Industry Transition Goals: Setting up COP26 for success

The author contends that COP26 should move from ambition to implementation by creating 'Glasgow Industry Transition Goals'. These sectoral agreements would bring together governments and carbon-intensive industries—such as aviation, shipping, and steel—to establish high-ambition commitments, robust workplans, and time-bound milestones. By coordinating these efforts, the author suggests that industry leadership can provide the confidence for national governments to increase the ambition of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to reach global net zero by 2050.

• To achieve global net zero by 2050, dramatic emissions reductions are required in the 2030s and 2040s from hard-to-abate sectors, including aviation, shipping, heavy-duty road transport, iron and steel, aluminium, chemicals, and concrete and cement. These sectors collectively produce approximately 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• The author proposes the 'Glasgow Industry Transition Goals' (or Glasgow Goals) as a framework for sectoral net-zero agreements. For these goals to translate commitments into action, they must include four components: high-ambition commitments to reach technology tipping points, robust delivery workplans, time-bound milestones for measurement, and resources from philanthropy, industry, and governments.
• The establishment of these goals would provide two primary benefits: it would give national governments the confidence to increase the ambition of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and it would provide governments with a clear, immediate workplan for supporting companies in reaching emissions reduction milestones.
• Unlike UN-led climate talks that require unanimity, the Glasgow Industry Transition Goals could be adopted by a subset of ambitious governments and leading companies, similar to the Powering Past Coal Alliance, which includes 41 national governments, 39 sub-national authorities, and 55 private companies and investors.

APA

Hobley, A. R. (2021). Industry Transition Goals: Setting up COP26 for success. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/industry-transition-goals-setting-up-cop26-for-success-glasgow-climate-change-aviation-manufacturing/

Chicago

Hobley, Anthony Robert. Industry Transition Goals: Setting up COP26 for success. World Economic Forum, 2021. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/industry-transition-goals-setting-up-cop26-for-success-glasgow-climate-change-aviation-manufacturing/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Hobley |first1=Anthony Robert |title=Industry Transition Goals: Setting up COP26 for success |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=4 November 2021 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/industry-transition-goals-setting-up-cop26-for-success-glasgow-climate-change-aviation-manufacturing/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{hobley2021industry, author = {Hobley, Anthony Robert}, title = {{Industry Transition Goals: Setting up COP26 for success}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2021}, month = nov, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/industry-transition-goals-setting-up-cop26-for-success-glasgow-climate-change-aviation-manufacturing/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }