COP26: India Raises Last-Minute Objection to Ending Coal

Final drafts of the agreement, named the Glasgow Climate Pact, were published as COP26 President Alok Sharma called delegates back into the plenary room for the closing session.

In a last-minute move, India proposed weakening fossil fuel language in the pact, shifting from a commitment toward “accelerating efforts towards the phase-out of unabated coal power” to instead supporting a “phase down unabated coal power.”

Switzerland and the European Union expressed strong objections to India’s proposal, but ultimately accepted it, paving the way for the adoption of what EU climate czar Frans Timmermans called a “historic” document.