New Climate Promises Begin In Glasgow

Glasgow, Scotland —(Map)

World leaders have only met for a few days in Glasgow, Scotland to discuss new steps to fight the climate crisis.  But already some important new promises are being made that could protect large areas of forests and lead to less pollution.

Ending Deforestation by 2030

On Tuesday, over 100 countries promised to end deforestation by 2030. Together, the countries said the deal would protect at least 85% of the world’s forests, including important rainforests in Brazil, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Cutting down huge areas of forests is one thing that’s made the climate crisis worse. That’s because trees use carbon dioxide as food, giving off oxygen, which humans breathe. Forests also store huge amounts of polluting carbon dioxide, which gets released when they are cut down.

The loss of forests has also put huge pressure on some plants and animals, causing some to die out. The new agreement provides money for indigenous groups that live in some of these ancient forests, since they act as “forest guardians”.

Governments and businesses together have promised $20 billion to fight deforestation. Thirty banking companies have promised to stop supporting companies connected to forest clearing.

Still, many environmental groups say the deal doesn’t protect enough land soon enough. They say the deal allows forests to keep being cleared for another 10 years. Others point out that there have been similar efforts to stop deforestation before, but those failed.

There is still strong business pressure on forests. Logging companies want the wood from the trees. Mining companies want to dig under the ground. Farmers want more land cleared to raise cows for meat or to produce crops like palm oil or soybeans.

There is still strong business pressure on forests. Farmers want land cleared to raise cows for meat or to produce crops like palm oil or soybeans. Above, an area of rainforest cleared in Aceh, Indonesia for a palm oil farm (right). The rainforest can be seen in the top left.

The leaders behind the deforestation announcement are hoping their plan will do a better job at protecting forests from these business threats.

Reducing Methane by 30% by 2030

The United States and the European Union announced that over 100 countries have also agreed to reduce the greenhouse gas methane by 30% by the year 2030. The agreement is called the Global Methane Pledge. It was first announced by the US and the EU in September.

Methane is the world’s second worst greenhouse gas. It causes more heating than carbon dioxide, but it doesn’t remain in the atmosphere as long. “Methane is one of the gases we can cut fastest,” says Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission. She says cutting methane will “immediately slow down climate change.”

“Methane is one of the gases we can cut fastest,” says Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission. She says cutting methane will “immediately slow down climate change.” Above, Ms. von der Leyen speaks at the COP26 meeting.

A lot of methane is leaked by companies that produce oil and gas. One way President Joe Biden hopes to cut methane quickly in the US is by requiring oil and gas companies to find and fix leaks on their wells and in the millions of miles of pipes that carry these products.

Currently the countries which have joined the agreement are responsible for about half of the world’s methane emissions. Several big countries which are responsible for a lot of pollution – including Australia, China, India, and Russia – chose not to join the agreement.

One way Mr. Biden hopes to cut methane quickly in the US is by requiring oil and gas companies to find and fix leaks on their wells and in the millions of miles of pipes that carry these products. Even wells that aren’t being used, like these in California, can leak methane.