Around 500 passengers, among them activists and climate scientists, joined the Youth for Sustainable Travel journey to Glasgow.Credit: Rail to the COP
FEATURE
On 30 October, a specially chartered train set off from Amsterdam to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. Nature journalist Tosin Thompson was on board, and her journey offers a glimpse into the hopes and fears of researchers travelling to the meeting.
Nature | 7 min read
NEWS
Financial companies have pledged to dedicate US$130 trillion of assets to the transition to a net-zero carbon economy by 2050. The Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) includes 450 banks, pension funds, insurers and asset managers from 45 countries. “We now have the essential plumbing in place to move climate change from the fringes to the forefront of finance,” says Mark Carney, the chair of GFANZ and the former governor of the Bank of England. However, some critics called the commitments “a mile wide and an inch deep”. GRANZ members still have large interests in fossil-fuel expansion, and the pledge doesn’t stop them from funding coal companies in the future.
The Financial Times | 5 min read
NEWS
More than 100 countries have joined a pledge to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels. The Global Methane Pledge was first proposed by the United States and the EU in September. The commitment includes countries that emit nearly half of all methane, but not the top three emitters: China, Russia and India. Although methane is a fraction of total greenhouse-gas emissions, dealing with it will pack an outsize punch: it is frighteningly good at trapping heat in Earth’s atmosphere, but it breaks down quickly. (BBC | 5 min read) Read more: Control methane to slow global warming — fast (Nature | 5 min read)
Forty countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, India, China and the EU, will band together to deliver clean and affordable technology across the globe by 2030. The plan will focus on five high-carbon sectors: power, steel, road transport, hydrogen and agriculture. The initiative, known as the Glasgow Breakthroughs, aims to solidify global markets for green tech by imposing worldwide standards and policies. (BBC | 4 min read)
The United States has rejoined the ‘High Ambition Coalition’ — a group of countries pushing for the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. “The High Ambition Coalition was instrumental in Paris in making sure that high ambition was written into the Paris agreement and will be instrumental in Glasgow in making sure it’s delivered,” said a US official. (The Guardian | 4 min read)
We are gathering our coverage of COP26 in this collection, featuring a scientists’ guide to what success looks like and what’s on the line (12 min read).
INFOGRAPHIC
Source: BP Statistical Review of World Energy, 2021
The price of energy from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, has plummeted over the past decade. In many places, these sources are now cheaper than fossil fuels. In a report published on 13 October, the International Energy Agency projected that, under current policies, coal consumption will peak and begin to decline as early as 2025; a peak in oil consumption will follow around a decade later. (Nature | 12 min read)
See more of the week’s key infographics, selected by Nature’s news and art teams. (Source: BP Statistical Review of World Energy, 2021)
EVENT
I am hosting an informal in-person event for Briefing readers at COP in Glasgow. Please join me and fellow Nature journalists at the University of Glasgow on the evening of Wednesday, 10 November. This event is free, but please register in advance because places are limited.
Register free for our meet-up at COP