If you read between the lines, the Climate Summit in Glasgow ended in failure, tears and something along the lines of kicking the can type of commitments.
Coal companies scored a huge win at COP26, after China, world’s largest economy, and India managed to change the language of the final pact from phase out to phase down.
The change occurred during the last 30 minutes of the Saturday night final session, when India jumped in and pushed the demand, while adding an extra cause that reads “while providing targeted support to the poorest and the most vulnerable.”
Basically, the pact between 197 nations asks parties to commit to, let me quote, “escalating efforts to phase down unabated coal power and phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies while providing targeted support to the poorest and the most vulnerable in line with national circumstances and recognising the need for support towards a just transition.”
Before that, 197 nations pact read:
“including accelerating efforts towards the phaseout of unabated coal power and inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, recognising the need for support towards a just transition.”
China and India put the kibosh on the plan to phase out coal, an impossible task in the real world, especially for developing countries, while the Western-White nations were asked to help the respective countries via ‘targeted support’ in the form of taxpayer dollars for poorer nations.
China and India were net beneficiaries of said pact, as India claimed that it would “call upon parties to escalate development and deployment” of sustainable technologies and a transition towards lower energy use, while China issued an even less specific support for the call “according to what India, China, South Africa and Bolivia delegates, and like-minded countries and other developing countries, expressed [as] concerns.”
Following COP26′ failure, Alok Sharma offered his sincere apologies, saying he was “deeply sorry” for how the event ended up.
#COP26 President Sharma is in tears. He says on stage he is “deeply sorry” for how the process has worked out in the end.
— Philip Crowther (@PhilipinDC) November 13, 2021
#COP26 President Alok Sharma tearfully discusses the event and the resulting agreement:
“I apologize for the way this process has unfolded..I also understand the deep disappointment, but…it is also vital that we protect this package…”
Then he cries.pic.twitter.com/m23qYqu6xw
— Leah McElrath (@leahmcelrath) November 13, 2021
Energy and pollution directly relate to the economic power of a country. Asking them to reduce their emissions is paramount to asking them to commit economic suicide.
Moreover, this decision marks the absolute loss of Western influence on the world stage.
Nobody cares about their tantrums anymore.