Alok Sharma, president of Conference of Parties (COP) 26, released a third draft of the Glasgow document on Saturday morning, after negotiations spilled over into the weekend, with still no clear consensus.
From India's viewpoint, the language of Para 21, has been changed. It earlier “called upon parties to accelerate the development, deployment and dissemination of technologies, and the adoption of policies, to transition towards low-emission energy systems, including by rapidly scaling up clean power generation and accelerating the phaseout of unabated coal power and of inefficient subsidies for fossil fuels.”
The language regarding the phaseout of unabated coal power was a red flag for India, which has fought valiantly for carbon space in order to catch up on development with the global north.
The new draft has been reworded to read: “calls upon parties to accelerate the development, deployment and dissemination of technologies, and the adoption of policies to transition towards low-emission energy systems, including by rapidly scaling up the deployment of clean power generation and energy efficiency measures, including accelerating efforts towards the phaseout of unabated coal power and inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, recognising the need for support towards a just transition.”
The new wording reflects India's viewpoint. So instead of “accelerating the phaseout of unabated coal power”, now the text says, “accelerating efforts towards a phaseout of unabated coal power”.
There is also a sentence stating recognising the need for support towards a just transition, another point that India has, for itself, and on behalf of like-minded developing nations, been asking for.
Climate justice is something the global south has emphasised repeatedly at the meet. The tweak in language will also put at ease the concerns of oil-exporting countries.
The new draft also asks developed countries to raise their collective promises of climate finances by at least double. It also asks all countries to revisit and strengthen their 2030 emission targets to align with the Paris Accord on temperature goals, which was to limit global warming to well below 2°C, and try to limit it to within 1.5°C, taking into account different national circumstances.
The words “taking into account different national circumstances”, is in sync with the Paris-agreed idea of common but differentiated responsibilities.
There will be an informal stocktaking plenary session at 5.30pm IST. Will the Glasgow document get everyone's seal of approval by then?