UK PM says COP26 deal ‘tinged with disappointment’

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the Glasgow’s COP-26 climate deal is a “game-changing agreement”, which sounds “the death knell for coal power”

This comes despite the fact that last-minute changes saw the language in the agreement altered from “phase out” to “phase down”.

India and China were the two nations that pushed for this amendment, with both nations still relying heavily on coal for their energy.

Despite this, the COP-26 agreement remains the first time plans to reduce coal usage have been mentioned in such an important climate deal.

Critics say the framework doesn’t do enough to keep global warming below that critical 1-point-five degree target, but UK PM, Boris Johnson says “we can encourage, but we cannot force sovereign nations to do what they do not wish to do”

Now, this all follows the President of COP-26, Alok Sharma breaking down during his final address, apologising to fellow delegates for the last-minute change which saw the language around coal altered.

The summit’s overall goal was to ensure global warming is kept at or below 1-point-five degrees to ensure the worst effects of climate change are avoided.

The Glasgow agreement is receiving mixed reactions – with Greenpeace saying it keeps this 1.5 target “only just alive”

Switzerland was one of many nations that publicly expressed its dissatisfaction toward the alteration, saying it will make it much more difficult to reach 1-point-five.

Finally, under the pact, countries will republish their climate action plans by the end of next year, with more ambitious emissions reduction targets for 2030.

There will also be a greater emphasis on the need for developing nations to receive adequate financial support to ensure they can adapt to the challenges of climate change whilst also moving away from fossil fuels.

Despite the watering down of language in the agreement, the inclusion of a. coal “phase out” signifies the first time coal has been mentioned in such a historic global climate agreement.