COP26 delegates have reached a climate deal that calls for a rapid scaling up of clean power but contains a watered down pledge on coal that has left many disappointed.
Delegates at the event in Glasgow on Saturday night agreed to a last minute change in the text proposed by India to “phase down” rather than phase out coal.
Several countries registered their unhappiness with the revision but accepted it.
COP26 President Alok Sharma (pictured) said the text is “imperfect” and said he was “deeply sorry” for the way the process unfolded.
RenewableUK chief executive Dan McGrail said the final wording should have gone further to commit to phasing out coal, however, he said significant progress has been made at the two-week-long conference.
“It’s clear that we still have a mountain to climb to limit global warming to 1.5C. That’s why it’s so important for countries to revisit and strengthen their plans to reduce emissions at next year’s COP in Egypt instead of waiting until 2025,” he said.
“We also need to see clearer road maps from each country on how they plan to reach net zero with more ambitious targets for rolling out the clean technologies which will do the heavy lifting on decarbonisation.”
He added: “Accelerating the deployment of renewables worldwide right now and over the course of this decade is a tangible, practical and cost-effective step which nations can take to help to get us back on track towards that goal of keeping 1.5 alive.”