COP26: New draft declaration retreats from prior call to phase out coal & fossil fuel use

On Friday, November 12, a new draft of the final declaration being negotiated at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow appeared to back away from a previous call to phase out coal and all fossil fuel use. A statement released by the COP26 president on Wednesday, November 10, called on countries to accelerate the phase-out of coal and fossil fuel subsidies, but the wording has since been changed to clarify that the call is only directed at "unabated coal power" and "inefficient" subsidies, AP reported,

The new draft declaration proposed by COP26 President Alok Sharma, reads, "Calls upon Parties to accelerate the development, deployment and dissemination of technologies, and the adoption of policies, to transition towards low-emission energy systems, including by rapidly scaling up clean power generation and accelerating the phase-out of unabated coal power and of inefficient subsidies for fossil fuels." Sputnik reported.

COP26: last chance to reach meaningful commitments to meet 2015 Paris Agreement's goals

The term "unabated" in the context of coal-fired power plants refers to plants that do not use carbon capture and storage technology to lower carbon emissions. The COP26, which will conclude on Friday, November 12, is widely regarded as the world's last chance to reach meaningful commitments to meet the 2015 Paris Agreement's goals for greenhouse gas reduction, carbon neutrality, global warming, and climate change. One of the major sticking points at COP26 has been how to address fossil fuel use, which is responsible for much of global warming. To meet the 2015 Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, scientists agree that they must be phased out as soon as possible.

However, including such a call explicitly in the overarching declaration is politically sensitive, especially for countries like Saudi Arabia, which are concerned that oil and gas will be targeted next. Another pressing issue is the provision of financial assistance to poor countries in order to help them cope with climate change. Rich countries failed to meet their commitment of $100 billion (€ 86 million) per year by 2020, causing considerable resentment among developing countries going into the talks. On October 31, negotiators from nearly 200 countries met in Glasgow, despite dire warnings from leaders, activists, and scientists that not enough is being done to address the climate crisis.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP