of Schools Minister Nick Gibb and the brother-in-law of BBC board member and former No. 10 comms chief Robbie Gibb. The Guardian’s Jim Waterson has the story. The FT reported this week that the panel’s external interviewer will be lobbyist Michael Prescott, also a friend of the Gibbs.

Game over: Former MPs who become lobbyists could lose their parliamentary passes, Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle told Sky’s Sam Coates yesterday. The Spectator’s James Heale has found that remarkably one-in-five ex-MPs who have a parliamentary pass are now engaged in consultancy, advisory or lobbying work.

Look over there: Defense Secretary Ben Wallace is doing his best to turn attention onto opposition politicians, complaining to the leaders of the Labour Party and the SNP after three MPs were accused of “drinking heavily” on a flight back from an official visit to Gibraltar. Labour’s Charlotte Nichols and SNP MPs David Linden and Drew Hendry have been named by the Telegraph’s Tony Diver, Harry Yorke and Lucy Fisher as those overdoing it on a visit this week. They report: “It is claimed that when the flight landed, Ms Nichols required a wheelchair to get from the baggage reclaim to a military minibus, while Mr Linden and Mr Hendry were ‘lairy’ and ‘rude’ when their Covid passes did not work at the airport gates.” The three MPs insisted they were not drunk on the plane, but did not deny that they had been drinking.

We’re going to see a lot more of … The FT’s Jim Pickard and Seb Payne have a timely profile of Standards Committee Chairman Chris Bryant, “the Labour former priest trying to clean up parliament.” Bryant tells them: “I hate the idea that people are getting the impression that all MPs are on the take or have their snouts in the trough. It was really irresponsible of the government to do what it did last week; there are a lot of Tory MPs who are in despair.”

Whinge-o-meter: As we enter Day 12 of the sleaze row, Tory MPs’ concerns about the state of the government and Downing Street are only getting louder. The Mirror’s Rachel Wearmouth, Dan Bloom and Pippa Crerar quote one MP: “It feels like a bit of a Black Wednesday moment. Very toxic. There is real fury, more deeply felt than when [former aide Dominic] Cummings went to Barnard Castle.” The Times‘ Henry Zeffman say there is renewed anger at Chief Whip Mark Spencer after Cox revealed he had given him permission to vote in parliament by proxy. An ally of Spencer accuses No. 10 of using him as a “human shield.” One Conservative tells POLITICO’s Emilio Casalicchio and Esther Webber this “should be a real cause of concern … I can’t recall a moment quite like this since he became leader.” A former No. 10 aide tells them: “I think this is the worst it’s been and they should be worried — it’s the perfect storm of the old guard with no promotion prospects worried about losing second jobs, and new guard worried that their best years may be spent in the wilderness if this continues.”

The pundits agree: In the Times, Iain Martin writes: “Anxious Tories can smell decay in the air. Having been misled by No 10, backbenchers are ‘self-whipping’ as concern spreads about being hitched to a toxic brand.” And Tom Newton Dunn’s Evening Standard column argues: “Johnson’s premiership is at a crossroads. The populist outsider has become the elitist insider, and stopped listening to wise counsel. It’s now down to Tory MPs to save the PM from himself.”

He lobbies, I advise: It’s not all happy days for Labour leader Keir Starmer, though. Starmer is facing increasing scrutiny of his own outside work while he’s been an MP — his register of interests entry shows he’s earned more than £25,000 for legal work this parliament, mostly for confidential clients. Starmer has been unable to explain why he held talks with registered consultants Mishcon de Reya about a potential role in 2017. Nor why he took more than £9,000 to advise the low tax government of Gibraltar. It’s nowhere near the Cox end of the scale, though it’s less than ideal given Labour’s main attack lines at the moment are about MPs taking outside consultancy jobs and working for tax havens. The Times‘ Eleni Courea has more and says Starmer is facing “uncomfortable questions about his own income.”

**COP26 Rundown: What has the climate summit achieved? Join our 4 expert reporters in Glasgow for a live discussion, broadcasted on Twitter on Friday 6pm C.E.T.**

TODAY AT COP

Last night in Glasgow: Boris Johnson last night urged world leaders to pick up the phone and order their negotiators to do more on climate finance as the COP26 summit in Glasgow enters its last 48 hours. There was some surprise positive news yesterday as China and the U.S. agreed to boost climate cooperation over the next decade. POLITICO has more on that.

Today’s government announcement: Ministers are launching a new “Urban Climate Action” program to support the cities and regions in developing countries most impacted by climate change to accelerate their transition to net zero, backed with £27.5 million of new U.K. government funding.

Off duty: Shadow Business Secretary Ed Miliband was back at COP to trash Johnson’s negotiating skills, calling his decision to leave Glasgow on Wednesday night “a dereliction of duty.” He told Esther Webber the PM and his team lacked a “strategic approach” needed to draw out more detailed commitments from big emitters — not just over the course of the summit but over the past two years. He contrasted this with the approach of (surprise surprise) Gordon Brown at Copenhagen, who understood that “the presence of a prime minister does make a difference.” Labour has a tough hand on this because they can’t be seen just to dismiss the whole endeavor, but the prime minister’s travel plans do seem to have handed them a convenient line of attack.

MORE COP NEWS: The U.K. wont be joining a New Zealand-led green trade pact that would commit it to ending billions in subsidies for the fossil fuel sector, POLITICO’s Graham Lanktree reports. Government ministers and officials say the U.K. won’t join the Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS) because it wants to keep subsidies and tariffs on environmentally friendly green goods and services the deal would eliminate. The thinking is those tariffs could be used as bargaining chips in future trade negotiations, while one former trade minister said subsidies for the U.K.’s fossil fuel industry were “definitely a consideration” in the U.K.’s decision not to sign up to ACCTS.

Elsewhere in COP today: It’s cities, regions and built environment day, so expect to see plenty more of the likes of Nicola Sturgeon and Andy Burnham. London Mayor Sadiq Khan will give a speech arguing cities are “doers” while national governments have become “delayers” in the climate crisis. The main action will come when COP President Alok Sharma, UNFCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres lead a special closing event outlining a five-year plan for cities, regions, businesses and investors to accelerate their action on climate change — Sturgeon is also expected to speak (3.30 p.m.).

TODAY IN WESTMINSTER

PARLIAMENT: In recess until November 15.

BREXIT LATEST: Britain’s Brexit Minister David Frost yesterday warned Brussels against “massive and disproportionate retaliation” if the U.K. decides to unilaterally suspend post-Brexit trade rules in Northern Ireland. Though by all accounts it seems unlikely that the U.K. will trigger Article 16 today. POLITICO’s Cristina Gallardo has more.

Still: EU countries are calling for a “firm” response if the U.K. does trigger Article 16, warning that other trade partners would look closely at how Brussels reacts, reports POLITICO’s Hans von der Burchard.

999 EMERGENCY: Average ambulance waiting times for people suffering hearts attacks and strokes are twice as long as they should be, U.K. paramedics say. The story leads the BBC News website this morning.

FISHY FURLOUGH SCAM: The Times splashes on new fraud fears it has uncovered concerning hundreds of companies which were set up after furlough was established that then went on to claim up to £26.6 million in taxpayer cash — which does all sound very fishy. The paper says many of the claims were made by “off-the-shelf” companies established cheaply with opaque corporate structures. In a separate and also particularly curious set of coincidences, 7,000 companies registered to just five addresses in London claimed up to £473 million between them in furlough cash. HMRC estimates suggest more than £6 billion has been lost in error and fraud over the pandemic.

MoD IN THE DOCK: The family of Agnes Wanjiru — the Kenyan woman allegedly murdered by a British soldier at the center of some great Sunday Times reporting last month — are planning to sue the MoD for answers over her death. Lawyers have been asked to challenge the ministry over what Wanjiru’s family say is a failure to investigate her alleged murder. The Guardian’s Rachel Hall has the story.

When it rains it pours: The MoD also faces the prospect of hundreds of workers at the Porton Down military lab going on strike, following a year-long pay battle with the government. More than a thousand union members are being balloted for a walkout, due to a “derisory” offer of a 2 percent pay rise in June 2020. More from the Mirror’s Dan Bloom.

YESTERDAY’S UK COVID STATS: 39,329 new cases, ⬆️ 6,212 on Tuesday. In the last seven days there have been 237,064 positive cases, ⬇️ 40,773 on the previous week … 214 reported deaths within 28 days of a positive test, ⬇️ 48 on Tuesday. In the last seven days 1,157 deaths have been reported, ⬆️ 16 on the previous week. As of the latest data 8,859 COVID patients are in hospital.

VAX STATS: A total 50,336,130 people or 87.5 percent of the population aged 12+ have received a first dose, ⬆️ 39,836 … A total 45,894,237 people or 79.8 percent of the population aged 12+ have received a second dose, ⬆️ 21,199 … A total 10,920,416 people or 19 percent of the population aged 12+ have received a booster/third dose, ⬆️ 340,294.

MEANWHILE, IN GERMANY: An aggressive fourth COVID wave due to low vaccination rates is threatening to fill German ICUs and cancel Christmas markets for the second year running. The BBC has a report from an intensive care ward in Saxony, where the situation looks increasingly dire. Saxony has Germany’s lowest vaccination rate with just 57 percent double jabbed. Elsewhere, the Guardian’s Kate Connolly reports scheduled Christmas markets are being canceled in some regions, after widespread hope they could go ahead this year after missing the last. Many of Germany’s most famous markets are due to open in a week’s time.

**A message from Lloyds Banking Group: As part of our commitment to help Britain recover, we’re helping farmers reach the National Farmer’s Union’s goal of being net-zero by 2040. Through our partnership with the Woodland Trust, we are making it easier by offering up to a 75% reduction in the cost of planting trees. By 2030, together with the Woodland Trust, we’ll plant ten million trees across the UK, with c.90% of those planted in the agriculture sector. Across their lifecycle, those trees will remove emissions from the atmosphere equivalent to a quarter of UK homes. Find out more.**

MEDIA ROUND

Small Business Minister Paul Scully broadcast round: Sky News (7.05 a.m.) … Times Radio (7.20 a.m.) … Good Morning Scotland (7.35 a.m.) … LBC (7.50 a.m.) … ITV GMB (8.30 a.m.).

Today program: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband Richard Ratcliffe and health committee Chairman Jeremy Hunt (7.30 a.m.) … Barts Life Sciences chief Mark Caulfield (7.50 a.m.) … Crossbench peer Jonathan Evans (8.10 a.m.) … Pakistan National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf (8.30 a.m.).

BBC Breakfast: Former Deputy PM John Prescott (8.20 a.m.) … Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband Richard Ratcliffe (8.30 a.m.).

Also on Good Morning Britain (ITV): Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband Richard Ratcliffe (6.50 a.m.).

Also on Kay Burley at Breakfast (Sky News): Health committee Chairman Jeremy Hunt (7.20 a.m.) … Shadow Housing Secretary Lucy Powell (8.05 a.m.).

Also on Times Radio breakfast: Carbon Trust Chair Julia King (8 a.m.) … New Zealand’s Climate Minister James Shaw (8.20 a.m.) … Shadow Housing Secretary Lucy Powell (8.30 a.m.) … Israeli Ambassador to the U.K. Tzipi Hotovely (8.45 a.m.).

Also on Nick Ferrari at Breakfast (LBC): Former No. 10 spinner Jonathan Haslam (7.10 a.m.) … Jewish Chronicle Deputy Editor Jake Wallis Simons (7.20 a.m.) … West Midlands Mayor Andy Street (7.40 a.m.) … Head of Armed Forces Engagement Alexander Owen (8.50 a.m.).

Julia Hartley-Brewer breakfast show: INHouse comms CEO Jo Tanner (7.05 a.m.) … Former head of the U.K. Joint Forces Command Richard Barrons (7.20 a.m.) … Tory MP Chris Green (8.05 a.m.) … Israeli Ambassador to the U.K. Tzipi Hotovely (8.20 a.m.) … Shadow Housing Secretary Lucy Powell (8.50 a.m.) … Former committee on standards in public life Chairman Alistair Graham (9.06 a.m.) … National Care Forum CEO Vic Rayner (9.20 a.m.).

Also on Good Morning Scotland (BBC Radio Scotland): The IfG’s Tim Durrant (6.55 a.m.) … Glasgow Councillor Anna Richardson (7.05 a.m.) … Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe (8.05 a.m.) … London Mayor Sadiq Khan (8.35 a.m.).

Spectator TV (YouTube 6 p.m.): Former No. 10 Chief of Staff Gavin Barwell … Former U.K. Permanent Representative to the EU Ivan Rogers … Former Trump defense adviser Elbridge Colby.

Question Time (From Hartlepool BBC One 10.35 p.m.): Business Minister Lee Rowley … Shadow Housing Secretary Lucy Powell … Energy U.K. CEO Emma Pinchbeck … Former No. 10 spinner Alastair Campbell … Times Radio’s Tom Newton Dunn.

Times Radio papers review (10.30 p.m.): ICC U.K. Secretary General Chris Southworth and former Lib Dem MP Norman Lamb.

TODAY’S FRONT PAGES

(Click on the publication’s name to see its front page.)

Daily Express: Explosive new evidence — Meghan says sorry.

Daily Mail: £5.5m MP with no shame — Revealed: How Geoffrey Cox lined his pockets.

Daily Mirror: Exposed — Tory MP’s homes greed.

Daily Star: Two pints of mojito and a packet of crisps, please.

Financial Times: U.S. consumer prices increase at fastest pace in three decades.

HuffPost UK: Johnson — ‘Our politics is not corrupt.’

i: Chief whip in peril over MP moonlighting in Caribbean.

Metro: A bit of a COP out — PM left wriggling at summit.

POLITICO UK: How corrupt is Britain?

The Daily Telegraph: Meghan admits she ‘misled’ court.

The Guardian: MP Cox has made at least £6m from his second job.

The Independent: Take the lead to salvage climate pact, PM urged.

The Sun: Little miss forgetful — Meg emails reveal she tried to influence shock royal biography.

The Times: Fraud fears over firms’ furlough millions.

TODAY’S NEWS MAGS

The New European: Betrayed by Britain — Grubby reality behind the U.K. government’s tormenting of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her family.

The New Statesman: Behind the masks — Why Boris Johnson is immune to all scandal.

The Spectator: Court of chaos — Fraser Nelson on a party in turmoil.

LONDON CALLING

WESTMINSTER WEATHER: ☁️☁️☁️ Another dull but dry day, with highs of 14C.

POLLSTER MOVES: Ipsos MORI’s Ben Page is leaving his CEO role after 12 years to join the worldwide Ipsos office as global CEO. He’ll be replaced by the current public affairs managing director, Kelly Beaver here’s the tweet.

BIRTHDAYS: Former Magistrates’ Association Chairman John Bache … Writer and broadcaster Cristina Odone … POLITICO’s Matthew KaminskiElisabeth Binard and Cristina Gonzalez.

PLAYBOOK COULDN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT: My editor Zoya Sheftalovich, reporter Andrew McDonald producer Grace Stranger.

SUBSCRIBE to the POLITICO newsletter family: Brussels Playbook | London Playbook | Playbook Paris | EU Confidential | Sunday Crunch | EU Influence | London Influence | AI: Decoded | Digital Bridge | China Direct | D.C. Playbook | All our POLITICO Pro policy morning newsletters

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnBvbGl0aWNvLmV1L25ld3NsZXR0ZXIvbG9uZG9uLXBsYXlib29rL3N1c3BpY2lvdXMtaW4tbWF1cml0aXVzLWNveC1hcHBhbGxzLXdoaW5nZS1vLW1ldGVyL9IBamh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnBvbGl0aWNvLmV1L25ld3NsZXR0ZXIvbG9uZG9uLXBsYXlib29rL3N1c3BpY2lvdXMtaW4tbWF1cml0aXVzLWNveC1hcHBhbGxzLXdoaW5nZS1vLW1ldGVyL2FtcC8?oc=5

2021-11-11 07:26:57Z
CBMiZmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnBvbGl0aWNvLmV1L25ld3NsZXR0ZXIvbG9uZG9uLXBsYXlib29rL3N1c3BpY2lvdXMtaW4tbWF1cml0aXVzLWNveC1hcHBhbGxzLXdoaW5nZS1vLW1ldGVyL9IBamh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnBvbGl0aWNvLmV1L25ld3NsZXR0ZXIvbG9uZG9uLXBsYXlib29rL3N1c3BpY2lvdXMtaW4tbWF1cml0aXVzLWNveC1hcHBhbGxzLXdoaW5nZS1vLW1ldGVyL2FtcC8

Rabu, 10 November 2021

What is happening at COP26? - The Economist

COPs USUALLY have a few moments of sudden, unpredictable drama. This year the first such frisson came on Wednesday evening. It began shortly before 6pm with rumours of a joint American-Chinese press conference. Instead there were two successive ones, with China’s lead negotiator Xie Zhenhua going first. He announced that the world’s top two greenhouse gas emitters, accounting for about one-third of the global total, were releasing a “China-US joint Glasgow declaration on enhancing climate action in the 2020s”. Forty-five minutes later he walked off stage with journalists trailing after him while John Kerry, America’s envoy, took the stage.

The verbose joint declaration reaffirms the two countries’ commitment to keep the increase in the Earth’s mean surface temperature to “well below” 2℃, and ideally to no more than 1.5℃, compared with pre-industrial levels—which was the goal set forth at the COP in Paris six years ago. The statement acknowledges that current efforts are inadequate, and so the duo promised to work together to narrow the gap between their emissions-reduction plans and what science says is necessary to meet the Paris goals.

The text then offers a long list of ways in which the two nations will work together, including on research, policies to produce energy without carbon and efforts to reduce methane emissions and ban illegal deforestation. China will come up with a “comprehensive and ambitious National Action Plan” to curb methane emissions. Speaking after Mr Xie, Mr Kerry said that China would deliver this plan at COP27, at the end of 2022. The document repeats that China will also phase out coal consumption starting in 2026—something Xi Jinping had announced in April.

Perhaps the most significant aspect of the joint declaration is its very existence. Ahead of the 2015 climate summit in Paris, Mr Xi and then-President Barack Obama agreed to collaborate on climate change, including by sharing research and development of low-carbon technologies. This was a major breakthrough, one that helped catalyse the Paris agreement. Donald Trump’s presidency put an end to that. The two mega-powers joining hands once again is a welcome sight, though it remains to be seen whether the partnership actually delivers anything substantive.

Getting from here to there | Day 11, November 10th

The transport sector accounts for about 17% of global greenhouse-gas emissions. Most of that comes from cars. Today’s big announcement focused on lowering those emissions. But progress could be hampered because of regional differences in the roll out of electric vehicles.

A coalition of companies and governments said that they would aim to make all new cars and vans sold emission-free by 2035 in rich countries and by 2040 elsewhere. In the first half of this year battery-powered electric vehicles accounted for about 5% of total car sales. Plug-in hybrids made up another 2%. If the world is to limit global warming to 1.5˚C above pre-industrial levels, the share of light duty electric vehicles (including plug-in hybrids) needs to grow to at least 75% by 2030.

Yet the new coalition’s promises will not be enough to do that. The countries that have signed up, including Canada and Britain, represent just a fifth of the global car market. China and America, for instance, have abstained. And even though many auto firms are investing in electric vehicles, they are reluctant too: the corporate signatories produce only about 30% of cars sold worldwide.

That is partly because the electric-vehicle market will evolve at different speeds in different places. It is expected to race ahead in America and Europe. But carmakers think that in 2035 they may still be able to sell internal combustion engines in poor parts of the world, such as South America. Governments in those places may be slow to roll out EV-friendly regulation and infrastructure, such as charging stations. Proponents of the new pledge hope that as more governments sign up, more firms will too. But, for now, the lack of signatories means the pledge looks underwhelming.

The shape of things to come | Day 11, November 10th

A draft of the “cover decisions” for COP26—the overarching texts that will lay out the summit’s decisions—was released early this morning amid reports that negotiators had spent the night wrangling over the documents. It seeks to strengthen the 2015 Paris agreement in several notable ways but does not offer developing countries the financial support they have been clamouring for to help them decarbonise.

First, the draft “urges” countries to increase the ambition of the pledges they have just made in terms of actions they will take by 2030—part of their “nationally determined contributions”—not in five years, as originally envisioned in the Paris agreement, but next year, at COP27 in Egypt. The draft also calls on all countries “to accelerate the phasing-out of coal and subsidies for fossil fuels”, though it fails to mention any dates. Nevertheless, that is a bigger step than it sounds when you bear in mind that the Paris agreement does not even contain the words “fossil fuels”. If kept—and large fossil-fuel producing countries like Australia, Russia and Saudi Arabia will no doubt fight hard for it to be dropped—this clause will make Glasgow’s COP package the first to explicitly do so.

Finally, the draft also puts significant emphasis on the need to pursue the lower 1.5°C temperature goal of the Paris agreement, and points out the very rapid and deep cuts in global emissions that will be required to achieve this goal, namely a 45% reduction by 2030. The political promises that have been put forward so far amount to an increase in emissions by that date. The draft does not replace the higher 2°C limit with this tougher goal, something several countries have pushed for and China in particular has resisted.

Crucially for developing country parties, the wording on finance is weak, with calls for greater support for developing countries but no specifics on how this should be achieved. Observers have rushed in to point out that achieving the Paris goals will require emissions reductions from all, but that poor countries do not have the means to do this without assistance. Therefore, absent strong financial support, the Paris agreement could fail.

It is, of course, very early days. The summit does not come to a close until Friday (and these talks tend to run into Saturday) leaving plenty of time for the text to change.

Pushing those pledging | Day 10, November 9th

Countries’ climate ambition is currently not enough to meet the goals of the Paris agreement, to keep temperatures from rising by no more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century (and preferably to 1.5°C). One solution is to increase the frequency of nationally determined contributions, the emissions-reduction plans that countries must submit to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which are currently required every five years. (Countries are allowed to update them more frequently if they wish.) The next round of NDCs is not expected until 2025, a timeframe that many think is too slow: at current emissions rates, half of the carbon budget that will take temperatures to 1.5°C will be used up in the next five years.

More than 100 mostly-developing countries at COP26—including the 44 members of the Alliance of Small Island States, 54 members of the Africa Group and 48 members of the Least Developed Countries, the world’s poorest—are now pushing for NDCs to be required annually. Shortening the cycle is seen as a way to ratchet up ambition much more quickly, and thus accelerate decarbonisation. But they will have to convince some powerful countries who favour the existing five year timescale, including Britain, the European Union and Saudi Arabia.

Headed for 2.4˚C warming | Day 10, November 9th

Has the Paris agreement put the world on track to curb global warming? Yes and no. On the one hand, the agreement’s mere existence and its requirement that governments regularly come back to the table has helped to improve projections of future warming. On the other, there is still a huge gap between what governments have promised and what is needed to limit global warming to 1.5˚C above pre-industrial levels—and in many instances an equally large gap between what governments have promised to do and what they are currently able to deliver.

At the time the Paris agreement was being negotiated in 2015 , number crunchers predicted that all the political promises on the table amounted to roughly 2.7˚C of warming by 2100. Five years on, political pledges have evolved: they now include targets for cutting emissions before the decade is out and intentions to reach net-zero by mid-century.

In new results released today, Climate Action Tracker (CAT), a consortium of climate modellers, says that if governments implement their 2030 pledges but no more, this would limit warming by 2100 to roughly 2.4˚C. That is an improvement on 2015 projections but still a far cry from the Paris goals. If the modellers add in the various net-zero pledges, projected warming comes down to a possible 1.8˚C by 2100. Last week, the International Energy Agency announced similar results.

But the CAT modellers warn that buying into this narrative demands something of a leap of faith. “The problem is that not a single country has the short term policies in place to put itself on a trajectory to net zero,” says Niklas Höhne of NewClimate Institute, one of the CAT partner institutes. Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics, another CAT partner, adds that “there’s a nearly one degree gap between government current policies and their net zero goals”.

Halfway through | Day 9, November 8th

The second week of COP26 started with a focus on adaptation and “loss-and-damage”—two complementary topics that are both central to relations between poor countries and rich countries. Adaptation seeks to limit the damage done by climate change; loss and damage is about compensating the most vulnerable countries—which are typically responsible for very few emissions—for the harm climate change is already causing them, and for future damage to which they will not be able to adapt. This concept has been brought up in climate negotiations for decades, though it wasn’t until COP18 in Doha in 2012 that countries agreed to establish a formal mechanism, a position which was confirmed in the Paris agreement of 2015. That has not been achieved in the years since but it is a priority for developing countries at COP26. The organisers promise that the operation of the “Santiago Network”—which is meant to help countries make claims for damages—is one of the things that will be hashed out this week.

Establishing a mechanism for loss-and-damage financing is not the same as stumping up the cash it will need to function. Rich countries have historically been hesitant to commit because the total bill is likely to be so high. By 2030, the projected economic cost of climate damages in developing countries is projected to be between $290-580bn. Until last week, no rich country had offered up any money at all. Then on November 1st the Scottish government broke the ice with a symbolic, if in practical terms paltry, promise of £1m ($1.3m). Whether others will follow suit remains to be seen.

Wrapping up the week | Day 7, November 6th

The first week of COP26 ended with a day centred on “agriculture and land use”. But those wanting significantly more to be done to protect biodiversity—including a sizable faction of the tens of thousands of protestors marching through Glasgow in the driving rain—were probably disappointed. The main announcements concerned forestry and agriculture. For the first, the British government boasted about establishing a new “dialogue” between the governments that produce and consume the commodities that most drive deforestation (such as palm oil, beef and timber), but gave no indication of what it was meant to achieve.

For the second, 26 governments signed pledges to “repurpose” agriculture to make it more climate friendly or to “accelerate innovation” in the sector. (America and the United Arab Emirates claim they will mobilise $4bn of investment over the next five years in support of this.) Neither agreement includes any concrete goals or mentioned the meat and dairy industries, which produce more greenhouse-gas emissions than any other agricultural commodity. Elsewhere Alok Sharma, the summit’s president, summed up the negotiations that have occurred thus far, confirming that ministers still have a lot on their plates for next week, including financing for poor countries, timeframes for nationally determined contributions and global carbon markets.

Suffer the children | Day 6, November 5th

Friday November 5th was “youth and public empowerment” day at COP26, crammed with events designed to reach out across generations and boundaries of expertise. But their target audience was mostly to be found outside the venue. Several thousand protesters took to the streets of Glasgow as part of a “Fridays for Future” march. Though they were kept well away from the conference centre by police they were joined some of the conference’s stars, including Greta Thunberg, the teenage Swede who founded the movement, and Vanessa Nakate, a young activist from Uganda.

Both Ms Thunberg and Ms Nakate participated in the youth summit in Milan that preceded COP26 and sent recommendations to negotiators at the main conference. These included requests to concentrate on reducing inequalities and to involve young people in decision-making processes. The latter has been something of a sticking point in Glasgow: young activists (along with members of other environmental groups, particularly from developing countries) were invited to the conference as “observers”, meant to watch negotiations to make sure their concerns were being addressed. But almost all have been shut out of the relevant rooms because of covid-19 social distancing measures. Other protests during the week have included indigenous activists railing against carbon offsetting on their land and a march against “greenwashing” (the overselling of organisations’ and politicians’ environmental credentials). An even larger protest of up to 100,000 people is scheduled for Saturday.

Brazil’s green gloss | Day 6, November 5th

Jair Bolsonaro’s government has so far been a challenging participant in annual UN climate summits. At the last two summits Brazil's negotiators have opposed consensus on the rules that might govern a UN-sanctioned international mechanism for trading carbon credits, provided for by Article 6 of the Paris agreement. As a result, this remains the last piece of the "Paris rulebook" that has yet to be operationalised. Mr Bolsonaro once seemed to relish his reputation as a pariah; he now seems keen to try to improve his reputation. In an attempt to look greener, last month the government announced two climate initiatives: a revamp of a low-carbon agriculture plan and a new green growth programme. In the last week, representatives have said the country would increase its target to cut emissions, to 50% by 2030 from their level in 2005 and reach net-zero by 2050 instead of 2060. But not everyone is convinced the turnabout is sincere or material. For starters, rampant deforestation in the Amazon meant that Brazil's emissions grew 9.5% in 2020, compared to 2019, even as covid-19 caused world-wide emissions to fall by a whopping 7%. To find out why Brazil's stance on climate is unlikely to change in spite of its slightly greener gloss, read our analysis in this week's edition.

The coal shoulder | Day 5, November 4th

“Energy Day” on November 4th began with activists in inflatable “Pikachu” costumes campaigning against Japan’s coal industry across the river from the COP26 venue. Inside, leaders from more than 40 countries—plus businesses and financial institutions—announced a pledge committing themselves to phasing out coal power for good. (Sadly for the Pokemon, Japan is not among them. It has also not signed a separate pledge to stop funding foreign fossil-fuel projects, though it has said it will end financing for overseas coal plants.) Among the countries promising to stop the domestic use of coal for electricity are several that rely on it heavily, including Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Poland, South Korea, Ukraine and Vietnam. Richer countries have been encouraged to choose end dates in the 2030s; poorer ones in the 2040s (Poland is quibbling over which category it belongs in). Britain has promised to do away with coal by 2024. But it’s not all good news. Details of how the phase-outs will be achieved are sketchy and Japan is far from the only big hold-out. Others include America, Australia, India, Russia and the world’s biggest coal-user, China, which already committed to stop financing coal overseas but relies on it heavily for domestic power.

Blowing through the budget | Day 5, November 4th

Thursday morning saw COP—and the rest of the world—given a reality check in the form of the latest global carbon budget, an analysis of carbon-dioxide sources and sinks produced by a consortium of academics called the Global Carbon Project. Emissions from fossil fuels fell by 5.4% in 2020 when covid-19 hit the world economy; this year they are set to bounce back by 4.9%, thus almost returning to their pre-pandemic levels. Though emissions from oil, which saw the biggest drop in the pandemic, have not fully bounced back, emissions from coal and gas are both now above their pre-pandemic levels, as are emissions from China and India.

The report notes that 15 countries can now point to a decade-long stretch in which their economies have grown but the carbon-dioxide emissions associated with them have fallen. Those countries, which include America, Britain, France, Germany and Japan, account for about a quarter of global emissions.

Following the rainbow | Day 4, November 3rd

South Africa may provide a blueprint for how countries can be encouraged to move away from coal. It has signed a “Just Energy Transition Partnership” with America, Britain and the European Union under which it will receive $8.5bn in concessional funding and grants in return for phasing out coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel. South Africa generates more than 90% of its electricity from coal, and is the 12th-largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world. Other countries are seeking similar deals. Indonesia’s finance minister told Reuters on November 3rd that her country is prepared to close coal-fired power plants by 2040 (its previous target was 2056) if it receives sufficient financial help. Along with the Philippines (and perhaps Vietnam), Indonesia is also part of a new pilot scheme launched by the Asian Development Bank that is meant to encourage international investors to provide cash to allow the three countries to retire up to half of their coal-fired power plants in the next ten to 15 years. But observers have criticised the plan for lacking realistic detail.

Greenbacks | Day 4, November 3rd

Rishi Sunak, Britain’s chancellor, kicked off “finance day” with the announcement that the country will become the first “net-zero aligned financial centre”. That means that the government will “strengthen requirements” from 2023—but not yet make it mandatory—for all British financial institutions and all companies listed on the British stockmarket to publish plans explaining how they will decarbonise their operations, lending and investment, in line with Britain’s pledge to have a net-zero economy by 2050. Mr Sunak also announced that Britain would support a new capital-markets mechanism for green bonds, and put £100m ($136m) towards easing access for developing countries to climate financing.

Meanwhile, ​​the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, a coalition of financial firms, co-chaired by Mark Carney, a former governor of the Bank of England, published a progress report today. Their members, including banks, insurers and asset managers, hold assets worth roughly $130trn. They have committed themselves to lowering the emissions associated with their portfolios and loan books to net zero by mid-century. But green groups say this is too weak, and some observers worry that the targets will encourage financial firms simply to sell polluting assets rather than to try actually to reduce emissions in the companies they back.

The methane-too movement | Day 3, November 2nd

America and the European Union announced a global methane pledge which aims to cut anthropogenic emissions of the greenhouse gas responsible for more warming than any other save carbon dioxide. The cuts envisioned are of 30% by 2030, measured against 2020 levels. John Kerry, America’s climate envoy, said that more than 100 countries have now signed up to the long advertised and non-binding agreement. America and Canada said that they would introduce new regulations to cut the amount of methane emitted by their oil and gas industries. But China—the world’s largest emitter of methane—was not among them and nor were India or Russia; Russia’s gas industry leaks a lot of methane into the air. Other sources of methane include agriculture, particularly of cattle and rice, with more than 300m tonnes currently emitted each year as a result of human activities.

In recent years reducing emissions of methane and other so-called “short-term climate forcers” has been recognised as an increasingly important part of the fight against climate change. Though methane has a fairly brief life in the atmosphere, while it is up there it is an extremely potent greenhouse gas: a tonne of it causes 86 times more warming than the equivalent amount of CO2 in the 20 years after its emission. Cutting methane will have a rapid effect on temperatures.

The woods for the trees | Day 3, November 2nd

More than 100 world leaders also pledged to end deforestation by 2030 on November 2nd. Tree-laden countries signing up included Brazil, Canada and Russia. Some 85% of the world’s forests will be covered by the agreement. In return countries will receive $19bn-worth of funding (from both public and private sources). Deforestation is thought to account for around a quarter of greenhouse-gas emissions. The announcement was broadly celebrated, though several observers were wary, warning that similar pledges in the past failed to slow deforestation at all. The New York Declaration on Forests in 2014 saw many of the same countries pledge to reduce tropical deforestation by 50% by 2020: yet, by 2019, a review of the initiative found that the 2020 goal was probably impossible. Approximately 12.2m hectares of tropical forest were lost last year, a 12% increase from 2019, according to the University of Maryland. Forests play a crucial role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere: during the 2000s tropical forests are estimated to have absorbed carbon equivalent to around a quarter of the carbon-dioxide emissions generated by human activity.

Late, but better than never | Day 2, November 1st

On Monday November 1st Narendra Modi, the prime minister, laid out India’s new climate pledges to COP26. After a long, philosophical preamble, Mr Modi suddenly shifted quite abruptly to a commitment-filled conclusion. He pledged that India would reach net-zero emissions by 2070; that by 2030 half the country’s electricity would be renewable (with low-emission capacity raised to 500GW, from 450GW); and that it would cut its carbon-dioxide emissions by 1bn tonnes by the same date. A commitment to reach net zero in 50 years puts India one decade behind China (which is aiming for 2060) and two behind the 2050 target committed to by many western countries and often spoken of by Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general. The IPCC—the UN body that collates scientific opinion on climate change—states that global emissions must reach net zero by around 2050 for it to remain even remotely possible for warming to be contained to no more than 1.5°C. But Indian officials believe it unfair to expect the country, which is heavily dependent on coal, to meet the 2050 goal given that its economy is still developing. Even the 2070 target will require vast amounts of investment: Mr Modi closed his speech with a demand for developed countries to provide $1trn to developing countries “as soon as possible”.

Bad beginnings | Day 1, October 31st

The UN climate summit got off to an inauspicious start on Sunday October 31st. The first tranche of 30,000 delegates gathered in the vast conference centre in Glasgow for COP26’s opening plenaries. At about the same time, some 2,500km to the south-east, leaders from the G20 club of mostly rich countries—which are collectively responsible for around 80% of current greenhouse-gas emissions worldwide—were wrapping up their own meeting in Rome. That summit was meant to galvanise international political leadership ahead of . It failed to do so. But G20 leaders promised to end overseas financing for coal projects, though it has already largely been curtailed after China, South Korea and Japan, which provide 95% of such funding, pledged to stop. They also promised to slash leaks of methane and recognised the “key relevance” of getting global net emissions to zero by mid-century but skirted round making 2050 the actual target for doing so. Last, they also promised to strengthen national plans to cut emissions “where necessary”.

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2021-11-10 14:30:00Z
CBMiTWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmVjb25vbWlzdC5jb20vaW50ZXJuYXRpb25hbC8yMDIxLzExLzEwL3doYXQtaXMtaGFwcGVuaW5nLWF0LWNvcDI20gFNaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuZWNvbm9taXN0LmNvbS9pbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLzIwMjEvMTEvMTAvd2hhdC1pcy1oYXBwZW5pbmctYXQtY29wMjY