- Leaders of China, Japan, Russia and Mexico have said they will not come to Glasgow to attend the COP26 summit.
- With the absence of major leaders like Kishida, Jinping and Putin, and with a lack of enthusiasm among countries like India and Mexico, the COP26 summit is anticipated to end with no concrete action plan or agreement.
- The United States under Joe Biden is fast losing the confidence of its allies and friends around the globe.
The stage is set for the COP26 (Conference of Parties) Summit in Glasgow, Scotland; where leaders, activists and businessmen from around the world will gather to discuss ways to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The COP26 summit is very close to the US President Joe Biden, who will show up here on Sunday to push the rich western nations, along with developing countries like India and China, to commit more towards embracing green technologies. But much to his chagrin, several nations including some US allies have shown little interest in Joe Biden’s Covid and Climate Action Plan.
China snubs COP26 Summit
For instance, major countries like Japan and China have decided not to send their leaders to the summit. President Xi Jinping of China is expected to join the COP26 summit remotely; however, no jaw-dropper is anticipated from his speech. China is reeling under an immense power crisis, prompting the nation to rely more on coal-fired power plants. The country produces half of its electricity from coal. Hence, Jinping will prioritize his nation’s energy needs ahead of the bulky promises supposed to be made in the climate summit.
No Jaw-dropper from India either
Similarly, India is also pushing back against the West’s climate change strategy by putting special emphasis on emissions per capita. India, a nation of 1.4 billion, ranks third in carbon emissions, contributing 6.8% in annual Global emissions. However, India’s per capita carbon emission is far less than that of Canada, the US, China and Russia.
In its first Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), India had committed to reduce carbon emissions by 33-35% compared to 2005 levels within 2030, and Indian authorities say the country is set to exceed the target. At the same time, India has been continuously urging the Western nations to reduce their per capita carbon emissions. Prime Minister Modi is expected to attend the summit in person.
Kishida has his priorities set
Japan, one of the USA’s staunchest allies, is also cutting the corners on Biden’s climate agenda. New Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose nation today faces unprecedented threats from China, will not attend the COP26 summit in person. In April this year, Japan had promised to cut its carbon emissions by 46% by 2030 compared to 2013 levels, in its bid to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. However, the country is also facing resistance from its industries with fears of losing competitive advantages against their Chinese counterparts.
Russia and Mexico also decide to stay away
As per a Reuters report, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador have also expressed their inability to attend the COP26 summit. Russia, the 4th largest emitter of greenhouse gases, is locked in a fierce conflict with the democrats-ruled USA. The country has committed to carbon neutrality by 2060, ten years behind the West’s ambitious target of 2050.
With the absence of major leaders like Kishida, Jinping and Putin, and with a lack of enthusiasm among countries like India and Mexico, the summit is anticipated to end with no concrete action plan or agreement. Several nations believe that the action plan put forth by the US is heavily biased against the developing nations, which could even weigh down their economic development.
COP26 reflects the misery of US foreign policy
The United States under Joe Biden is fast losing the confidence of its allies and friends around the globe. Biden’s botched-up withdrawal from Afghanistan and his inability to back his allies against Chinese hegemony are a few among other reasons behind today’s miseries of the US foreign policy. Failure of the COP26 summit will again prove how the US leadership has been rendered powerless and ineffective under Joe Biden. An inclusive climate action plan, underscoring the energy and developmental needs of the developing world, must be devised to garner the consensus on the world stage. That is the only way forward for Joe Biden and the Western leaders.