World leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland, in early November for COP26. This meeting focused on the world’s climate. The goal of the meeting was to talk about actions that countries around the world will take to combat climate change.
In 2015, many world leaders signed the “Paris Agreement.” They agreed to slow down global warming by cutting pollution and using renewable sources of energy. The countries set a date to meet five years after signing the agreement, but COVID-19 made them postpone the meeting for a year.
After two weeks of meetings in Glasgow, people representing 197 countries agreed to a new climate deal, the Glasgow Climate Pact. Experts believe that the new agreement is a big improvement from agreements in the past. But they wonder if the agreement is enough to slow down the rate of global warming.
What did the countries agree to do? One thing they agreed to was to lower the use of coal and other fossil fuels. They also agreed to “carbon trading.” This means that a country that’s polluting too much can buy “credits” from a country that is cutting more pollution. The countries agreed to meet again next year to make even more plans to cut emissions from fossil fuels.
Some experts see this meeting as a success, but others believe that the group has a long way to go. In 2009, for example, richer countries agreed to give poorer countries $100 billion by 2020 to help the countries adjust to climate change. The richer countries make more pollution, but the poorer countries are the ones that get the most damage. That money still has not been paid.
What Do You Think? Do you agree that richer countries should pay poorer countries to help with the effects of climate change? Why or why not? Do you think that carbon trading is fair? Explain your thinking.
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