COP26 President Says G-20 Summit Is ‘Make or Break’ for Climate

Speaking in Paris on Tuesday, the president of the crucial COP26 talks in Glasgow, called on G-20 nations to agree new measures to curb coal consumption to avoid climate catastrophe. The leaders are gathering on the eve of the crunch climate talks, in what Sharma called a “make or break meeting.”

Sharma has set a target for COP26 to consign coal to history, but G-20 countries have so far resisted making a collective commitment. While China last month agreed to stop building coal-fired power plants in other nations, the widening energy crisis is prompting policy makers to rethink the pace of the country’s green transition.

The COP26 president also said rich countries are close to delivering on their decade-old pledge to mobilize $100 billion a year to help poor countries deal with the worst impacts of climate change.