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The Glasgow Climate Pact is an international climate agreement reached at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26). The package of decisions aimed to reaffirm commitment to the Paris Accord while addressing several new areas. It was notable for being the first international agreement explicitly planning to reduce unabated coal usage and calling for an end to fossil fuel subsidies.

Background
The COP26 conference in Glasgow took place from from 31 October to 12 November 2021. Talks were conducted in the context of three existing treaties: the UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement with the aim of reviewing their implementation and adopting new decisions to help further their development. Despite the Glasgow pact not being legally binding itself, the talks were considered important in maintaining and improving international climate commitments. The pact was one of the two significant outcomes of the conference, alongside the finalization of the Paris Rulebook.

Coal Phase-Out and End to Fossil Fuel Subsidies
A significant area included in the talks was a proposed pledge to "phase out" coal. This marked a shift from previous international agreements which targeted only the the general reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The wording of the pledge was eventually changed to "phase down" late in negotiation, after pressure from India and China and other coal-reliant countries. .

Loss and Damage Provisions
Going into the conference, some parties had hoped to agree a facility for the financial compensation of developing countries affected by the impacts of climate change. This area proved contentious during negotiations and was not included in the final agreement. Instead, the adopted text acknowledged the need for "dialogue" to further address the issue of loss and damage.

Agreement
The main elements of the final were:
 * An agreement to re-visit emission reduction plans in 2022 in order to try to keep the 1.5 °C Paris Agreement target achievable.
 * A commitment to limit (“phase down”) the use of unabated coal. The wording suggested that utilizing coal with "abatement" (net-zero emission) such as by neutralizing the resulting carbon dioxide via carbon capture and storage would not be included in the phase-out. However this is often considered too expensive for most coal fired power stations. )
 * A commitment to climate finance for developing countries.

Additional Pledges
In addition to the pact, a number of countries made further commitments. The number of countries pledged to reach net-zero emissions passed 140. This target includes 90% of current global greenhouse gas emissions

More than 100 countries, including Brazil, pledged to reverse deforestation by 2030.

More than 40 countries pledged to move away from coal.

India promised to draw half of its energy requirement from renewable sources by 2030.

The governments of 24 developed countries and a group of major car manufacturers including GM, Ford, Volvo, BYD Auto, Jaguar Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz committed to “work towards all sales of new cars and vans being zero emission globally by 2040, and by no later than 2035 in leading markets”. Major car manufacturing nations like the US, Germany, China, Japan and South Korea, as well as Volkswagen, Toyota, Peugeot, Honda, Nissan and Hyundai, did not pledge.

Reception
U.N. climate chief Patricia Espinosa stated that she was not happy with the last minute change of language affirmed by members of the Indian and Chinese parties but did say that, "No deal was the worst possible result there. Nobody wins,” stating she was satisfied with the deal overall. “We would have preferred a very clear statement about a phasing out of coal and (the) elimination of fossil fuel subsidies,” Espinosa said, but explained she understands India’s needs. UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, referred to the texts agreed at the conference as “a compromise”. He went on to comment that “they take important steps, but unfortunately the collective political will was not enough to overcome some deep contradictions.”