COP26: ‘It requires China and the US to deliver’
2021-11-01
Three quick questions to Åsa-Britt Karlsson, senior climate expert at the think tank Fores, about what we can expect from the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow on 31 October–12 November.
You have recently started as the senior climate expert at the green and liberal think tank Fores. What do you want to achieve there?
– I want to help Fores be a strong voice in the climate debate. What is needed is a distinct green, liberal voice that shows it is possible to combine growth with emissions reductions. A green, liberal think tank is an important arena for this work. We want to be a meeting place that helps the green transition nationally and globally. We will do so by arranging various forms of meetings between different actors and publishing important relevant reports. By doing that, Fores is contributing to the important transition that will see us reach the 1.5 degree target, which is absolutely vital for our planet.
You were Director General of the Swedish Geotechnical Institute between 2012 and 2021. What do you take from there to your climate work?
– An important and major part of SGI’s work is climate adaptation and preventing landslides, avalanches and erosion. SGI conducts research on sustainable, climate-smart solutions that prevent events caused by climate change. Sustainability and long-termism are experiences I take into my new role at Fores.
For many years, Fores has published reports and arranged conferences on the global climate negotiations, the COP summits, and you are also planning activities this year. What can we realistically expect COP26 to achieve?
– For COP26 to arrive at an outcome resulting in the 1.5 degree target being reached, it requires all parties to endeavour to agree on important issues such as finance and the rule book for implementing the Paris Agreement. To achieve this, it requires the biggest emitters, China and the US, to deliver. They both have entirely different conditions for living up to their part of the Global Commitment, but it requires both to take responsibility. The EU, with its lofty ambitions, also needs to show we are a standard-bearer. I believe the finance goal of USD 100 billion per year is within reach.
Åsa-Britt Karlsson was interviewed by Andreas Bergström, Senior Consultant at New Republic. ‘Three Quick Questions…’ is a series of interviews conducted by New Republic.