Delegates suggest they broadly support ‘imperfect’ Cop26 text – live updates

Joeri Rogelj, director of research at Imperial College London, said:

“As a scientist and citizen of this planet, I see reasons to be proud, to be hopeful, and to be deeply concerned. I’m proud because never before has science featured so strongly in the Cop decisions. I’m hopeful because many decisions make critical steps forward.

“Finally, I’m deeply concerned, because climate change is raging and is worsening each year we wait. The progress at Cop26 was the best the world was willing to do at this stage, but it is not enough, not by far. Global emissions need to decline, immediately, rapidly, and extremely urgently.”

Sharma said that the appearance of loss and damage in the text indicated a newly collegiate approach. “For the very first time in any one of these processes, loss and damage has appeared in the text. And that again demonstrates both the change and the way that people are approaching this, being more collegiate.

“And yes, there is work to be done and we will contribute to that. But I think the key issue is to recognise that loss and damage is an issue that deserves a lot of consideration.”

Asked what the consequences should be for countries like Australia which suggested they might refuse the call back to the table next year, Sharma said simply that “all countries signed up to this and it’s an international agreement”.

Sharma was asked how he felt about climate vulnerable communities for whom this deal was not enough.

He said: “I’ve seen for myself that when people talk about 1.5 to keep alive, that’s precisely what it means. So I understand the sense of disappointment. But what was really important for me was to get a deal over the line.”

“Of course I wish that we had managed to preserve the language on coal that was originally agreed. But nevertheless, we do have language on coal on phase down, I don’t think anyone at the start of this process thought that would be retained but it has”.

“That is down to the flexibility and the goodwill shown by many of the parties here today.” He said he wanted to thank ” all the parties who showed such grace in agreeing to it.”

Asked about being emotional during the meeting, he said he had had about six hours’ sleep in the past three days. “You know, it is emotional in the sense that, collectively as a team we have achieved what I suspect very many people doubted probably up until the last few days. So of course, it’s emotional but the hard work starts here”.

Patricia Espinosa, the executive secretary of the UN climate convention, under which Cop26 took place, said:

Negotiations are never easy and while we seek an outcome that is acceptable to all, few return home completely satisfied. But this is the nature of consensus and inclusive multilateralism.

We are disappointed the $100bn pledge remains outstanding and I call upon all donors to make it a reality as by next year. The road to climate action does not end in Glasgow.

Despite [Cop26] accomplishments, we are still far off the trajectory of stabilising global temperature rise at 1.5C. It’s imperative we see more climate action this decade to achieve it. There can be no doubting the urgency of this task. This is a question of the long-term survival of humanity on this planet.

Frans Timmermans of the EU, who has given several powerful and emotive speeches over the past days, has commented on the last-minute change of language on coal:

He said: “Let’s be clear, I’d rather not have the change. I was very happy with the language we had.”

But he added it was “like going from 24 carat gold to 18 carat, it’s still gold.”

“We are now making concrete steps to eliminate coal … and that countries that are so dependent on coal are willing to be part of that agreement is astonishing.”

At Cop26, EU vice president Franz Timmermans is quoting a famous Glaswegian, comedian Billy Connolly: “Connolly says Scotland has two seasons: July and winter.”

Timmermans says he has not been able to verify that. But points to the “miracle transition” of Glasgow from the depressed post-industrial 1980s to the delightful city of today as evidence that transformations can happen, then says the work to reach 1.5C begins now.

Kevin Rudd, former prime minister of Australia calls out the current government: “While Glasgow has shown the ambition mechanism at the heart of the Paris Agreement is beating, survival for those on the frontline of this climate crisis is still not certain.

“Countries like my own which refused to update their 2030 targets have not simply been granted a leave pass to do nothing for another five years — they will now need to come back to the table by COP27 next year.”

International activists for Extinction Rebellion have condemned the summit as a waste of time.

Winnie, 30, from Brazil say: “The problem with COP26 is that the tone is exactly the same of the other 25. It is all about the optimistic promise of a better, and yet abstract, future. As if we still have time to think and plan and don’t yet have to act. Climate change effects were present in the lives of people of Global South even before the COP1! And yet, they keep talking about this unrealistic future.”

Ornella, a representative from Argentina, said: “COP26 was a waste of time and resources. They didn’t listen to the best science available: we should act now to reduce emissions and there aren’t real commitments towards a drastic decrease of emissions caused by fossil fuels”.

John Jonathan Olwenyi, a climate and environmental activist from Uganda, said: “The indigenous people who are most affected were not fully represented, there was inequality and imbalance at COP26 to me. I feel it was COP for the rich not the poor. It was yet another registered failure because the same promises that our leaders always make were repeated again.”