Global climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, have ended with an agreement that the United Nations called both an \u201cimportant step\u201d and a \u201ccompromise\u201d, but one that some activists dismissed as a \u201cbetrayal of the planet and the people\u201d.<\/p>\n
The pact, approved by nearly 200 nations on Saturday, won applause for keeping alive the hope of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), but disappointed many with a last-minute change that watered down crucial language about coal.<\/p>\n
The revision, promoted by India and backed by China, called for nations to \u201cphase down\u201d rather than \u201cphase out\u201d use of the dirtiest fossil fuel.<\/p>\n
The pact also did little to assuage vulnerable countries\u2019 concerns about long-promised financing from rich nations.<\/p>\n
Following resistance from the United States and the European Union, the text omitted any reference to a specific finance facility for the \u201closs and damage\u201d that climate change has already caused in the developing world. Instead, it promised future \u201cdialogue\u201d on the issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe approved texts are a compromise,\u201d said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. \u201cThey reflect the interests, the conditions, the contradictions and the state of political will in the world today.\u201d<\/p>\n
And while the deal proposes to take important steps, it \u201cis not enough,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s time to go into emergency mode.\u201d<\/p>\n
US climate envoy John Kerry welcomed the agreement, saying good compromises leave everyone slightly unsatisfied.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe emerge from Glasgow having dramatically raised the world\u2019s ambition to solve this challenge in this decade and beyond,\u201d he said, adding: \u201cWe are in fact closer than we have ever been before to avoiding climate chaos and securing cleaner air, safer water and a healthier planet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chinese negotiator Zhao Yingmin echoed that sentiment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think our biggest success is to finalize the rulebook,\u201d Zhao told reporters. \u201cNow we can start implementing it and delivering it on our achieved consensus.\u201d<\/p>\n
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the host of the COP26 talks, also remained relatively upbeat.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s still a long, long way to go before we can say we\u2019ve dealt with climate change, but the great news is, together, the world has made some important breakthroughs,\u201d he said late on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve kept alive the hope of restricting the growth in temperatures to 1.5 degrees, and we\u2019ve made huge progress on coal, cars, cash and trees. For the first time ever, we\u2019ve got over 190 countries all agreeing to sound the death knell for coal power. And tonight, the developed world has finally acknowledged the need to help poor and vulnerable nations to deal with the loss and damage that\u2019s already being caused by climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n
The EU also welcomed the agreement, saying it gave \u201cus a chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius\u201d.<\/p>\n
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said delegates made progress on commitments to cut back on dangerous emissions, as well as pledges to help developing and vulnerable countries.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there will be no time to relax: there is still hard work ahead,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the representative from Saudi Arabia, one of the world\u2019s largest oil producers, avoided questions, saying all parties were \u201chappy\u201d with the climate pact.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re good, we\u2019re good,\u201d said Ayman M Shasly, the Saudi representative. \u201cThe decision has been adopted. No comment. Everybody\u2019s happy. All parties are happy with the decision so we\u2019re good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lee White, Gabonese Environment Minister and the chair of African negotiators, said the Africa team got \u201c60 percent of what we hoped\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would\u2019ve liked to have made more progress on dependable finance for adaptation,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we definitely got a very strong moral engagement from the EU and the US.\u201d<\/p>\n
Small island nations, however, said the \u201cincremental progress\u201d at Glasgow was not enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is balanced and pragmatic to other parties will not help the Maldives adapt in time,\u201d said Aminath Shauna, environment minister for the low-lying Indian Ocean island nation. \u201cIt will be too late for the Maldives\u2026 We recognise the foundations that this outcome provides, but it does not bring hope to our hearts. It serves as yet another conversation where we put our homes on the line, while those who have other options decide how quickly they want to act to save those who don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saleemul Hug, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development, was more blunt.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs far as I am concerned, it is a failure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201c(I\u2019ve) come here with a single agenda which is to help the poorest people on the planet who are already suffering from the impacts of human-induced climate change. And we needed a Glasgow facility on loss and damage finance here. 138 developing countries put language in the text yesterday. It got removed overnight. It\u2019s not there any more. It has been replaced by an offer for a dialogue \u2026 absolutely disappointing and totally unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other activists echoed the criticism.<\/p>\n
Prominent environmental activist Greta Thunberg said the talks had achieved nothing but \u201cblah blah blah\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe real work continues outside these halls,\u201d the figurehead of the Fridays for Future movement posted on Twitter. \u201cAnd we will never give up, ever.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asad Rehman, campaigner at War on Want, a group working to end global poverty, described the deal as a \u201cbetrayal of people and the planet\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a betrayal of the science, it\u2019s a betrayal of the realities of the climate impacts that are happening and devastating people\u2019s lives and livelihoods,\u201d he said. \u201cThe only people celebrating this outcome are the hundreds of lobbyists from the oil and gas industry, those whose vested interests basically say, we can\u2019t see any change, we can\u2019t move away from the fossil fuel addiction of our economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Source: Al Jazeera<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Global climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, have ended with an agreement that the United Nations called both an \u201cimportant step\u201d and a \u201ccompromise\u201d, but one that some activists dismissed as a \u201cbetrayal of the planet and the people\u201d. The pact, approved by nearly 200 nations on Saturday, won applause for keeping alive the hope of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":84753,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,21],"tags":[4356,1878,4959],"class_list":["post-84752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-world-news","tag-climate","tag-climate-action-summit","tag-cop26"],"yoast_head":"\n