Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025

Greta Thunberg says 'many loopholes' in COP26 pact

Greta Thunberg says 'many loopholes' in COP26 pact

Greta Thunberg has said the eventual agreement struck at COP26 was "very vague" with many loopholes.

The 18-year-old - who came to Glasgow for the summit - said it only succeeded in "watering down the blah blah blah."

Countries agreed to "phase down" rather than "phase out" coal after India and China led opposition to the commitment in earlier negotiation drafts.

After 15 days of talks, COP26 President Alok Sharma said he was "deeply sorry" for how events had unfolded.

The Glasgow Climate Pact is the first ever climate deal to explicitly plan to reduce coal, the worst fossil fuel for greenhouse gases.

The deal also presses for more urgent emission cuts and promises more money for developing countries - to help them adapt to climate impacts.

But the pledges do not go far enough to limit temperature rise to 1.5C.

'Very, very vague'


Ms Thunberg said that the "small progress" made could demonstrate a "losing" fight against the climate crisis, since time is a major factor.

She told BBC Scotland News: "I have to say unfortunately it turned out just the way I and many others had expected.

"They even succeeded at watering down the blah, blah, blah which is quite an achievement. There is still no guarantee that we will reach the Paris Agreement.

"You can still interpret it [the Glasgow pact] in many different ways - we can still expand fossil fuel infrastructure, we can increase the global emissions. It's very, very vague."

The Swedish activist joined thousands of young people - including striking school pupils - for a march through the city on 5 November.

She addressed the crowd when it arrived in George Square, saying "immediate and drastic" cuts to emissions were needed.

The protest was organised by Fridays for Future Scotland - part of an international network of young climate activists inspired by Ms Thunberg.

Activists from several other countries, including Vanessa Nakate from Uganda, also gave speeches about how climate change is already affecting their homelands.

Previously Greta Thunberg has called the climate summit a "failure" and a "PR exercise".

She has also criticised goals for cutting emissions which cause global warming, saying: "We don't just need goals for just 2030 or 2050. We, above all, need them for 2020 and every following month and year to come."

However, Ms Thunberg has so far avoided getting into the detail of what action should be taken, saying "it is nothing to do with me".

Ms Thunberg joined two marches through Glasgow during COP26


Asked if she had dismissed the conference before it had begun, she said that was how some people had "interpreted" her words - but added "of course, we need these conferences".

She continued: "It's a democratic process that is absolutely necessary for us to make progress - but they cannot be the way they are now.

"As long as there is no real massive pressure from the outside then politicians unfortunately will most likely get away with continuing like now.

"It feels like today COP is not really challenging the structures of today - it's mostly maintaining status quo. It's like we are trying to solve a problem with the methods that got us into this in the first place."

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he hoped the world would "look back on COP26 in Glasgow as the beginning of the end of climate change".

However, Mr Sharma was visibly emotional as he confirmed the agreement had been reached with last-minute changes to the wording.

Now back in Sweden, Ms Thunberg said she would not like to be in his shoes - and said that although China and India had disagreed with terms on coal, there were "many villains".

She said that people inside negotiations had told her "lots of different stories".

"When we talk about climate policy we have to include the aspect of equity," she said. "It is wrong that some countries do not want to take action.

"But we have to understand that when the so-called global north refuses to take the leadership role and still refuses to deliver on the loss and damage on the promised yearly $100bn to the most vulnerable countries - the least responsible countries - of course that creates lots of tension.

"We must also remember it was not just one or two countries, there were several countries blocking several negotiations."


Greta Thunberg says "they even succeeded in watering down the blah, blah, blah"

Greta Thunberg says conferences like COP26 maintain the status quo of countries taking part

Alok Sharma fights back tears as Glasgow Climate Pact reached


Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
×