Everything you need to know about the COP26 climate conference

The COP26 conference took place in Glasgow, Scotland, from October 31 to November 12, bringing together leaders from around the world to discuss how to battle climate change. 

The goal of this year’s conference was to reach a consensus on actions to keep global warming to the 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit limit, as well as to secure net-zero emissions - limiting greenhouse gas emissions from human activity to the same levels that the environment can absorb - by 2050, both conditions set by the Paris Climate Agreement. 

Countries and companies came together to make various pledges in order to help slow the rate of climate change.

Forests

More than 130 countries, representing more than 85 percent of the planet's forests, pledged to end and reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030, in the first big deal of the summit.

Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Indonesia all signed on, these countries home to 90 percent of the world's forests.

Indonesia, however, flip-flopped on the terms of the deal. Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakat said to an audience in Glasgow that the pledge “shouldn’t be interpreted as zero deforestation" and called the deal "unfair." 

Deforestation is a major contributor to climate change, as when forests are cleared or burnt, they release the carbon they store. It also removes the ability for the trees to absorb existing carbon dioxide. 

Fossil Fuels

“The end of coal is in sight,” Alok Sharma, the COP26 president, announced as 46 countries, including Poland, Vietnam and Chile, committed to shifting away from coal. However, some of the most coal-dependent countries such as the US, India and China, didn’t sign on. 

Australia also refused to commit, dedicating themselves to coal for decades.

South Africa is set to receive $8.5 billion from Britain, France, Germany, the United States and European Union to help stop the country's coal usage. Coal supplies 86 percent of South Africa's electricity, making the country heavily dependent on the pollutant. 

Coal is the biggest contributor to human-caused climate change, the burning of it contributing to 46 percent of carbon dioxide emissions and accounting for 72 percent of total greenhouse gas. 

Transport

A group of countries, companies and cities also committed to phasing out fossil fuel vehicles by 2040, as part of efforts to cut carbon emissions.

The world's top two carmakers, Toyota Motor Corp and Volkswagen AG, as well as major car markets China, the United States and Germany, did not sign up, highlighting the challenges in shifting to zero emissions. Ford and General Motors did sign on, however, as well as New Zealand, Poland and India. 

The US, UK, Canada, and 17 other countries signed on to end financing for fossil fuel projects abroad, as well. The agreement commits to "end new direct public support for the international unabated fossil fuel energy sector by the end of 2022."

Methane

The United States, the European Union, and partners launched the Global Methane Pledge, with a total of over 100 countries representing 70 percent of the global economy signed up. 

Countries signed on to the pledge committing to a collective goal of reducing global methane emissions by at least 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030.

Several foundations and philanthropic groups pledged over $325 million to help countries and industries reduce methane emissions. 

Methane is 84 times more powerful at warming the climate than carbon dioxide and just a 30 percent cut in methane emissions could reduce projected warming by .36 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Glasgow Climate Pact

The climate talks ended with a deal that, for the first time, targeted fossil fuels as the main driver of global warming.  

Nearly 200 countries pledged to speed up the end of the fossil fuel subsidies and reduce the use of coal. 

In the final decision text, known as the Glasgow Climate Pact, countries agreed to "accelerate efforts" to phase out the "inefficient" subsidies as the summit drew on past its conclusion. 

However, in a last-minute intervention, India proposed a watered-down version, changing the language to "phasing down" rather than "phasing out." Despite protests, the weaker text was adopted, with COP26 President Alok Sharma stating he was "deeply sorry" for how events unfolded.

According to US climate envoy John Kerry, there was no choice but to agree. “If we hadn’t done that we wouldn’t have had an agreement,” he said, according to The Guardian. 

“They changed a word but they can’t change the signal coming out of this COP, that the era of coal is ending. If you’re a coal company executive, this COP saw a bad outcome," said Greenpeace International Executive Director Jennifer Morgan.

However, others were less optimistic. "Fridays for Future," a youth climate activist group founded by Greta Thunberg, called the summit "infuriating and disappointing." 

Thunberg herself said the climate talks achieved "nothing." 

Vanessa Nakate, climate activist, has stated, “Even if leaders stuck to the promises they have made here in Glasgow, it would not prevent the destruction of communities like mine," noting the droughts and flooding that are taking place in her home country of Uganda. 

“As far as I am concerned, it is a failure,” said Saleemul Hug, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development. 

Overall, despite the pledges taken, Climate Action Tracker shows that no countries have hit sufficient targets to limit global warming to 2.7 Fahrenheit and hit the Paris target. 

"With all target pledges, including those made in Glasgow, global greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 will still be around twice as high as necessary for the 2.7 limit," the press release states. 

Though leaders’ views differ widely, experts agree much more could have been done to limit global warming to the 2.7 degree limit.