LONDON, Sept. 30 (Reuters) – The UN climate talks in November are a crucial catalyst for urgent action to contain global warming, a global coalition of 40 energy producers, industrial companies and institutions said on Thursday. financial.

A report by the Energy Transitions Commission (ETC) outlined six actions that must be agreed at COP26 and implemented this decade to give the world a 50% chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and 90% likely to keep it below 2C.

In 2015, governments agreed to limit the average temperature increase to well below 2 ° C and to continue their efforts to limit it to 1.5 ° C, the threshold according to scientists that would prevent the worst. impacts of global warming on the planet and its inhabitants.

They are due to meet in Glasgow, Scotland, during the first two weeks of November for the next round of UN climate talks, to make more ambitious commitments to keep the 1.5 ° C limit within reach. tomorrow.

But scientists said last month that without urgent action to reduce emissions, the average global temperature is expected to reach or cross the 1.5 ° C mark within 20 years. Read more

ETC said the actions are either almost free or come with costs that rich and developed countries could afford at the national level, adding that if they are to be implemented by low-income countries, the cost should be covered by the support of the richest.

“A 1.5c path is not yet out of reach: but we are running out of time to make it achievable. The COP26 can act as a crucial catalyst to implement the actions necessary to achieve it”, adds the report of the ETC.

Scientists say about 40% of global warming to date has been caused by methane, rather than carbon dioxide emissions.

“COP26 should be used as an opportunity to launch an initiative to reduce annual (methane) emissions by at least 150 million tonnes by 2030,” the ETC report said.

Measures to stop deforestation and start reforestation are also needed, as 3.6 gigatonnes of annual carbon dioxide emissions could be eliminated by 2030 if deforestation ceased.

The phasing out of coal-fired electricity generation needs to be accelerated. There must be a clear international agreement not to build new coal-fired power plants, scrapping most of the 300 gigawatts of new coal pipeline capacity in place today.

A deal to ban all sales of light internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035, combined with action by cities to restrict the use of these vehicles that now exist beyond certain dates, could lead to 20% of cars in circulation are electric and deliver around 2 gigatonnes of CO2 reduction by 2030.

Heavy transport, heavy industry and buildings also need to be decarbonized faster and energy efficiency improved, he said.

Reporting by Nina Chestney; Editing by Alexander Smith

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