Pre-class Assessment Task 1D - COP26 & COP27

Initiatives

On the opening day of the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP

27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) in Sharm El-Sheikh in November 2022,
new UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell called for
aligning “every corner of human activity” with the 1.5°C goal,
saying “Paris gave us the agreement and Katowice and Glasgow
gave us the plan, Sharm El-Sheikh shifts us to implementation.” 
However, during the closing plenary, parties had mixed
evaluations; "Rather than keeping “1.5 alive,” some worried this
could be the COP where it died." (Earth Negotiations Bulletin,
Summary report)

The synthesis report on Nationally Determined Contributions

(NDCs), released on the eve of COP27, indicated the world was
heading toward a 2.1 to 2.9 degree rise rather than 1.5 degrees
and more ambition was needed by parties to the Agreement.

COP27 reinforced commitments to address fossil fuel emissions.

Several initiatives were launched in Glasgow at COP26 on the
side of the official negotiations to accelerate action on reducing
emissions:

 Global Methane Pledge

 Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance
 Global Coal to Clean Power Statement
 Accelerating the transition to 100% zero emission cars and
vans

Please choose one of the above initiatives. Answer the questions

below by referring to the website for your selected initiative,
and other relevant materials (e.g. Carbon Action Tracker
assessment of the Glasgow Sectoral Initiatives).

Prepare a short one-page brief on its potential impact in

furthering the goals of the Paris Agreement and its implications
for companies operating in relevant sectors. In your brief, you
should respond to the questions:

 Why is this initiative important in the context of the Paris

Agreement? 

 Which nation states are supporting this initiative? What do

you think are their motivations?
  Is Australia involved in this initiative? What do you think
are the motivations for Australia’s stance?

 Does the initiative engage with non-state actors – e.g.

companies & investors, civil society groups? Why would
these actors get involved in this initiative?

 What impact might this initiative have for corporations

involved in relevant industry sectors (considering potential
changes to international and national regulatory
frameworks)?

Completion of this task goes towards your 10% mark

(Assessment Task 1 - Pre-class Participation & Engagement).

Post your briefing as an answer to the quiz question before your

tutorial on Topic 3 on Monday the 9th of January.