Step 1 – Choose a Country

Choose a Country you are familiar with and care about. You may have relations there, worked there, been on holiday there or just be intrigued by the Country (note: the UK also needs its shortfalls investigated!)

Result example – United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland

Step 2 – go to the list of Countries

There is a spreadsheet here with flags and links to their promises and further information. This is sorted from the highest annual emitter down to the lowest, and can be downloaded and sorted to be per capita or to group together the ‘largely developed’ and ‘largely developing Countries’.

Go to the Country you are interested in and click on the name to go to the Nationally Determined Contribution submitted to the UN. The sheet also has a list of the sources of the information, such as the Historical cumulative emissions that can be investigated if required.

The basic data to investigate comes from:

• The UN repository of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC ie Paris pledges) is here
• The UN starting % of global CO2 emissions as at 2015 is here.
• The Per Capita emissions are from Worldometer.
• The historical cumulative emissions are here
• Clicking on the map of the UK at Climate Action Tracker  here, leads to in depth information about the Country to understand more in depth and further research based on local knowledge into the Country will reveal more.

For the more detailed investigation you may want to think about:

• What effects are already being felt from climate change there?
• What are the main causes of the emissions?
• Does the NDC use the best solutions available for these emissions?
• What are barriers to more ambitious solutions eg: Insufficient access to capital, vested interests blocking decarbonisation, legal barriers eg ISTC, those in power not understanding causes and solutions, breakdown of the Country eg Afghanistan, Syria
• Do you know who is attending COP26 for the Country?
• What might persuade them to be more ambitious?

Step 3 – decide how you want to take part in the Celebrate Culture, Understand Shortfall programme

This can be at a very simple level eg colour a flag, display a costume, or up to an hours investigation eg produce a poster showing key information and get together with other people who care about that Country up to an advanced analysis, coming up with ideas on how to fill the shortfall, lobbying the COP26 or other. It can be localised (or individual) or you can come along to the Haringey Climate Festival on 31^st Oct and talk about the Country.

Below is a set of links to videos that can be shown as background information on the situation and what is being done.

But participation can be at any level of details and from any angle.

Step 4. Complete the Haringey Climate Forum form at the red stripe above (note just for Haringey people)

Register interest in a Country and what you hope to do and apply for an award certificate.

Step 5. Complete the work you have decided to do

Result example

• The UKs NDC is here , and is based on the Governments 10 Point Plan of 2020.  Climate Action Tracker Countries has assessed the UK NDC as ‘Almost Sufficient’.
• The % of annual global CO2 emissions is 55% – the 11th highest emitter.
• The Per Capita emissions are 55million g/CO2 – the 50th of per capita emissions.
• The historical emissions are from Carbon Brief are 295 million tonnes – the 8^th global emitter since 1850
• Worldometer breaks down the UK emissions per sector as:

For more detail about the UK see below.

Step 6. Upload work (just for Haringey people and optional)

Upload to the Haringey Climate Forum google folder at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1PSUPUjvowBN93EjPgJKtAUdM9ebD18_V?usp=sharing . If you have written to the COP delegate or Prime Minister for the Country file the letter at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Bh5D_4s1_vllUeutHJSZtFZOFLLQDfAr?usp=sharing .

Step 7. Attend the Haringey Climate Festival

Flag, costume etc to celebrate the culture of the Country. Details here. Display information about the Country and talk to visitors. Attend people assembly discussion, listen to speeches, watch awards.

Any queries to be sent to haringeyclimateforum@gmail.com

Further results and information for UK example

The UK Shortfall

Climate Action Tracker Countries (click on the map of the UK) has details of why the UK has been designated as ALMOST SUFFICIENT and points out that its actions are not on course to meet its targets. “If achieved, these targets would place the UK on a 1.5°C compatible domestic emissions reduction trajectory and put it on track to achieve its 2050 net zero target. However, there remains a large gap between The United Kingdom’s ambitions and its present level of action – in other words the UK’s action needs to be significantly ramped up.“

The Climate Change Act

The UK was the first Country to pass a Climate Change Act in 2008 with ‘Carbon Budgets’ which are also passed by Parliament. However the Committee on Climate Change, who monitor action said on 24th June 2021 “It is absolutely critical that the new strategy is published before the COP26 climate summit, with clear policy plans, backed fully by the Treasury.”

UKs Climate Emergency

The UK was the first Country to pass a National Climate Emergency, in May 2019, proposed by Labour and unopposed by the Government.

UK’s Historical Responsibility

Carbon Brief analyses how much CO2 Countries have emitted since 1850 (the date that is the base line for keeping to a 1.5°C rise). Prior to the Industrial Revolution emissions were from deforestation, particularly America clearing the praries for farms. Since then emissions have been from both fossil fuels and from deforestation, with a time stamped video leading to the situation below from here.

There is an argument that Countries who have prospered from causing the dangerous emissions are morally obliged to pay the Countries who are suffering most reparations and funding for mitigation. Resolving this issue cannot be allowed to divert from urgent efforts to reduce emissions as much as possible, as quickly as possible.

UKs role as COP26 Host

In April 2021 the Government announced that it plans to slash emissions by 78% by 2035 and that the UK’s sixth Carbon Budget will incorporate the UK’s share of international aviation and shipping emissions for the first time, to bring the UK more than three-quarters of the way to net zero by 2050. The BBC analysed the implications of this ‘epic challenge’

Boris Johnson gave a speech to the UN on 22nd Sept 2021, which Fiona Harvey of The Guardian reported in   What he said and what he meant She summarised some of the reasons the UK is Insufficient “the decisions the government has taken – cutting overseas aid; continuing the expansion of oil and gas, and perhaps a new coalmine, in the UK; dropping references to the Paris temperature goals from the Australian trade deal; forming the Aukus defence pact with climate rogue Australia, and so offending ally France and the pivotal player at the Cop26 talks, China, in doing so – will do far more than any words of the prime minister at UNGA to set the diplomatic tone for Cop26.“