In Scotland, the UN Climate Change Conference has ended. Around 200 countries have declared their practical goals, how they commit to reducing the pollution of greenhouse gases. The commitments are a significant step forward yet its no near the necessary goals that would result in keeping the global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to the average global temperature of the pre-industrial era, British news portal The Guardian reports.
Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has said it was disappointing that China and India had watered down the Cop26 climate agreement as to the usage of coal. Johnson, however, claimed there was little difference between «phasing out» and «phasing down» coal as an energy resource.
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«We can lobby, we can cajole, we can encourage, but we cannot force sovereign nations to do what they do not wish to do,» he said. «It’s ultimately their decision to make and they must stand by it.»
The UN’s climate change chief, Patricia Espinosa, said the goal of limiting temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels was still «definitely alive».
The final agreement, after two weeks of negotiations, also secured a deal on finalising key parts of the «Paris rulebook» on how to count emissions. A roadmap was also drawn up for future revisions to commitments on cutting emissions, The Guardian reports.
Disappointment at climate conference outcome directed at China and India
