COP26 ends with agreement but falls short on climate action

20.500.12592/h4smrf

COP26 ends with agreement but falls short on climate action

15 Nov 2021

It was, in the end, an agreement of compromise. Whilst the Glasgow Climate Pact agreed at the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) on Saturday firms up the global commitment to accelerate action on climate this decade, it left many wondering if this deal is enough to limit global warming to 1.5°C over pre-industrial levels. “It is an important step but is not enough,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in his wrap up message to the conference. “Our fragile planet is hanging by a thread. We are still knocking on the door of climate catastrophe. It is time to go into emergency mode — or our chance of reaching net-zero will itself be zero.” There is also fear, particularly from indigenous communities and civil society, that the agreement – which calls on 197 countries to report their progress towards more climate ambition next year at COP27 in Egypt - is too little and too late. As Ugandan climate activist, Vanessa Nakate told leaders, “We are drowning in promises. Only immediate and drastic action will pull us back from the abyss.”
mitigation adaptation climate action peatlands
Published in
Kenya