“White smoke”: Agreement reached on COP26 |

Thanasis Gavos London

The text of the decisions of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow was finally ratified by the 196 participating countries and the EU. The ratification of the Glasgow Climate Pact on Saturday night, more than 25 hours later than originally planned, concluded the crucial United Nations conference two weeks later.

The approval of the final agreement was delayed on Saturday because India and Iran called for a change in the wording of the text of the decisions referring to the phasing out of both coal use and financing of fossil fuels. Finally, the text was ratified by the wording proposed orally by India just minutes before the end of the plenary session, calling for a “gradual reduction” rather than a “phasing out” of coal-fired power generation.

Switzerland reacted by expressing “deep disappointment” at the weakening of the wording, with its spokeswoman stressing in front of the plenary that it was becoming more difficult to achieve the central goal of the conference to curb global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. with the pre-industrial period. Switzerland’s disappointment was expressed by the EU, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Fiji and Marshall Islands, while COP26 President Alok Sarma apologized, holding back tears of progress, but called for the approval of the last-minute wording. .

Representatives of all the other countries who spoke during the informal plenary session earlier in the afternoon noted that the text of the decisions was far from perfect and adequate. They nevertheless said they accepted it as a “functional compromise” and as a step in the right direction that “keeps alive” the central goal of the conference.

The head of the US delegation John Kerry said in his final speech that the text “is not perfect, but it is good”, commenting that the fact that all countries would like differences in various points proves that “good negotiations took place”.

Representatives of developing countries at the forefront of the climate change front said they accepted the text, but “begging” developing countries to keep full the commitments made in Glasgow and to translate into commitments and tangible measures in the text of decisions.

Indicatively, the head of the delegation from the Maldives stressed that “we have 98 months (by the end of 2030) to halve global emissions”, adding that for her country “the difference between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius is deadly conviction”.

The text of COP26 decisions maintains the target of 1.5 degrees Celsius set by the Paris Agreement (2015), calls on governments to strengthen national plans to reduce emissions by 2030 by 2022 and calls for the first time a gradual ‘reduction’ of unlimited coal-fired power generation and a gradual ‘abolition’ of funding for fossil fuel projects – although here, again with Indian intervention, a condition of targeted support for the poorest and most vulnerable communities has been added, is seen as a window to continue subsidizing the use of fossil fuels by countries such as India. The Glasgow Climate Pact also calls on developed countries to double funding to developing countries to adapt to the current effects of climate change.

On the other hand, no details are set for a specific mechanism for compensating developing countries for the “losses and damage” already caused by climate change and they cannot be avoided by adaptation measures. At the initiative of Antigua and Barbuda, the “complaint” of developing countries for the absence from the agreement of such a mechanism was officially recorded.

Early estimates for the outcome of the conference vary. Analysts point out that the announcements are far from succeeding in curbing the rise in temperature to one and a half degrees Celsius. On the other hand, it is pointed out that a spirit of cooperation has been shown, that for the first time there is a reference to the need to reduce carbon consumption and that significant progress has been made on individual issues, progress that keeps the goal of one and a half degrees Celsius alive.

Announcing the agreement, Mr. Sarma spoke of an impressive degree of determination to agree on something substantial for the world and the planet.