The UK hosts the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on 31 October – 12 November 2021. The countries’ statements on the first day indicate many unresolved issues and heated discussions ahead.
Softengi, IoT & consulting company, prepared materials for work and overview on Gender and Climate change issues in Ukraine in 2021, aligned with COP 26 goals. You can read them here.
What do countries need to achieve at COP26?
COP 26 Goals
1. Secure global net zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach
Countries are being asked to come forward with ambitious 2030 emissions reductions targets that align with reaching net zero by the middle of the century.
To deliver on these stretching targets, countries will need to:
- Accelerate the phase-out of coal;
- Curtail deforestation;
- Speed up the switch to electric vehicles;
- Encourage investment in renewables.
2. Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats
The climate is already changing, and it will continue to change even as we reduce emissions, with devastating effects.
At COP26, we need to work together to enable and encourage countries affected by climate change to:
- Protect and restore ecosystems;
- Build defences, warning systems and resilient infrastructure and agriculture to avoid loss of homes, livelihoods and even lives.
3. Mobilize finance
To deliver on our first two goals, developed countries must make good on their promise to mobilise at least $100bn in climate finance per year by 2020.
International financial institutions must play their part, and we need to work towards unleashing the trillions in private and public sector finance required to secure global net zero.
4. Work together to deliver
We can only rise to the challenges of the climate crisis by working together.
At COP26, we must:
- Finalize the Paris Rulebook (the detailed rules that make the Paris Agreement operational);
- Accelerate action to tackle the climate crisis through collaboration between governments, businesses and civil society;
- Propose ideas and concrete actions to address the Climate Change;
- Work together to deliver results on the other three COP26 goals (Mitigation, Adaptation, Finance) and show everyone that the world is moving to a resilient, net-zero economy.
Maryna Bereznytska, Consultant on Climate Change issues, expert nominated by Ukraine to Secretariat of UNFCCC for GHG reporting review process, Consulting Projects Manager at Softengi about the role of women in collaboration for the implementation of ideas and concrete actions to address climate change using the IT sector as an example.
Softengi follows the best practices of the European Union in the field of equipping equal chances for all employees, regardless of gender, affinity to certain ethical or religious groups. This approach is part of our Social Responsibility Policy, as well as internal operational processes. Softengi is engaged in promoting equal economic independence for women and men, closing the gender pay gap, advancing gender balance in decision-making, and promoting gender equality beyond the EU. This activity starts from employee recruitment that is implemented exclusively by searching for the necessary qualifications (without specifying any age, gender or other limitations).
Women make up about 23%, and their salaries correspond to the average rates adopted by the company for the position held. Moreover, about 20% of all managers at all levels are women. All of them take part also in the Climate Change mitigation and adaptation projects of Softengi.
Speaking about digital solutions, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will reshape every corner of our lives in the coming years—from healthcare to finance, from education to government and, of course, Climate Change issues. According to a 2018 study from Wired and Element AI, 12% of AI researchers globally are female. There are many brilliant women at the forefront of AI today. As entrepreneurs, academic researchers, industry executives, venture capitalists and more, these women are shaping the future of artificial intelligence.
