TheCOP26 climate talksin Glasgow are over . Have the habitant of Earth finally hold that making their planet less liveable is not the best long - term survival of the fittest strategy?Well , kind of , but not quite . While some praise the dance step made at the conference , many condemned the ending product as " disappointing , " " empty words , " and a parade of " greenwashing " by richer land .
COP26 came to a close mode past its prescribed deadline of 6 pm on Friday , ending late on Saturday evening with 197 party signing what will be know as theGlasgow Climate Pact . catch dozens of world powers to harmonize on a single accord is no small feat and this difficulty is reflected in the final school text , which appears vague and pretty limp in part .
This is the first climate concord that explicitly state theneed to reduce ember , the very spoiled dodo fuel for greenhouse gases . Host country , the UK , and COP26 President , Alok Sharma , pronounce “ consigning coal to story ” wasa central objectiveof the mood dialogue . It ’s also the first time an environmental agreement explicitly greet that climate modification and biodiversity are tightly linked , highlighting the pressing need to protect and restore natural ecosystems .
However , the coal assurance was to a great extent irrigate down , switching the language from a " phase angle - out " of ember to a comparatively wimpish " phase down . " Sharma was clearly disappointed by this last - minute change , which was agreed through a deal with the US , China , India , and the EU ( the EU subsequently condemned the change in lyric , despite supporting it ) . On Saturday , Sharmasaidhe was " profoundly sorry " for how the negotiation had terminate as he held back binge . likewise , sabotage speech wasalso introducedin segments on the end of dodo fuel subsidy , which could potentially act as a loophole to allow the continued financial support of fossil fuels .
UN Secretary - General Antonio Guterres was moderately downcast about the pact , saying it was an “ important step , ” but still “ not enough . ”
“ The outcome of COP26 is a compromise . It reflects the interests , the contradictions , and the country of political will in the world today , ” Guerressaidon Saturday .
“ Our delicate planet is hanging by a thread . We are still ping on the threshold of clime disaster . It is time to go into emergency mode . We must cease fossil fuel subsidies . Phase out coal . Put a price on carbon . Protect vulnerable communities from the impacts of climate alteration . And make proficient on the 100 billion USD clime finance allegiance to support developing country , ”
Glasgow was billed as the " last estimable chance " to keep the global temperature lift of no more than 1.5 ° 100 ( 2.7 ° farad ) target — beyond which theworst impacts of climate changewill be unleashed . An officialpress releasefor the mood talks boasts that the pact take care “ nearly 200 body politic harmonise to “ keep 1.5 ° C live . ” While the goal of trammel world-wide warming to 1.5 ° coulomb ( 2.7 ° farad ) is still just about in wad , many are not convinced the accord bring home the bacon any meaningful promises to achieve it .
“ It ’s meek , it ’s washy , and the 1.5 ° C goal is only just active , but a sign has been send that the era of coal is ending . And that matters , ” Jennifer Morgan , Executive Director of Greenpeace International , said in astatement .
The COP26 clime talk have also been knock for protecting powerful rural area and ignoring the concerns of poorer countries , many of which will be hit with the most discriminating impact of the climate crisis . highly-developed countries failed to deliver the$100 billionpromised annually by 2020 to help developing countries mitigate their expelling and adapt to clime change . There was alsolittle real actionon " loss and damage , " which would provide funding for more vulnerable nation experiencing the impacts of climate change .
“ Even if leaders stuck to the promise they have made here in Glasgow , it would not prevent the end of residential area like mine . Right now , at 1.2 ° of global thawing , drought and implosion therapy are kill people in Uganda , ” point out Vanessa Nakate , an militant in Uganda from Fridays for Future , in an e-mail .
“ For the first metre , we have a COP conclusion calling for crusade towards the phase out of ember and fossil fuel subsidy , ” summate Mohamed Adow , the head of Power Shift Africa . “ The narrowing of the language to just spread over ‘ unabated ’ ember business leader and ‘ ineffective ' subsidy leave elbow room for untested technologies such as CCS which only the full-bodied world has access to . We need a global stage out that is quick , reasonable , and final for all fossil fuels . ”
With this regard , one significant tip that COP26 did manage to get all parties to agree to is reducing the time between each nation ’s 2030 emission object review , known as the " ratch mechanism " . Previously , land would only involve to report and heighten ambitiousness of their emission object every five years , but now they will have to do so each year , which will hopefully up the pressure to reduce emissions faster .
