
World leaders have reached a deal at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland to help combat the effects of climate change.
The COP26 Climate Pact, which was formed Saturday, will push countries to phase out subsidies for the fossil fuel industry and turn away from coal. This is the first time limiting fossil fuels has been mentioned in a global climate agreement. Fossil fuels play a large role in warming the planet and world leaders in the global climate conference want to look to other energy sources, the Washington Examiner reported.
The deal was weakened by China and India, which both rely on coal in their growing economies. China and India are the two leading emitters of carbon in the world, the outlet reported.
“How can developing countries promise to phase out coal and fossil fuel subsidies when they have still to deal with their development agendas and poverty eradication,” India’s climate minister Bhupender Yadav told the BBC.
The U.S. and China reached an agreement to collaborate on climate issues. The countries agreed to share technology and encourage decarbonization in their respective economies. The agreement had no mention of any timeframes, emission targets or concrete pledges, the Washington Examiner reported.