This post was written by Tom Levitt and Oliver Holmes and originally published in The Guardian on November 11, 2021.
When will this all finish? Well that’s it from me on the live blog today, but don’t expect the conference to finish as planned tomorrow evening. Plenty of journalists reporting that it will “drag on until Saturday” as countries argue over the wording of the final text (which among other things should explain how countries are going to keep global heating to 1.5C).
Sticking points certainly likely to include phasing out fossil fuels and what support will be given to poor countries to help them cut greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of extreme weather.
Here’s a quick summary of what happened this afternoon:
- The optimism around the US-Chinese deal announced yesterday to cut emissions was dampened today by the UN secretary general António Guterres’s criticism of the lack of ambition at the summit and call to end the trillions in subsidies given to the fossil fuel industry.
- Pledges announced at Glasgow on methane, coal, transport and deforestation could nudge the world 9% closer to a pathway that keeps heating to 1.5C, according to a study by the world’s most respected climate analysis coalition. But, it still leaves the world heading towards climate catastrophe.
- Ugandan activist Vanessa Nakate has been giving a voice to those on the frontline of the climate crisis. “We are drowning in promises. Promises will not stop the suffering of people. Only immediate and drastic action will pull us back from the abyss,” she said.
- Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been under pressure over Scotland’s failure to join a new alliance that aims to phase out fossil fuels, despite her rhetoric on climate justice and photographs with Greta Thunberg. The UK has also decided not to join the alliance.
- Finally, with one day to go, scientists have been talking of their optimism and anxiety at the progress being made at the conference. While warning that the speed of action was worrying, they believed world leaders were listening to the need to act.
Continue reading: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/live/2021/nov/11/cop26-climate-crisis-conference-glasgow-global-heating-day-11-live?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other