PM calls on countries to ‘pull out all the stops’ as COP26 draft agreement published

The Prime Minister was speaking ahead of returning to the climate summit in Glasgow on Wednesday, where negotiators are set to inspect a first draft of a “cover decision” – a negotiated outcome to the talks that aims to boost climate action.

The draft agreement urges countries to strengthen their emissions-cutting plans for the 2020s in the next year.

It also calls for long-term strategies by the end of next year to reach net-zero emissions by around mid-century, to curb warming to 1.5C.

The document, which was published by the UK Cop26 presidency around six hours later than expected, will have to be negotiated and agreed by countries attending the talks.

It says that meeting the goal to limit global warming to 1.5C – which countries pledged to try to pursue under the Paris climate accord – needs meaningful and effective action in “this critical decade”.

Negotiators are also trying to agree on technical parts of the global climate treaty, the Paris Agreement.

This includes common timeframes for national commitments on emissions reductions and agreed ways for countries to report on their progress, to help turn pledges into action.

There are also talks on providing finance for developing countries to cope with climate change and address the issue of loss and damage to people, livelihoods, land and infrastructure caused by global warming in poorer nations.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Negotiating teams are doing the hard yards in these final days of COP26 to turn promises into action on climate change.

“There’s still much to do. Today I’ll be meeting with ministers and negotiators to hear about where progress has been made and where the gaps must be bridged.

“This is bigger than any one country and it is time for nations to put aside differences and come together for our planet and our people.

“We need to pull out all the stops if we’re going to keep 1.5C within our grasp.”