Watch live as Cop26 President Alok Sharma addresses climate summit in Glasgow
“Time is running out” to achieve success at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow, Alok Sharma has warned as the crucial climate talks draw to a close in Glasgow.
“There is still a lot more work to be done and Cop26 is scheduled to close at the end of tomorrow,” he said. “Time is running out.”
Mr Sharma urged all countries to “strain every sinew to achieve a timely outcome that we can all be proud of”, warning: “We still have a monumental challenge ahead of us.”
His comments came after the UK declined to join an international alliance aiming to end new oil and gas projects at Glasgow’s Cop26 summit.
The move has left a small group of other countries led by Costa Rica and Denmark to forge a path away from fossil fuels.
Campaigners have warned that if Boris Johnson allows fossil fuel extraction to continue on Britain’s watch he will lose credibility in the fight against global heating.
Meanwhile, the head of the UN has said the attempt to limit warming to 1.5C as agreed in Paris six years ago is “on life support”.
Antonio Guterres also said climate negotiators at Cop26 had failed to meet any of his organisation’s three goals. Talks are going down to the wire in the summit’s final hours after Mr Johnson admitted there remained “a huge amount” to do.
His warning came despite China and the US resolving to cooperate more closely on tackling the climate crisis.
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‘There is no other way to get this thing done’: US and China make pact to cooperate on climate crisis
The US and China have made a joint declaration at the Cop26 summit to accelerate measures in the 2020s to tackle the climate crisis, writes Louise Boyle.
The world’s two largest polluters have committed to a working group for this decade, saying they will “meet regularly” and focus on “concrete actions”.
A sudden announcement was made on the UN Cop26 website on Wednesday that there would back-to-back press conferences from the nations’ two longtime climate negotiators, Xie Zhenhua and John Kerry.
Jon Sharman11 November 2021 07:59
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Watch live outside Cop26 venue in Glasgow
Watch live outside Cop26 venue in Glasgow
Jon Sharman11 November 2021 08:18
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PM accused of abandoning post by leaving Cop26 for London
Boris Johnson was today under pressure to do more to secure a credible deal at the Cop26 climate change summit, after he admitted that with just 48 hours to go there was “a huge amount” to do to keep alive hopes of preventing disastrous global warming, writes Andrew Woodcock.
Paying a flying visit to the summit venue in Glasgow, the prime minister urged fellow world leaders to “pick up the phone” to their negotiating teams and give them a mandate to compromise to get a deal which would put the world on track for keeping warming within 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
But he was accused of a “dereliction of duty” as he left the conference to return to London for a cabinet meeting on his “levelling up” agenda, rather than staying to lead the battle to toughen up a draft agreement which environmentalists warn lacks the necessary ambition.
Jon Sharman11 November 2021 08:28
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John Kerry says US will be coal free by 2030
Biden administration climate envoy John Kerry said at the Cop26 UN climate conference that the US will phase out burning coal by the end of the decade, writes Oliver O’Connell.
Speaking to Bloomberg on Tuesday in Glasgow, Scotland, Mr Kerry said: “By 2030 in the United States, we won’t have any coal.”
He added: “We will not have coal plants.”
Jon Sharman11 November 2021 08:47
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Analysis: The good, the bad and the grey areas in the first draft of the Cop26 agreement
The first iteration of the Cop26 agreements were published early on Wednesday, setting out a vision for how the world can keep hopes of limiting global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels within reach.
The draft text offers a stark assessment of “alarm and concern” at where the world stands due to 1.1C of global heating, with climate impacts already being felt in every region of the world, write Louise Boyle and Daisy Dunne.
Jon Sharman11 November 2021 09:06
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Editorial: The chances of success at Cop26 are diminishing – and Boris Johnson knows it
The notion that the survival of life on Earth depends on Boris Johnson is not a comfortable one, and it might even frighten the prime minister himself.
The chances of success at Cop26 appear to be receding. The published draft agreement is underwhelming, fatally compromised by the reluctance of powers such as China, Russia, India and Saudi Arabia to do the right thing, as well as the likes of Toyota and Volkswagen declining to sign up to a truly ambitious vehicle electrification programme.
Jon Sharman11 November 2021 09:25
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Opinion: Greener and more sustainable food systems should be at the centre of climate action
The 25,000 or so delegates gathered in Glasgow for Cop26 have a critical task – to discuss and agree on solutions to avert a climate catastrophe that could bring untold destruction to the world. As negotiations stretch into the nights and become heated, as they often do, the one thing they can count on is having climate-friendly and healthy meals, writes Ban Ki-Moon.
The organisers of Cop26 have ensured that 80 per cent of food served at the conference is seasonal and sourced in Scotland, such as the Mara Seaweed, which can grow without fertiliser, freshwater or soil, and carrots and potatoes stored using renewable energy. Many of my team members present at the conference have reported back on the good quality of food. There is also a concerted and commendable effort being made to reduce food waste.
Jon Sharman11 November 2021 09:44
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Alliance for ending oil and gas reliance
Denmark and Costa Rica are set to announce a new alliance focused on ending the use of oil and gas today at Cop26.
The UK had initially said it wouldn’t join the group but Boris Johnson has suggested he may reconsider.
Elsewhere, Alok Sharma, Antonio Guterres, Nicola Sturgeon and Vanessa Nakate will speak at an event on the future of cities.
“With 68 per cent of the global population living in cities by 2050, it’s vital we build a sustainable and resilient future,” Cop26 organisers said ahead of the event.
Jon Sharman11 November 2021 09:54
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Cop26 overshadowed by grim progress report on carbon emissions
COP26 overshadowed by grim progress report on carbon emissions
Jon Sharman11 November 2021 10:09
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Johnson welcomes US-China pact that overshadowed his flying visit to Glasgow
Boris Johnson has hailed the US-China pact announced last night as a “boost to negotiations” on tackling the climate crisis.
Jon Sharman11 November 2021 10:24
https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/cop26-glasgow-news-greta-thunberg-b1955664.html
