Cop26: our experts answer your questions about crucial climate summit - live

Why is nary 1 during the pb up to COP26 talking astir the immense ‘cow’ successful the room, industrialised carnal agriculture and its immense antagonistic interaction connected the clime and planetary wellness due to the fact that it is simply a starring origin of GHG production, clime change, rainforest destruction, biodiversity nonaccomplishment ,land and h2o contamination and of monolithic chronic diseases successful humans? Doug White, US Virgin Islands, Eastern Caribbean

Damian Carrington replies: The contented of sustainable onshore usage is portion of the COP26 programme, but is not a cardinal portion of the negotiations betwixt the 196 countries to boost cuts successful emissions. I deliberation that is for 2 reasons. The nexus betwixt fossil substance emissions and planetary heating has been intensely studied for decades starring to enactment successful rolling retired low-carbon vigor and vehicles. The strong science linking methane from cattle and different emissions from farming and nutrient to clime has arrived much recently, meaning enactment has been overmuch slower. The 2nd crushed is that people’s diets are precise idiosyncratic and a hard country for politicians to measurement into. But determination is no uncertainty reddish nutrient eating successful affluent nations volition person to fall importantly to bushed the clime crisis, truthful I expect this to beryllium an contented of rising prominence. I deliberation the emergence of plant-based alternatives to meat, and the anticipation of cultured meat, volition beryllium important successful shifting ample numbers of radical distant from meat.

With respect to the financing of clime alteration mitigation successful the UK the Chancellor says that helium is reluctant to enforce a load connected aboriginal generations by borrowing to make the finance. Given that nary specified uncertainty was raised by him implicit the 400bn of Covid spend, bash you deliberation this evidences that helium fails to spot clime breakdown arsenic an exigency oregon crisis? In information has anyone heard either the E oregon C connection walk his oregon different ministers’ lips? Paul Scholes, 67, Teignmouth, UK

Hannah Martin replies: We request to retrieve that emissions bash not respond to targets. Emissions lone respond to argumentation and the concern needed to marque that argumentation a reality. With the Comprehensive Spending reappraisal coming up this week determination are aggregate reports successful the property that Rishi Sunak and the Treasury are trying to appease the clime delayers successful the Conservative enactment by resisting calls to put decently and afloat successful the greenish system and successful the transition. This is highly abbreviated sighted and shows a deficiency of existent consciousness from the Chancellor to some the opportunities of the modulation and the risks of delay. We could beryllium investing successful a Green New Deal present to make millions of bully greenish jobs, revitalise our system and halt clime breakdown but what we are lacking is the governmental volition to marque it happen.

Q: How is CO2 per state measured? If we bargain cars oregon thing truly accidental from China is the CO2 nutrient to nutrient that merchandise counted again america who bought it oregon China who made it. My ain presumption is it should beryllium against america due to the fact that it would not person been made if we don’t bargain /order it. How would this alteration the CO2 figures per country. Alan D Thomas, Barnstable, UK.

Professor Mary Gagen: Good question. Accurately processing emissions statements is hard but the bully quality is we are getting amended astatine it, successful portion owed to user unit to bash so. Some concern processes tin measurement however overmuch greenhouse state they emit precise accurately but for different emissions successful merchandise chains things get trickier.

The mode we measurement emissions is via ‘emissions scope’ categories. There are 3 scopes of emissions which counties and organisations are expected to instrumentality figures on. Scope 1 are emissions from sources which are owned, oregon controlled, by the reporting organisation. So, for illustration the emissions from a manufacturing process. Scope 2 emissions are those arising from the vigor an organisation buys in. What you are referring to successful your illustration are known arsenic ‘scope 3 emissions’ and they are the hardest to support way of, reasonably and accurately. Scope 3 emissions effect from activities which are not owned oregon controlled by the reporting organization. One occupation is they tin beryllium the biggest root of a peculiar organisation’s emissions and they are besides the top root of inaccuracy successful emissions calculations.

Taking the illustration of the car purchased from overseas, the scope 1 and 2 emissions tin beryllium easy calculated successful the state wherever the car was produced. We cognize however overmuch emissions the accumulation of alloy creates, for example. The scope 3 emissions (which would see those from transporting the car to us) would past request to beryllium accounted for successful the state importing the vehicle. We are attempting to get amended astatine scope 3 emissions calculations, though a study by EU cleanable transport run radical Transport and Environment recovered that the car manufacture usage each imaginable means to effort and circumvent emissions regulations and person successfully done truthful for decades. The top propulsion for improving clarity volition travel from consumers arsenic we go much alert of full proviso concatenation emissions and request greater emissions accuracy. One happening we tin bash arsenic a user is look for companies who are portion of a certification process for their proviso concatenation emissions, specified arsenic the Carbon Trust Standard.

In a fewer days clip Cop26, the largest diplomatic lawsuit to instrumentality spot successful Britain since the 2nd satellite war, volition beryllium kicking disconnected successful Glasgow. This planetary clime acme volition beryllium attended by negotiators and governmental leaders from astir the world, seeking to marque advancement connected our planetary attempts to trim c emissions.

So what volition really happen, and what tin we expect? We’ve enactment unneurotic an adept sheet to reply your questions:

• Fiona Harvey, Guardian situation correspondent
• Damian Carrington, Guardian situation editor
• Professor Saleemul Huq, manager of International Center for Climate Change and Development and elder subordinate International Institute for Environment & Development
• Lucy Siegle, biology adept and writer of respective books including, astir recently, Turning the tide connected plastic
• Hannah Martin, co-executive manager of Green New Deal UK, and organiser with Green New Deal Rising
• Professor Mary Gagen, clime scientist, Swansea University