COP26: UK PM Boris Johnson urges nations to make ‘bold compromises' in final summit week

As COP26 climate summit enters its final week, UK PM Boris Johnsons urged world leaders to make “bold compromises and ambitious commitments”. In an intervention marking the halfway point of the meeting, Johnson warned that his colleagues have “one week left to deliver for the world”. He asked the ministers and negotiators at the Glasgow summit to “pull together and drive for the line” to secure ambitious action on climate change. 

The UK PM said, “There is one week left for COP26 to deliver for the world, and we must all pull together and drive for the line. We have seen nations bring ambition and action to help limit rising temperatures, with new pledges to cut carbon and methane emissions, end deforestation, phase out coal and provide more finance to countries most vulnerable to climate change. But we cannot underestimate the task at hand to keep 1.5C alive.”

“Countries must come back to the table this week ready to make the bold compromises and ambitious commitments needed,” Johnson added. 

COP26 climate summit

It is to mention that a week ago around 120 global leaders and their negotiators gathered in Glasgow with the state aim of limiting global warming to 1.5C. Now, around 195 countries, along with the European Union, will work to reach a collective agreement on more than 200 pages of the text setting out their climate pledges. But issues that need to be resolved are largely those left open by the 2015 Paris agreement. 

Paris agreement, which is the world’s first comprehensive deal to tackle climate change, still need to finalise involve markets for trading carbon emissions, transparency over what countries are doing, and a common timeframe for action. Additionally, the countries will also continue to discuss negotiations on finance for poor countries to adapt to a changing climate as well as on a “cover decision” pledge from the summit. This will set out how nations will close the gap between the action to cut emissions and what is needed to avoid dangerous temperature rises of over 1.5C.

(Image: AP)