COP26 live updates World leaders reach climate agreement at UN summit

GLASGOW, Scotland â€" Following two weeks of high-profile negotiations for urgent climate action, world leaders have come to an agreement at COP26. The deal pushes countries to strengthen near-term climate targets and move away from fossil fuels faster, however, it does not offer the transformative breakthrough scientists say must happen to avoid the most dire effects of global warming.

Here’s what to know

Saturday’s agreement does not achieve the most ambitious goal of the 2015 Paris accord â€" to limit Earth’s warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. Instead, delegations left Glasgow with the Earth still on track to blow past that threshold toward a future of escalating weather crises and irreversible damage to the natural world.

In last-minute changes, India’s climate negotiator Bhupender Yadav proposed that language calling for the “phaseout of unabated coal and inefficient fossil fuel subsidies” be changed to the “phase-down.”

During an informal plenary, leaders from countries on the front lines of climate change noted the proposed deal does not do enough to help them. But at the end of two weeks of negotiations, most countries said the deal would at least put humanity on a path to meeting its collective goals.

Climate activists held a “funeral” for COP26 at a Glasgow cemetery Saturday morning. Many activists who came in for the summit have left. About 100,000 people marched in a climate justice rally last weekend.

MORE ON CLIMATE CHANGELeaders express disappointment in last-minute changes to deal, slam the agreement processReturn to menuLink copied

On behalf of the Environmental Integrity Group, the Switzerland delegate said that she wanted to express “profound disappointment” that the agreed-upon language on coal and fossil fuel subsidies has been “further watered down as a result of an intransparent process.”

“Let us be clear: We do not need to phase down, but to phase out coal and fossil fuel subsidies,” Simonetta Sommaruga said. “We are disappointed both about the process and about this last minute change,” she said, adding that it will make it more difficult to reach 1.5. She was met with 25 seconds of applause.

Delegates for the European Union, Mexico, the Marshall Islands and Liechtenstein echoed the disappointment in the language weakening. “For the greater good, we must swallow this bitter pill,” the delegate for Lichtenstein said.

Several nations called out the last-minute change. The delegate for Fiji said when they tried to introduce language changes “a few days ago” for loss and damage provisions, they were told it was last minute. “It’s rather ironic that around two hours ago we discussed the text, and now there is an amendment being made to that â€" and that I would call last minute, without any due process being followed.”

Mexico shared a similar sentiment, saying “We believe we have been sidelined in a nontransparent and noninclusive process. … We all have remaining concerns. We were told we could not reopen the text.”

“This commitment on coal had been a bright spot in this package. It was one of the things we were hoping to carry out of here and back home with pride. And it hurts deeply to see that bright spot dimmed,” said Tina Stege, the delegate for the Marshall Islands.

“We accept this change with the greatest reluctance. We do so only â€" and I want to stress, only â€" because there are critical elements of this package that people in my country need as a lifeline for their future,” said Stege.

Key updateNations agree to speed climate action, but world remains off target Return to menuLink copied

Exhausted negotiators from nearly 200 nations struck a deal Saturday intended to propel the world toward more urgent climate action, but without offering the transformative breakthrough scientists say must happen if humanity is to avert disastrous planetary warming.

Saturday’s agreement, however, does not achieve the most ambitious goal of the 2015 Paris accord â€" to limit Earth’s warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels. Instead, delegations left Glasgow with the Earth still on track to blow past that threshold, pushing toward a future of escalating weather crises and irreversible damage to the natural world.

India, China propose 11th-hour edit to language around coal and fossil fuel subsidiesReturn to menuLink copied

Moments before it appeared that nations at the COP26 would agree to a decision on how the world should fight climate change, delegates from China and India proposed a last-minute edit to a contentious provision around transitioning away from polluting fuels.

The paragraph initially called for the “phaseout of unabated coal and inefficient fossil fuel subsidies” and would have been the first explicit call out of polluting fuels in a U.N. climate agreement.

India’s climate negotiator Bhupender Yadav proposed that the text be changed to call for a “phase-down” of unabated coal, with an added reference to “targeted support to the poorest and most vulnerable.”

Earlier in the day, Yadav had said that “targeting any particular sector is uncalled for,” adding that “developing countries have a right to their fair share of the global carbon budget.”

‘A fine and fragile green thread:’ COP president adjourns informal plenary, setting stage for final dealReturn to menuLink copied

After over two hours of nations sounding off on the draft agreement, COP26 president Alok Sharma closed out the informal stocktaking plenary session before 6 p.m. on Saturday.

He said that he understands the different national circumstances at hand, and accordingly, the difficulties of consensus on certain issues. But he said he believes the texts are “fully consistent” with the Paris agreement and the goals of COP26. The draft deals, Sharma said, are “ambitious texts” that “test the boundaries of what parties are able to accept.”

“These outcomes constitute an incredibly delicate balance. There is a fine and fragile green thread which is weaved around this balanced package,” he said. “I do think that if any of us tug at that, it will unravel all too easily.”

“Now is the time to confront our responsibility to our people, to the world, to our planet,” Sharma said as he adjourned the meeting, adding that he hopes delegates can leave the conference “united.”

What will follow is a formal meeting of the COP to consider and adopt the outcome of the delegates’ work in Glasgow. Meetings of the CMP and CMA will be convened in conjunction, he said. The documents up for consideration have been uploaded online.

Maldives minister says efforts aren’t enough: ‘The difference between 1.5 and 2 degrees is a death sentence for us.’Return to menuLink copied

The environment minister of the Maldives said the incremental efforts in Glasgow are “not in line with urgency and scale required” to help small island nations such as hers.

“We have 98 months to halve global emissions,” Aminath Shauna said Saturday. “The difference between 1.5 and 2 degrees is a death sentence for us.”

The COP26 conference’s resistance to capping the average global temperature increase at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels, she said, does not arise from a lack of technology or funding. Rather, she called it another case 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’t.”

“What is balanced and pragmatic to other parties will not help the Maldives adapt in time,” she said. “It will be too late for the Maldives.”

Key updateNo one loves the proposed COP26 deal. But most nations say they’ll accept it.Return to menuLink copied

How do nations feel about the proposed COP26 decision, which lays out the next steps in the global fight against climate change?

“Not what we expected,” said a diplomat from Bhutan.

“Unbalanced,” was the take from India.

“There are a lot of elements that we would like to see also included,” acknowledged Andrea Meza, Costa Rica’s environment minister.

But at the end two weeks of negotiations and a long night of 11th-hour haggling, most countries said the deal would at least put humanity on a path to meeting its collective climate goals.

In this moment, when temperatures are already 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than in the preindustrial era and climate disasters are wreaking havoc around the world, that would have to be enough.

Just a few countries â€" particularly India, whose climate negotiator Bhupender Yadav said he opposed provisions around phasing out fossil fuel subsidies and coal â€" indicated they would like to see significant parts of the text revised.

Instead, most delegates suggested they would swallow the aspects of the agreement they disliked to achieve its broader aims.

“Yes, we don’t have the perfect package, but we have the possible package,” Meza said. “We know we are in the moment where we need to take action.”

John Kerry gives optimistic take during COP26 remarks, says delegates have ‘done something significant’Return to menuLink copied

U.S. climate envoy John F. Kerry at the plenary stressed the positives of the negotiations and the deal, saying that the delegates have “done something significant” and come up with a “powerful statement.”

He said that because the two-week conference seems long, there was an inclination to have almost forgotten “the power of all of our leaders being here, the promises, the commitments that were put on the table.”

“Not everyone in public life, and we are all in public life, not everyone gets to make choices about life and death. Not everyone gets to make choices that actually affect an entire planet,” Kerry said. “We here are privileged today to do exactly that.”

He acknowledged that all nations have their own priorities, and that some at the plenary had explicitly pointed out “discomfort” with the draft deal.

“Well, if it’s a good negotiation, all the parties are uncomfortable â€" and this has been, I think, a good negotiation,” Kerry said, quoting the adage “You can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”

Hoping to assuage some concerns with the draft, Kerry affirmed that the United States looks forward to participating in the dialogue on loss and damage “and contributing to its success.” He also stressed that “every effort in the world will be made, there’s a commitment that is real, to double adaptation finance.”

Referencing the surprise joint pledge made between China and the United States, Kerry said he hopes that the partnership announced by the two countries sends a positive message: “Even in a world where there [is] conflict and competition, and differences between nations, that this issue can bring people together in an effort to reach above those and to find a way forward.”

Bolivian envoy sharply criticizes net zero plans as ‘impossible’Return to menuLink copied

Bolivian negotiator Diego Pacheco Balanza said that net zero plans for slowing climate change were impractical and “a great fallacy for the world.”

“It is impossible to reach net zero,” he said, adding that the idea of net zero was “a great escape of developed countries.”

“We need to push developed countries not to get to net zero by 2050 but to achieve real reductions of emissions now,” he said.

The Bolivian envoy said that the high cost of low carbon economies meant that only developed countries could afford to live in them. He said that “climate change is about addressing poverty eradication.”

Bolivia is influential among the developing countries. But despite his sharp critique, he said “with the spirit of compromise and increased ambition, we are able to support the document and move forward.”

Island nations see U.N. climate deal as progress â€" but far from perfectReturn to menuLink copied

Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, told Saturday’s gathering that after the last round of U.N. climate talks in 2019 ended in disarray, she had to return to her low-lying Pacific nation and tell her children that the world had failed to deliver progress.

“I am not willing to leave here with nothing,” she said of this year’s summit in Glasgow.

Like representatives from other nations on the front lines of climate change, she said Saturday’s proposed deal does not do enough to help countries like hers. But rejecting it outright is also not an option.

“It is not perfect, it is not without fault,” she said. “But it does represent real progress, and that is what we need at this moment. We cannot afford no progress.”

Other island delegates expressed similar sentiments.

“We are extremely disappointed and we will express our grievance in due course,” said Lia Nicholson, a negotiator for the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda.

She said representatives from small island countries, many of whom traveled for days to get to Glasgow, had pondered Saturday morning whether their efforts had been worthwhile. One of their main asks â€" a fund for compensating people irreversibly harmed by climate change â€" will probably not be in the final text. And she worried about provisions she feared would undermine efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

But despite her qualms, Nicholson urged minsters to sign the deal. The lives and cultures of people in island countries, she said, depend on moving in the right direction. “We trust that we have to go through this journey, and we implore colleagues to take this step with us,” she said.

One counterpart who planned to join her was Seve Paeniu, climate minister for the low-lying atoll nation of Tuvalu. He held up a photo of his three grandchildren as he spoke.

“Glasgow has delivered a strong message of hope, a strong message of promise. Glasgow has delivered a strong message of ambition. What is left now is for us to deliver on that promise,” Paeniu said, adding: “Glasgow ends today. But the real work begins now.”

In COP26 remarks, India takes issue with coal limitsReturn to menuLink copied

India’s climate negotiator Bhupender Yadav attacked the Glasgow conference and its focus on reducing the size of coal sectors. He said that “targeting any particular sector is uncalled for.”

Reducing public support for coal-fired power plants has been a focus of efforts during COP26 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but Yadav said that “developing countries have a right to their fair share of the global carbon budget.”

He said that India had created an ambitious solar program and pointed to efforts to build an electricity grid for solar. Yadav also said that “there is a lack of balance in the text.”

Representatives from China and South Africa indicated they backed India’s suggestions and would like to see the paragraph regarding coal and fossil fuel subsidies changed.

“We don’t believe that one size fits all is a good approach when it comes to this issue,” said the South African negotiator, adding that South Africa would not seek to reopen the text.

‘For heaven’s sake, don’t kill this moment,’ E.U. climate chief imploresReturn to menuLink copied

“I wonder if we’re not at risk of stumbling in this marathon a couple of meters before reaching the finish line,” E.U. climate policy chief Frans Timmermans said after having heard the first proposed interventions at the plenary.

He asked everyone in the room to “think of one person in your life, one person only, that will still be around in 2030 â€" and how that person will live if we don’t stick to the 1.5 degrees here today.”

Timmermans, who has supported keeping language on phasing out fossil fuel subsidies in the COP26 deal, said he understands the limitations of the current deal.

“Of course we all have our national interests, and of course there are many issues that have to be looked at later,” he said. “I fully understand when developing nations say there should be more finances on the table.”

We’re only at the beginning, he said, of what is needed on adaptation finance, as well as loss and damage â€" referring to calls for stronger compensation to vulnerable countries for climate change-related destruction.

“But for heaven’s sake, don’t kill this moment by asking for more text, different text, deleting this, deleting that,” he said.

He stressed that everyone has been heard by the COP26 presidency. “A lot of respect to every single country in this room was given by the presidency over the last couple of months. It is my firm belief that the text that is on the table now reflects perfectly well this respect shown by the presidency, and at the same time allows us to act with the urgency that is essential for our survival.

“So I please implore you, please embrace this text so we can bring hope to the hearts of our children and grandchildren. They’re waiting for us. They will not forgive us if we fail them today.”

Key updateSeeking compromise, COP26 president calls deal ‘moment of truth for our planet’Return to menuLink copied

Alok Sharma pushed to bring two weeks of intense international climate negotiations to a close Saturday, acknowledging that the proposed deal at the COP26 summit does not do enough to solve global warming but insisting it will enshrine meaningful progress toward that goal.

“This is the moment of truth for our planet. And it’s a moment of truth for our children and grandchildren,” Sharma said in a session that was delayed for hours after delegates hustled to iron out remaining divisions.

“The world is willing us on to be bold, to be ambitious,” he added. “So much rests on the decisions that we collectively take today.”

Those decisions remained in flux on a sunny Scottish afternoon in which disagreements remained over two key areas of the proposed agreement: the arcane but important rules governing global carbon markets and details over how wealthy nations will help vulnerable countries shoulder the rising costs of climate-fueled disasters and help them build more sustainable economies.

Sharma recognized that many delegates were unsatisfied by parts of the proposed deal, but he implored negotiators not to hold out for additional leverage or push for one more chance to promote their national interests over those of others.

“Ask instead, ‘What is enough?’” Sharma said. “Does it provide enough for all of us?’”

“Ask yourself,” he continued, “if these texts represent a fair balance for your parties, for your countries. … And most importantly, please ask yourselves whether these texts deliver for all our people and our planet.”

Sharma reiterated that he hopes to seal a final agreement later Saturday. But that outcome remained uncertain as representatives from some nations rose to air remaining grievances with the potential agreement.

During climate negotiations at COP26, extreme weather was rampant around the worldReturn to menuLink copied

While many nations came together in Glasgow to discuss how to combat climate change, extreme weather didn’t stop back in their homelands. Each day, leaders spoke about the impact that rising global temperatures is having on their constituents â€" all while residents were often experiencing effects firsthand.

Here are some key conference and weather highlights day-by-day.

Deciphering COP26: ‘mitigation,’ ‘adaptation,’ ‘loss and damage’Return to menuLink copied

These terms are key to today’s debate among delegations at COP26. Here’s what they mean.

Mitigation: This is what countries need to do to reduce climate change, particularly by minimizing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Getting countries to curb emissions is a central aim of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change â€" but even the United Nations acknowledges that current pledges are far too meager.

Adaptation: This about making life adjustments as the climate changes. It includes modifying behaviors or systems in the face of shifting temperatures, sea levels, precipitation and other weather and climate patterns. A recent study found that at least 85 percent of the world’s population has been affected by climate change.

Loss and damage: Even if the world stops burning fossil fuels tomorrow, even if countries spend trillions of dollars adapting, the catastrophic consequences of warming are already here. Homes will be lost. Farmland will be damaged. Lives and livelihoods will be destroyed. The countries that contributed the least to climate change will suffer the most. For decades, the world has paid mostly lip service to these unavoidable and unequal impacts, collectively known as “loss and damage.” But improvements in climate science have increasingly made it possible to pinpoint the role of climate change in disasters. At COP26, representatives of hard-hit areas are demanding compensation for harms they can now directly link to wealthy countries’ emissions.

Key update

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