03.12.2021
The recent international conference on climate change known as COP 26 emphasized a commitment to zero carbon building and other decarbonization policies. COP 26 gets its name from the 26th annual summit of the “Conference of the Parties”. The meeting of the minds between nations was held in Glasgow, Scotland the first 12 days of November 2021 to discuss urgent changes to fight climate change.
Goals of COP 26: zero carbon building and the impact of climate change on water resources
The international conference on climate change focused on actions that need to happen quickly to address issues such as environmental damage, zero carbon building and the impact of climate change on water resources. The event brought together world leaders to discuss environmental concerns that impact the entire planet.
The conference had been delayed for a year due to the pandemic. The clock is now ticking toward a point of no return if global leaders don’t do something about reducing carbon and methane in the atmosphere while protecting global water resources. Some of the most important COP 26 goals to accelerate cleaning the environment include phasing out coal production within the next decade and ending world deforestation by 2030.
The main goal at the international conference on climate change has been building national commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the next decade. The focus moving forward is to cut the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. The financial commitment of $130 trillion from over 400 bankers and investors is the most aggressive move so far from the global investment community to reduce greenhouse gases.
Commitments to a cleaner planet
The United States, China and Europe’s climate change policy must devote attention to new innovations in renewable energy, electric vehicles and a pronounced effort to reduce energy consumption and pollution. The world’s largest contributors to greenhouse emissions are the United States and China.
Meanwhile, the World Green Building Council’s Whole Life Carbon Vision aims to cut emissions in half in the construction industry by 2030 with complete decarbonization by 2050. Several nations have pledged to work together to reverse the effects of climate change. A partnership agreement between South Africa, the US, UK, EU, France and Germany will help South Africa’s transformation from coal to clean energy.
Over 40 nations have signed pledges to exit coal production during the 2030s for wealthy nations and 2040s for poor nations. Even coal-dependent nations Poland, Vietnam and Chile are on board for phasing out coal. Over 100 nations have pledged to end world deforestation by 2030. Another coalition of nations known as the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, led by Costa Rica and Denmark, pledges to terminate licensing for new oil and gas exploration and production. This group includes France, Greenland, Ireland, Quebec, Sweden and Wales.
Protecting global water resources
It’s now clear that the world’s water cycle has been disrupted drastically by climate change and that global leaders must address global water resources as a critical part of the climate change discussion. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned conference attendees that impact of climate change on water resources is affecting agriculture and the food system, creating widespread vulnerable scenarios for society.
Changing precipitation patterns, rising sea levels and water scarcity threaten to degrade the quality of life around the world. Water, the earth’s most important resource, is considered a “climate connector” by the 2020 UN World Water development report. WMO members stress that information systems need to improve water storage and distribution as communities face both drought and floods.
Emphasis on protecting global water resources has never been more intense. Recent reports show that natural water storage of ice and snow has diminished over the past 20 years. In October 2021 WMO assessed India to have the highest loss in water storage. In order to achieve the preservation of water resources, large private and governmental entities will need to increase collaborative efforts.
How can the impact of climate change on water resources affect you?
Shayp is a leader in improving water efficiency, reducing water loss in buildings by 22% on average. We invite you to help contribute to the solution of a zero carbon future by taking a deeper interest in the environmental issues discussed at the recent international conference on climate change. If you would like to know more about how climate change affects your real estate investment planning, contact the experts at Shayp:
