The latest United Nations climate talks have ended in Madrid with a compromise deal and widespread disappointment over the outcome.
The BBC says that “exhausted delegates” reached agreement on the key question of increasing the global response to curbing carbon. The agreement will see new, improved carbon cutting plans on the table by the time of the Glasgow conference next year.
However, this was not enough for many. The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said: “The international community lost an important opportunity to show increased ambition on mitigation, adaptation and finance to tackle the climate crisis.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Laurence Tubiana from the European Climate Foundation, and an architect of the Paris agreement, described the outcome of the talks as “a far cry from what science tells us is needed”.
Discussions went at “snail’s pace”, The Guardian says, and had “low ambition”. This was a view shared by Oxfam International, whose interim executive director, Chema Vera, told CNN: “The world is screaming out for action but this summit responded with a whisper”.
May Boeve, executive director of climate campaign group 350.org, said the fossil fuel giants “got what they wanted - a weakened text that kicks most of the big issues down the road to COP26”.
Almost 200 countries met in Madrid for the talks, aimed at forging a new response to the climate crisis. The European Union and small island states pushed for more ambitious agreements but they were opposed by a range of larger nations including the US, Brazil, India and China.
Looking ahead, the BBC’s Roger Harrabin says the fact that next year’s climate conference will be held in Glasgow “heaps enormous pressure on UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson” because he could be “humiliated” if he tries to lead other nations while his own government is still failing to meet its own medium-term climate targets.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
-
Who were the ‘weekend snipers’ of Sarajevo?Under the Radar Italian authorities launch investigation into allegations far-right gun enthusiasts paid to travel to Bosnian capital and shoot civilians ‘for fun’ during the four-year siege
-
A free speech debate is raging over sign language at the White HouseTalking Points The administration has been accused of excluding deaf Americans from press briefings
-
Glinda vs. Elphaba, Jennifer Lawrence vs. postpartum depression and wilderness vs. progress in November moviesthe week recommends This month’s new releases include ‘Wicked: For Good,’ ‘Die My Love’ and ‘Train Dreams’
-
Taps could run dry in drought-stricken TehranUnder the Radar President warns that unless rationing eases water crisis, citizens may have to evacuate the capital
-
The future of the Paris AgreementThe Explainer UN secretary general warns it is ‘inevitable’ the world will overshoot 1.5C target, but there is still time to change course
-
The Southern Ocean is holding in a ‘burp’Under the radar The heat from the past can affect the future
-
How climate change poses a national security threatThe explainer A global problem causing more global problems
-
The Earth is getting darkerUnder the radar The planet’s reflectivity is out of whack
-
Scientists want to use enhanced rock weathering to cool the EarthUnder the radar Rock dust could trap atmospheric carbon
-
Icarus programme – the ‘internet of animals’The Explainer Researchers aim to monitor 100,000 animals worldwide with GPS trackers, using data to understand climate change and help predict disasters and pandemics
-
China vows first emissions cut, sidelining USSpeed Read The US, the world’s No. 2 emitter, did not attend the New York summit
