The UK COP26 presidency has published the first draft of a COP26 agreement.

Countries are being encouraged to strengthen long-term targets towards climate change by the end of 2022 in the first draft of a COP26 agreement.

This first draft has marked the closing days of the summit which is due to end on Friday 12th November 2021.

The documents highlight key focuses in line with net-zero ambitions, including the phasing out of coal and other fossil fuels from their economies and outlining how to cut emissions to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

A call for support for vulnerable and developing countries most affected by climate change has been made within the draft. The call goes to developed nations to address the loss and damage caused to these communities due to extreme weather and rising sea levels.

This section recognises the additional financial support required on top of the 100 billion USD per year by 2020 promise that cannot be delivered until 2022. Significant and precise action is still lacking from the documents for the most vulnerable communities.

Negotiations and agreements are required of the near 200 countries represented at the summit to establish final documents. This may result in the manipulation of certain clauses from the final text where interests do not align.

Unfortunately, the world is not currently in line with meeting the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit. This is why the document urges a revisit to targets for cutting emissions by 2030 and to national plans that align with the Paris Agreement. Statistics show that at least 45% of global emissions must be cut by 2030 to keep on target.

If all of the global 2030 targets are met, there would still be an increase to 2.4 degrees Celsius by the year 2100, while current policies put us on the path to 2.7 degrees Celsius. Earlier in the summit, representatives were warned that an increase to 2 degrees would mark the “death sentence” for island nations.

Another critical focus mentioned is the “nature-based solutions”, which promote conserving and restoring ecosystems and our environment. This follows on from the pledge made last week by over 100 leaders that committed to ending deforestation by 2030. The signatories account for around 85% of the world’s forests.

While these documents provide blanket cover on some of the discussions over the COP26 summit, it remains a draft until negotiations and agreements are accepted and a final text is published.