Cop26 news: Boris Johnson says pact ‘sounds death knell for coal’ but admits disappointment at pledges

Reactions after climate deal agreed

Related video: Alok Sharma holds back tears while apologising for events of Cop26

Boris Johnson has admitted his “disappointment” at the Cop26 climate pact after coal pledges were watered down.

Holding a press conference with Cop26 president Alok Sharma, he said the agreement “sounded the death knell for coal” and dismissed criticism that the shift from phasing “out” coal to phasing “down” the dirty fuel was a significant change in language.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson is facing accusations from Labour that he “undermined” his own climate conference minister by failing to back him up with ambitious UK commitments.

It comes after the government faced criticism for not bringing down a firm enough hand on India and China’s demands to make a last-minute change to the text on coal in the deal agreed in Glasgow on Saturday.

Key Points

• Nations announce landmark climate pact in Glasgow...
• ...as Alok Sharma breaks down and apologises for events at Cop26
• Countries express anger at last-minute watering down of coal commitment
• UN calls out failure of negotiators to ‘overcome deep contradictions’
• Politicians react to news of ‘modest’ Cop26 agreement
• Watch: Sharma gets emotional during summit’s final moments
• Johnson: ‘Glasgow has sounded the death knell for coal power'

[14 November 2021 11:24 · Emily Atkinson]

Alok Sharma denies climate pact failure and hails ‘historic language’ about coal

Cop26 president Alok Sharma has denied the climate pact agreed by world leaders was a failure and defended the “historic” language on a commitment to reduce coal dependence, writes Adam Forrest.

“This is the first time ever that we have got language about coal in a Cop decision – I think that is absolutely historic,” the UK minister told BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show.

Asked if the pact amounted to a failure to meet ambitions, Mr Sharma said: “I wouldn’t described what we did yesterday as a failure. It’s a historic achievement. We kept 1.5 in reach.”

[14 November 2021 12:20 · Emily Atkinson]

1.5C ‘definitely alive’ says UN climate chief

Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said that target was “definitely alive” after the conference.

She told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: “We are very far from that goal but we did manage to get together this big package of different decisions that will allow us and gives us very, very specific direction on what we need to work on in order to get there.”

She said the difference between 1.5C and 2.4C of warming, which the Climate Action Tracker forecasts the current pledges would result in, is “the survival of millions and millions of people and species”.

The Glasgow Pact must be the start for more ambition and climate action, according to Ms Espinosa.

She welcomed the historic - if watered down - move against coal in the new Glasgow Pact, calling it a “very difficult issue”.

She said: “I would like to underline that the huge step forward in our negotiations was the fact that for the first time in this context we mentioned coal and fossil fuels.

“Before, it had not been possible, of course, because... we have to be very conscious that there are millions and millions of people that depend on fossil fuel industries, and in terms of coal there are many people, especially venerable and poor people, that also depend on that as a source of energy.

“So, on the one hand, we have clarity that this is a very big source of emissions and we need to get rid of that.

“On the other hand, we need to also balance out the social consequences for so many people around the world, especially in the poor countries.”

PA

[14 November 2021 12:40 · Emily Atkinson]

Greta Thunberg dismisses Cop26 as more ‘blah, blah, blah’

Greta Thunberg dismissed the Cop26 climate summit as more “blah, blah, blah” after the extended talks finally brought to a close with the agreement of the Glasgow Climate Pact on Saturday.

Taking to Twitter to express her disdain, the Swedish climate activist urged protestors “never give up” - saying “the real work continues outside these halls.”

It comes after China and India made a last-minute intervention to water down language in the final text on coal. The language was changed to “phase down” on unabated coal power instead of the stronger “phase out”.

Several countries made angry statements following the sudden intervention. Mexico called it a “non-inclusive and non-transparent process”.

She wrote: The #COP26 is over. Here’s a brief summary: Blah, blah, blah.

“But the real work continues outside these halls. And we will never give up, ever.”

[14 November 2021 13:00 · Emily Atkinson]

‘Meek and weak’ climate pact blasted for lack of urgency on emission cuts

In case you missed it...

[14 November 2021 13:03 · Adam Forrest]

Boris Johnson to hold 5pm press conference

Boris Johnson and Alok Sharma will be grilled over the climate deal agreed in Glasgow at a press conference later on Sunday.

The prime minister and the Cop26 president will be answering questions about the global pact at Downing Street at 5pm.

Mr Johnson is facing accusations he “undermined” his own climate conference minister by failing to back him up with ambitions UK commitments.

The pair also face criticism over a dramatic last-minute intervention which saw India and China change the wording of the final deal so coal power generation would be “phased down” rather than “phased out”.

Boris Johnson (PA)

[14 November 2021 13:37 · Emily Atkinson]

Boris Johnson ‘undermined’ Alok Sharma at Cop26 with climate hypocrisy, says Labour

Boris Johnson has been accused of “undermining” his own climate conference minister Alok Sharma by failing to back him up with ambitions UK commitments at Cop26.

Labour said the target of keeping global warming within 1.5C was in “intensive care” following the agreement reached by world leaders at the end of the Glasgow summit.

The opposition claimed the prime minister had left his Cop26 president in a weak position, because of the government’s decision to cut overseas aid and failure to stop the Cambo oilfield project.

Adam Forrest has the full story here:

[14 November 2021 13:39 · Emily Atkinson]

Greta Thunberg dismisses Cop26 as more ‘blah, blah, blah’

[14 November 2021 13:50 · Emily Atkinson]

Watch: Cop26 president Alok Sharma hails ‘historic’ language on coal

[14 November 2021 14:00 · Emily Atkinson]

The disappointment over Cop26 is understandable – but there is hope

Success or failure, or both? The outcome of Cop26, with its last-minute compromise on running down the use of coal, will be picked over in the coming weeks.

While it is a temptation to give rapid judgements, one of the overriding lessons from previous climate summits is that what happens in the next year is more important than the wording of the communiqué at the end of the meeting, writes Hamish McRae.

[14 November 2021 14:07 · Emily Atkinson]

Ed Miliband: No more free passes – we have 12 months to show we are serious about saving the 1.5 degree target

As the dust settles after Glasgow, the world needs to face a difficult truth: 1.5 degrees is in intensive care and we’ve got 12 months to show we can save it, writes Ed Miliband. Cop26 made modest progress in tackling the climate crisis but modest progress is not the transformation we need.