OPEC Chief: COP26 a Wakeup Call

The secretary-general of oil producer group OPEC has said the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, was “definitely a wakeup call”.
Mohammad Barkindo was also asked at the ADIPEC energy industry forum in Abu Dhabi, the UAE, whether the deal eventually reached in Glasgow — which included a late compromise on language related to coal — was a success or not, CNBC reported. 
“I would not call it a failure,” Barkindo said. “I think the UK presidency did an extremely good job in bringing back Paris on track in Glasgow. It is not a mean achievement to rebuild the consensus of Paris in Glasgow if you follow the fractures we saw after the withdrawal of the United States.”
The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, aims to “limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels”.
The task is huge, and the United Nations has noted that 1.5 degrees Celsius is considered “the upper limit” when it comes to avoiding the worst consequences of climate change.
The COP26 deal sought to build on this and prevent the worst effects of climate change, although it faced stumbling blocks related to the phasing out of coal, fossil fuel subsidies and financial support to low-income countries.
India and China insisted on a last-minute change of fossil fuel language in the pact — from a “phase out” of coal to a “phase down”.