The COP26 [26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties], which is scheduled to kick off on October 31 in Glasgow and will continue for two weeks, is important for Central Asian countries: they can build relationships with sponsors, and those organisations and countries that can help strengthen the region’s response to climate change, says Charles Edmund Garrett British Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan in CABAR.asia analytical platform interview.
This year, COP26 will be held in Glasgow, and the UK put a lot of effort to make this conference happen despite the pandemic. Why is COP26 so important for the UK?
For the UK, fighting against climate change is a top foreign-policy priority this year, and it will be important to continue this through the UK presidency of the COP the next year. It is clearly the single biggest global challenge because it affects all countries.
The Paris agreement 6 years ago committed countries who signed this agreement to keep the rise in global temperature below 2°C, and if possible, below 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels – about 200 years ago. That is a colossal challenge. We all need to come together to achieve it. It is not just about governments, it is about media, academics, business, donors, and consultants – everyone coming together.
So Glasgow is going to be a huge conference. There are going to be around 30 thousand people . There will be 197 national delegations. It is just an enormous enterprise.
It was originally planned to hold this conference at the end of last year, but then, as you say, the pandemic got in the way. The question arose – do we want to make it a virtual conference or should we postpone it so it can be a face-to-face conference? Since it is so big and so complex, they took a decision to postpone it to this year, so that everyone can physically come together – that is the best way of having a conversation that will result in success.
That is why it is a priority, why we wanted to do it this year. It is also a big opportunity for the UK to show leadership – not just global leadership in the context of fight against climate change, but also leadership in every aspect of how the economy and society can change to fight against climate change. Britain has been leading the world technologically – renewable energy technologies, electric vehicle technologies, etc. It is a great opportunity to show all of that.
Did all Central Asian countries confirm their participation in COP26?
As far as I know, all five countries have confirmed it at different levels. I know that some delegations will be headed by the head of state or head of government and that includes Kyrgyzstan, which confirmed that President Japarov would head the delegation. I think that is important because climate change is something that can be properly fought only in collaboration. Countries need to come together in order to fight climate change.
Let me bring up an important example which particularly relevant to Kyrgyzstan. Climate change and rising global temperatures are melting the glaciers in Kyrgyzstan. The source of water, which is so important for agriculture, drinking, generating electricity, wildlife is disappearing because of higher temperatures.
This is not just Kyrgyzstan’s issue because the water comes down from the Kyrgyz Mountains, and flows to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Collaboration between these countries is required in order to resolve the problem.
Let us not forget that such issues as water are not just some sort of abstract academic issues. It affects real people’s lives: the farmers depend on water to grow their tomatoes and apricots, to provide water for their animals. This issue affects individual farmers whose jobs and families depend on it to survive. Of course, if the water supply shrinks, growing tomatoes and apricots, and feeding livestock will become more expensive. That will push up the price of these goods, and affect people who have nothing to do with agriculture, who just go in the market and buy them. That is why it is important to come together in order to resolve those sorts of issues.
The main points on the agenda are coal phase-out, zero emission, deforestation, and shift to electric vehicles. Why are these issues so important today? What do you expect of final agreements?
These are the central issues in terms of the fight against climate change. To combat climate change, we need to reduce carbon dioxide emission and other greenhouse gases. And we need to increase the absorption of those gases in the world. Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide form a kind of layer around the world, which keeps the heat inside. That is why the global temperature is rising. Coal is simply one of the worst producers of carbon dioxide. That is why this issue is on the agenda.
The other points you mentioned – electric vehicles and zero emission – are also about reducing the amount of carbon dioxide. A car using petrol or diesel oil generates CO2 driving around Bishkek. If that car is electric, especially using the renewable energy produced from water, sun, or wind, it does not produce CO2.
Deforestation is important because that is also about absorbing the greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Clearly, the trees take the carbon dioxide out of the air and produce oxygen as they grow. The trees and forests are an important part of the fight against climate change.
It is worth mentioning that the achievement of these tasks brings many other benefits as well. If we reduce the amount of coal burned, for example, at the CHP plant, the atmosphere and the air we breathe will become a lot cleaner. That brings health benefits: people who have asthma will not have the same problems they have in Bishkek during the winter, their lungs will not be affected in the same way. That is a major benefit for individual people on the street and for the healthcare system: the hospitals will not have to deal with so many patients with breathing problems associated with having coal particles in the air.
Trees and forests are also important. There is Bishkek-based NGO “Archa Foundation” which conducted research last year. They found that streets with many trees have lower temperatures than streets without trees. That is important because it makes them more comfortable for people. It also means that people need to use less air conditioning to cool their houses. Once again, these are the ways we can fight climate change and bring real benefit to people.
Considering agreements, we expect a lot on coal. We expect participants in Glasgow – developed countries’ delegations – to agree to phase out the use of coal by 2030. We expect the developing countries to phase it out by 2040. That would be a good outcome from the Glasgow conference.
Considering the use of electric vehicles, we expect the developed countries to commit to stopping the sale of cars with petrol or diesel engines by 2030, and developing countries – by 2040. We also want the major car producers around the world, such as Jaguar, Ford, and General Motors, to commit to producing only electric cars by 2035.
These are the ways of speeding up the global fight against climate change.
How would you assess the possibility of all countries agreeing on something?
I am very optimistic about this. There were good signs over the last 12-24 months. For example, the United States re-signed and ratified the Paris agreement, and South Korea, Japan, China made commitments. These countries are producers of greenhouse gases, and they all made new commitments. I think these are the signs of momentum in the right direction.
I think there is also a growing understanding that we all need to collaborate. Thus, I am confident that when countries and donors come to Glasgow – 30 thousand people – there will be the right sort of atmosphere for generating agreements.
You have mentioned COP21 before – the latest important document was signed there. How would you assess the Central Asian countries’ work during the last 6 years to implement the document’s requirements?
I would assess it as not very productive. In fact, Central Asian countries have been quite slow to respond to the Paris agreement signed 6 years ago. For example, only one country in Central Asia has declared a net-zero ambition – Kazakhstan, which intends to become net-zero by 2060.
Kyrgyzstan was the last among Central Asian countries to ratify the Paris agreement, which they did in 2019, 4 years after it was signed. That is very slow.
However, there are some good signs too. For example, several Central Asian countries, including Kyrgyzstan, have announced the targets for contributing towards the global fight against climate change. That declaration, which Kyrgyzstan has just signed, is a very good basis for both participating in the Glasgow conference next month and looking over the next few years to speeding up progress in the right direction. Although it was quite slow, there are some good signs, and I think, we can speed things up in Central Asia over the next few years.
Returning to the agreements that will be (or will not be) signed during COP26, do you think the Central Asian region will be able to implement all those decisions?
This is a key question. Although five Central Asian countries are quite diverse in terms of their vulnerability and emissions of global greenhouse gases, the region as a whole is not rich and is very vulnerable. Therefore, achieving progress on climate change is going to depend on external support. An important part of the Paris agreement from COP21 is the recognition that not all countries are the same in this regard.
Some countries are huge emitters (the USA, European countries, the United Kingdom, China, etc.) and have more money. Other countries are more vulnerable. Still, there are developing countries finding it more difficult to protect themselves and contribute to the global fight.
The Glasgow conference creates great opportunities for countries like Kyrgyzstan or other Central Asian countries: it will bring together not just countries but also donors and sponsors, which is essential for countries like Kyrgyzstan to become able to change something. For example, to transform the CHP plant from burning coal to a cleaner method of generating electricity, or to increase the amount of renewable energy generated here in Kyrgyzstan.
That is why the declaration of Kyrgyzstan’s plan of action is so important. The delegation can go to Glasgow and engage with the donors by showing a plan of action and the required budget.
It is also important to mention that it is going to be impossible to attract financing and investment to expand renewable energy generation in this country if the investments in the environment are not generally strong in Kyrgyzstan. Therefore, it is important just as it is to attract investment into any sector of the economy. For the climate change investments, it is also important to ensure that rule of law is stronger than it currently is, and that investors can be certain they will achieve what they want rather than just running into difficulty.
How would you estimate the Central Asian region’s contribution to global warming?
Well, stronger economies like Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan are much bigger generators of greenhouse gases than countries like Tajikistan or Kyrgyzstan. However, the region overall is not a big emitter of greenhouse gases, and it is extremely vulnerable. That is why it is so important to use the Glasgow conference to build relationships with the sponsors and those organisations and countries that can help strengthen Central Asia’s response to climate change, and protect the individual people in these countries against the negative impact of rising global temperatures.
Does the United Kingdom implement any projects in Central Asia or provide any other help to achieve those goals?
Absolutely. As I mentioned earlier, this is one of our top foreign- policy priorities this year, will be the next year, and probably, in the future. We support countries like Kyrgyzstan in their fight against climate change. I would like to mention two different projects in this area.
One is an enormous project led by the World Bank, which the UK has supported to generate renewable electricity in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and then, to transmit that electricity to South Asia to sell it. Through this project, we increase the amount of renewable energy produced here and provide an opportunity for Kyrgyzstan to export its product and receive income. We are very proud of our involvement in this important project.
The other project I would like to mention is completely different. Together with the UNDP, we are working directly with the Kyrgyz government to prepare the delegation for participation at COP26. The project includes three goals. It is increasing the amount of reliable available data so the government can make proper and better decisions regarding climate change. It is also increasing public awareness, so we work with media and youth organisations around the country to spread awareness of the climate change problem, and what needs to be done to combat it.
We are working directly with the government to support the development of those policies on climate change, including the declaration I mentioned earlier on Kyrgyzstan’s plan of action to contribute to the global collaboration. During the next 1.5 weeks, we will be working directly with the delegation’s members to ensure that they understand the best way they can work in Glasgow, when they engage with other countries’ delegations, sponsors, NGOs, etc. This will give Kyrgyzstan the best chance of making a success of this great opportunity.