COP26: Greta Thunberg pans climate pact, argues 'real work continues outside these halls'

Swedish environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg on Saturday, November 13, dismissed the COP26 climate conference deal as “blah, blah blah”. It is to mention that the world leaders have struck a deal at the UN climate summit in Glasgow that presses for more urgent emission cuts and promises more money for developing countries to help them adapt to climate impacts. However, the pledges don’t go far enough to limit temperature rise to 1.5C. Therefore, while taking to Twitter, Thunberg dismissed the new Glasgow Climate Pact and said that the “real work continues outside these halls”. 

The new deal is aimed at staving off dangerous climate change. It is the first-ever climate agreement to explicitly plan to reduce coal, the worst fossil fuel for greenhouse gases. Previously, a commitment to phase out coal that was included in an earlier negotiation draft led to a dramatic finish. However, in the end, the countries agreed to “phase down” rather than “phase out” coal. 

As part of the agreement, nations will now meet next year to pledge further major carbon cuts with the aim of reaching the 1.5C goal. Current pledges, if fulfilled, will only limit global warming to about 2.4C. It is to mention that if global temperatures rise by more than 1.5C, scientists say that the Earth is likely to experience severe effects such as million more people being exposed to extreme climate conditions. 

Glasgow climate pact 'not enough'

Meanwhile, global leaders who welcomed the deal in Glasgow also said that a huge amount of work remained to be done. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres remarked that the outcome of the negotiations in Glasgow was “not enough”. He stated that the outcomes of the summit were a compromise, adding that they reflect the interests, the conditions, the contradictions and the state of political will in the world today. 

“They take important steps. But unfortunately, the collective political will was not enough to overcome some deep contradictions," the UN Chief said.

Guterres also explained that according to science, the top objective for this decade should be quick, substantial, and a long-term promise for carbon reduction by 45% within 2030 compared to 2010 levels to avoid severe climatic catastrophic disasters. He added that even if these are implemented fully, the current set of Nationally Determined Contributions would still elevate emissions this decade, putting everyone on a road that will lead to 2 degrees Celsius above relative to pre-industrial levels by the end of the century. Guterres claimed that the COP26 climate summit laid the groundwork for change, citing pledges to eliminate deforestation, substantially decrease methane emissions, and mobilise private capital to support net-zero emissions. 

Image: AP