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The Cop26 climate change talks were on the brink yesterday as negotiations to stop global warming continued into the night.
World leaders were warned the draft text left the goal of limiting rising temperatures to 1.5C in ‘mortal peril’ as negotiators battled over the final wording.
The Glasgow summit, which was due to end last night, went into extra time as countries clashed over fossil fuel policies.
Boris Johnson said the goal of the UN conference was to ‘keep 1.5C alive’, but experts warned the current pledges would still let Earth warm up by 2.4C.
World leaders were warned the draft text left the goal of limiting rising temperatures to 1.5C in ‘mortal peril’ as negotiators battled over the final wording. And Boris Johnson said the goal was to 'keep 1.5C alive'
The Prime Minister warned: ‘People need to understand that the deal that’s on the table... that is the text.
‘We either find a way of agreeing it or I’m afraid we risk blowing it. That’s the reality.’
He urged leaders to find the ‘courage’ to strike a deal, adding: ‘What we can’t do is stop global warming at Glasgow – we’ve got to accept that. What we can do is keep alive the prospect of restraining the increase in temperatures to 1.5 degrees by the end of the century.’
Scientists say capping warming at 1.5C is crucial to stop climate change wreaking havoc.
But a draft deal published last night made little movement to meeting that goal. Nations such as Saudi Arabia, Australia, China, the US and Russia were blamed for delaying progress.
Although the draft talked of ending the world’s dependence on coal and fossil fuels for the first time, the language was watered down.
Countries were ‘requested’ to strengthen their 2030 targets by next year, when they are expected to meet in Egypt.
A pledge for richer nations to give the
