Nicola Sturgeon urges world leaders to 'go further' with Cop26 draft deal
The draft agreement was published today as talks enter their final days
Last updated 10th Nov 2021
Nicola Sturgeon has urged world leaders to "go further" after the first draft of a Cop26 deal was revealed.
The First Minister has responded to the agreement which calls on countries to strengthen their emissions-cutting plans in the next year in a bid to keep a goal to limit warming to 1.5C within reach.
It also calls for faster phasing out of coal and subsidies for fossil fuels - a first for a UN deal - but there is likely to be strong resistance to this from some countries and it could be taken out of any final agreement.
The draft "cover decision", the final version of which must be agreed by consensus of nearly 200 countries at the Glasgow summit, was published today as Prime Minister Boris Johnson headed back to the talks as they entered their final days.
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Responding to the publication of the draft agreement at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The draft cover text is a start, but it must be the floor - not the ceiling.
"The imperative for leaders now - on climate finance and the pathway to 1.5 degrees - is to negotiate the ambition significantly upwards.
"It must not be watered down. It is vital that the world emerges from COP 26 with 1.5 degrees well and truly alive, and closing the finance gap is key to that.
"It is also a moral obligation developed countries owe to those less developed and most vulnerable to the impact of climate change."
She added: “I welcome the Prime Minister’s return to Glasgow today, and urge him to stay for as long as necessary until a deal is done. As has been the case all along, I will do everything I can to assist and support these efforts.
“This is a moment that future generations will judge. Either we will be judged to have failed in the face of climate catastrophe or, alternatively, to have taken a decisive step towards sustainability for our planet.
"It must be the latter. In the words of a Marshall Islands minister I met yesterday - 'for countries like mine, we don’t have many Cops left - the time to act is now'.”
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World leaders at Cop26
Angela Merkel arrives at Cop26
Other prominent climate activists and leaders were taking part in negotiations. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon met young climate campaigners Greta Thunberg and Vanessa Nakate and called on leaders to "put their egos aside" to work on the common issue of solving the climate crisis.
Boris Johnson waits to greet leaders at Cop26
Boris Johnson at the Cop26 Action and Solidarity session
Prince Charles and Joe Biden at Cop26
French president Emmanuel Macron at Cop26
Nicola Sturgeon at the Cop26 World Leaders Summit
Boris Johnson at Cop26