The world reacts to the COP26 climate pact
Summery
Mixed reactions to the Glasgow Climate Pact as the UN, the United States, and China welcome the agreement and activists denounce more “blah, blah, blah” than two weeks of talks.
Explanation
The global climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, ended with an agreement that the United Nations called an “important step” and a “commitment”, but which some activists dismissed as a “betrayal of the planet and the people.”
The pact, approved by nearly 200 nations on Saturday, won applause for keeping alive the hope of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius but disappointed many with a last-minute change that diluted crucial language about coal.
The review, promoted by India and backed by China, called on nations to “phase out” rather than “phase out” the use of the dirtiest fossil fuel.
The pact also did little to assuage vulnerable countries’ concerns about long-promised financing by wealthy nations. Following resistance from the United States and the European Union, the text omitted any reference to a specific financing mechanism for the “loss and damage” that climate change has already caused in the developing world. Instead, he promised a future “dialogue” on the issue.
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