Plan to deliver Paris climate goals could be agreed this week, Cop26 hears

The rulebook for implementing the 2015 Paris climate agreement could be completed at the Cop26 in Glasgow this week, European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans has said.

He said completing the rulebook, which sets out detailed guidance for how countries must implement the goals agreed in Paris in 2015, would be one of the key outcomes of this week’s summit.

“It will allow us to start delivery of what was agreed six years ago in a way that is transparent for everyone and accountable for everyone,” he told a press conference in Glasgow.

"I think there is a positive dynamic, and I see a growing sense among fellow leaders that we need to find agreement. We in the European Union continue to work to keep the momentum going and hopefully drive it to the highest possible level of ambition."

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Most of the rulebook has been agreed since 2018 but a number of key issues remain unresolved, notably on the regulation of carbon markets where emissions are traded.

Completing the rulebook would be a major success for Cop26, which is due to end by 6pm on Friday but Mr Timmermans warned it would be a “very bad signal” if a reference to phasing out coal and fossil fuels in a draft text published on Wednesday does not survive in the summit’s final statement .

“It took the world a while to understand. I remember even some of our member-states only a couple of years ago saying coal is forever. And now every member state of European Union knows that there is no future in coal.

“I think the sense of urgency has increased and the understanding that fossil fuels are part of the problem has increased. But if you remove it from the text, what is the message you’re sending then? Because the only way humanity can learn to live within planetary boundaries is if we rid ourselves of the dependency on fossil fuels that are making our survival impossible,” he said.

The EU has faced charges of hypocrisy over its investment in dozens of gas infrastructure projects at the same time that it is calling in Glasgow for an end to fossil fuels.

But Mr Timmermans said the EU had nothing to be ashamed of and asserted that its investment in gas infrastructure helped to prepare for a future beyond fossil fuels.

“Exiting out of coal for a number of our member-states will have to happen through an intermediary phase of using natural gas to lead these countries to using fossil-free energy. That is reality.

“Now, what we need to do with our investments is to make sure that the investments in the infrastructure that will be needed for natural gas are pre-fitted to also be able to carry decarbonated or green gases so that the density of different gases can be transported through this infrastructure,” he said.