Climate scientists broadly agree that ending subsidies to industries dependant on fossil fuels, and moving away from coal power as soon as possible, is vital to securing the 1.5C global warming target agreed at the 2015 Paris summit.
Other crucial issues, including the annual $100 billion paid by richer nations to help developing countries meet climate targets, are yet to be agreed on. The failure to secure the crucial deals so far has led to accusations of “greenwashing” by campaigners.
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She strongly criticized the inability of countries to come to a proper agreement on the issue despite negotiators working throughout the night on the topic.
Kerry added that the draft agreement “cannot get weaker, it can’t go backwards” and said countries “cannot afford to be wishy-washy” on coal subsidies.
He said the “special needs for Africa has been dismissed even without giving us a chance to make our case” and that the “biggest emitters bear the greatest responsibility”, expressing disappointment at the 20 countries which are responsible for 80 percent of emissions were not taking the issues in Africa seriously.
“A small number of key issues remain which require our urgent, collective attention,” he said, but warned that “pragmatic and workable solutions” were not yet apparent.
He called on nations who want to make interventions about the draft agreement to “identify themselves” but told delegates not to make “general statements” and instead focus on specific issues.
It also uncovered that 95 percent of Democrats are concerned about the issue compared to just 39 percent of Republicans.
The political divide around climate change has grown by over 20 points compared to seven years ago, with 11 percent more Democrats worried compared to 10 percent fewer Republicans.
Negotiations on fossils are still ongoing.
Volvo has its own climate action targets that go beyond the commitments in the declaration, with an internal carbon price of 1,000 Swedish crowns — around $116 — for every ton of carbon across its entire business.
FULL STORY: Volvo Signs COP26 Pledge, Will Charge Itself Double for Carbon Emissions
“Anything less puts the essence of Paris in peril.”
She added that the “critically weakened” weakened agreement on fossil fuels will need to change, saying it “needs to be strengthened again before this summit closes”.
The previous version, published on Wednesday, had called on countries to “accelerate the phasing out of coal and subsidies for fossil fuel”.
The proposal is still subject to further negotiation at the talks, with a shift away from unconditional demands on fossil fuels likely.
Follow Newsweek’s liveblog throughout Friday for all the latest.