So where do we go from here after Cop26?

Readers have expressed their disappointment at the speed of climate action, writes Chris Stevenson

Boris Johnson during a press conference from Downing Street yesterday (AFP/Getty)

The end of the Cop26 conference has sparked plenty of debate from readers – as you can see from our latest collection of letters.

Many are upset at the lack of progress that has been made during the past two weeks – with some pointing towards the role that China and India played in watering down the language in the final communique. The president of Cop26, Alok Sharma, told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show that the two nations will have to explain themselves to climate-vulnerable nations, with the wording over the use of coal having been changed from “phase out” to “phase down”. However, it is still the first time such a set of wording around coal has been inserted into a Cop agreement.

“I am going to be calling on everyone to do more,” Sharma said, adding: “But as I said, in relation to what happened yesterday, China and India will have to explain themselves and what they did to the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world.”

Both China and India have pointed towards the fact that the developed world should be doing more to help poorer countries – with an agreement to share $100bn (£75bn) with such nations finally set to be reached. But sadly late.

Boris Johnson has called the agreement “game-changing” – pointing specifically to the wording on coal. “The conference marked the beginning of the end for coal,” Johnson said in a Sunday press conference from Downing Street. “The conference has sounded the death knell for coal power,” he added.

Beyond that optimism, others have been more circumspect. Writing in The Independent, the shadow business and energy secretary, Ed Miliband, said that the target of keeping the global temperature increase to 1.5C is “in intensive care” and that we have 12 months to Cop27 in Egypt to show that we are serious about that goal.

Readers are waiting to see what action follows the words from Cop26. But 1.5C is still within reach.

Yours,

Chris Stevenson

Voices editor