Strong criticism from @antonioguterres on COVID-19 recovery spending targeted at fossil fuels, calls it a moral test to align spending and investments with 1.5oC degrees target and carbon neutrality. A thread live-tweeting #ClimateAmbitionSummit

"Mung beans are probably delicious" -Boris Johnston

To be fair he also recapped UK's ambitious targets and climate program and was very forceful in calling for action. Earlier this week the UK announced a halt to overseas financing of fossil fuels.

While president Xi's address is one of the most anticipated ones, seems it won't be viewable live in China without jumping the "Great Firewall". The summit website is accessible but it's being streamed on Vimeo which is blocked (if I missed a way to access the stream let me know)

Macron seems to have some info on what Xi will have to say https://twitter.com/LiShuo_GP/status/1337767749238439937

Chile recaps coal power phase-out by 2030, and electrifying public transport by the same date.

Boris Johnson utters a most British analogy for what human activities have done to the Earth: 'We have been quilting our planet in a toxic tea cozy of greenhouse gases.' https://twitter.com/eilperin/status/1337768489398972417

Italy made the first actual new commitment: 30 million euros for adaptation. That will get everyone in Bangladesh a lollipop.

Apparently it's a substantial addition to the entire size of the fund though, and good on Italy for not coming empty-handed.

Xi announced new 2030 targets:
1) over 65% CO2 intensity cut (earlier target 60-65%)
2) non-fossil fuel share of 25% (earlier 20%)
3) increase forest stock by 6 bln m3 from 2005
4) wind&solar capacity of 1200GW (up from 415GW at the end of 2019)

Implications: The CO2 intensity target allows a 15-20% increase in CO2 emissions from 2020 to 2030, assuming 5% average GDP growth. This is the same rate of emission growth as past 5 years, and same rate of emission intensity gains, so no bending of the curve.

The non-fossil energy target is a marginal acceleration to current trend: share went from 12% in 2015 to 16% in 2020, so "business-as-usual" would be 24%.

For wind&solar, keeping average annual installations at the 2015-2020 average would mean ~1150GW in 2030. So again at most a marginal step up from business-as-usual, and a far cry from the doubling the industry called for. That said, wind&solar GW targets are always exceeded.

The overall picture here is "business as usual" to 2030 and then a sudden shift to steep emission reductions after to meet the 2060 carbon neutrality goal. Close to what I described here: https://www.carbonbrief.org/influential-academics-reveal-how-china-can-achieve-its-carbon-neutrality-goal