COP26 eneded last night after two weeks of intense haggling. A pact was approved in principle, but a last minute change by India and China drew most of the attention. The final wording now refers to a ‘phase down’ of coal, rather than a ‘phase out’, as many climate activists had hoped. Alok Sharma, the President of COP26, joined Trevor Phillips from Glasgow, and set about defending the deal as secured:
Sharma: ‘I’ve invested an enormous amount’ in COP26
Despite this bullishness, one of the most memorable moments from COP26 will surely be Sharma’s tearful apology after he conceded the coal compromise. On Times Radio, Tom Newton Dunn asked Sharma about what was going through his mind at the time:

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