BASIC Group's environment ministers meet at COP26; pledge full support to UK’s presidency

Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday, 10 November chaired a meeting at Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, UK with ministers of Brazil, South Africa, India and China representing the BASIC Group. The BASIC group, which was formed in November 2019, said in a joint statement on Wednesday that all the ministers committed full support to UK’s COP26 presidency for a successful conference that delivered ambitious and balanced commitments to tackle the climate crisis.

COP26 also pledged to the completion of the Paris Accord Work Programme to facilitate the full implementing of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the climate accord. As per the official release shared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on Twitter, the ministers of the BASIC group highlighted that even though there were tremendous developmental challenges and pressures of poverty eradication that have grown severe by the COVID-19 pandemic, the BASIC nations continue to remain on the forefront of climate change actions. 

While Yadav chaired the meeting, it was attended by Brazil’s Environment Minister Joaquim Leite, China’s special envoy for climate change Xie Zhenhua and Vice Minister, Ministry of Ecology & Environment, Zhao Yingmin along with South Africa’s Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy. As per the official release, the joint statement also stated that the ambitious climate change targets announced by BASIC are the “testimony to the seriousness that BASIC countries accord to tackling climate change.”

Brazil announced new climate goals

Additionally, at COP26 taking place in Glasgow, Brazil’s environment minister reassured the country’s full commitment to participate in the global response to tackle climate change by backing the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forest and Land Use. The largest South American nation also announced new climate goals including 50% of emissions reductions by 2030, zero illegal deforestation by 2028, restore and reforesting 18 million hectares of forests by 2030. Brazil also pledged to achieve the participation of 45% to 50% of renewable energies in the composition of the energy matrix in 2030. 

Meanwhile, South Africa has submitted an updated and significantly more ambitious NDC to the Paris Agreement before COP26. The Nationally Determined Contribution to the climate accord of 2015 presents a target emission range from 398-614 MtCO2e in 2025 and 350-420 MtCO2e in 2030. The statement also mentioned that South Africa has made a progress from an original target against Business as usual to a fixed target emission range. 

(IMAGE: @moefcc/Twitter)