Emily Beament, PA Environment Correspondent
The Cop26 climate talks have agreed to get countries to strengthen their emissions-cutting targets for 2030 by the end of next year in a bid to limit dangerous warming.
Ministers and negotiators at the UN summit in Glasgow have also sent a signal on the shift away from the world’s dirtiest fuel, with a deal calling for efforts to escalate the “phase down” of unabated coal, as well as the phasing out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.
Agreement has been reached at #COP26 in Glasgow. It gives us a chance of keeping 1.5 degrees alive. The last minute deal on coal was deeply disappointing but we had to agree a deal. We can no longer delay. It brings momentum at home & has to deliver climate justice for the world. pic.twitter.com/TI8E9ayMxu
— Eamon Ryan (@EamonRyan) November 13, 2021
The Glasgow Pact was watered down at the last minute – following a push by India and China – from escalating the “phase out” of unabated coal, to “phase down”, prompting angry responses from European and vulnerable countries. However, it is the first explicit mentions of fossil fuels in a UN climate agreement.
Minister for Climate Action Eamon Ryan, who was in attendance on Saturday, confirmed the deal had been reached, tweeting: "It gives us a chance of keeping 1.5 degrees alive."
? BREAKING: The #COP26 Glasgow Climate Pact has been agreed.
It has kept 1.5 degrees alive.
But, it will only survive if promises are kept and commitments translate into rapid action.#TogetherForOurPlanet pic.twitter.com/PtplIsVPCF
— COP26 (@COP26) November 13, 2021
"The last minute deal on coal was deeply disappointing but we had to agree a deal," Mr Ryan added.
"We can no longer delay. It brings momentum at home & has to deliver climate justice for the world."
In the wake of the 'Glasgow Pact' being gavelled through – more than 24 hours after the official finishing time of the conference, there were warnings that the 1.5 degrees goal was “on life support”.
