World leaders have reached a deal at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland to help combat the effects of climate change.
The COP26 Climate Pact, which was formed Saturday, will push countries to phase out subsidies for the fossil fuel industry and turn away from coal. This is the first time limiting fossil fuels has been mentioned in a global climate agreement. Fossil fuels play a large role in warming the planet and world leaders in the global climate conference want to look to other energy sources, the Washington Examiner reported.
The deal was weakened by China and India, which both rely on coal in their growing economies. China and India are the two leading emitters of carbon in the world, the outlet reported.
“How can developing countries promise to phase out coal and fossil fuel subsidies when they have still to deal with their development agendas and poverty eradication,” India’s climate minister Bhupender Yadav told the BBC. (RELATED: UN Climate Conference Carbon Footprint Doubles Previous Summit)
A moment in history
The Glasgow Climate Pact is agreed#COP26 | #TogetherForOurPlanet pic.twitter.com/qq4ygsokXm
— Alok Sharma (@AlokSharma_RDG) November 13, 2021
The U.S. and China reached an agreement to collaborate on climate issues. The countries agreed to share technology and encourage decarbonization in their respective economies. The agreement had no mention of any timeframes, emission targets or concrete pledges, the Washington Examiner reported.
Critics are suggesting that the deal reached at COP26 does not go far enough to satisfy the ultimate goal set by the Paris Climate Accord in 2015, the outlet reported.
The #COP26 outcome is a compromise, reflecting the interests, contradictions & state of political will in the world today.
It’s an important step, but it’s not enough.
It’s time to go into emergency mode.The climate battle is the fight of our lives & that fight must be won. pic.twitter.com/NluZWgOJ9p
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) November 13, 2021
“The #COP26 outcome is a compromise, reflecting the interests, contradictions & state of political will in the world today. It’s an important step, but it’s not enough. It’s time to go into emergency mode. The climate battle is the fight of our lives & that fight must be won,” tweeted United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.