COP26 President Alok Sharma has told people on the frontline of climate change that “we are fighting tooth and nail to make sure we have an ambitious outcome” to the talks.
He was speaking as a first draft of a deal for COP26 calls on countries to strengthen their emissions-cutting plans in the next year in a bid to keep a goal to limit warming to 1.5C within reach.
It also calls for faster phasing out of coal and subsidies for fossil fuels – a first for a UN deal – but there is likely to be strong resistance to this from some countries and it could be taken out of any final agreement.
Developing countries and campaigners have also raised concerns over the provision of finance for poorer nations to cope with the impact of climate change in the draft deal.
The draft “cover decision”, the final version of which must be agreed by a consensus of nearly 200 countries at the Glasgow summit, was published yesterday, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson headed back to the talks as they entered their final days.
Scientists have warned that keeping temperature rises to 1.5C, to avoid the worst impacts of climate change which would be felt with greater warming, requires global emissions to be cut by 45% by 2030, and to zero overall by mid-century – but countries’ plans for this decade leave the world well off track.
The draft is published after analysis warned existing plans for this decade put the world on track for 2.4C of warming – well above the goals internationally agreed in the Paris accord to curb temperature rises to “well below” 2C and try to limit them to 1.5C. Sharma stressed that the summit is “not seeking to reopen the Paris Agreement”.
He said: “I also want to be clear we are not seeking to reopen the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement clearly sets out the temperature goal well below 2C and pursuing efforts towards 1.5C. That is why our overarching goal of keeping 1.5C within reach has been our lodestar.”
The draft urges countries to “revisit and strengthen” the targets for cutting emissions by 2030 in their national plans to align them with the Paris temperature goal, which still covers both numbers, by the end of 2022.
The document also urges countries to set out long-term strategies by the end of next year to reach net-zero emissions by about mid-century.
It includes a call for developed countries to at least double their collective provision of climate finance to help developing countries adapt to climate change, as part of scaling up finance for poorer nations to tackle the crisis.
There is also a recognition of the need to do more to address the inevitable loss and damage to people, livelihoods, land and infrastructure in developing countries.
Delegations are expected to be in contact with their leaders and capitals to discuss what their position will be.
Sharma urged negotiators to “come with the currency of compromise”.
“In very human terms, what we agree in Glasgow will set the future for our children and grandchildren. And I know that no world leader or country will want to fail them.”
And he said: “My message ... to anyone living at the frontline of climate change, is that you know we are fighting tooth and nail to make sure we have an ambitious outcome”.
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