THE architects of Cop26 have come under heavy criticism after a draft agreement was condemned for falling astonishingly short of the action needed to tackle the climate emergency. 

The proposals published today lack concrete commitments, simply calling on countries to cut emissions in a bid to limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5°C, campaigners say. 

A proposed phasing out of coal and an end to fossil fuel subsidies is also included, but campaigners warned this could yet be removed due to lobbying pressure.

The draft was published after analysis warned that existing plans for this decade put the world on track for 2.4°C of heating.

Talks are set to end in Glasgow on Friday, with any agreement needing to be approved by the near-200 countries in attendance.

But concerns remain over the financial support offered to nations in the global South, which have been largely sidelined at the summit. 

PM Boris Johnson returned to Glasgow today, urging those at the summit to come to the table with an increased ambition to keep alive the target of limiting global heating to 1.5°C.

Greenpeace hit out at the proposals, describing them as little more than a polite request, “not a plan to solve the climate crisis.”

Some moves were welcomed, including first-time commitments on fossil fuels, but the overwhelming concern from environmental and social justice groups is that any agreement will not go far enough. 

Murray Worthy, campaign leader at Global Witness, said that the hundreds of fossil fuel lobbyists at Cop26 had influenced the draft, claiming it does not match the ambition that people all over the world have demanded, nor will it avert the climate crisis.

Cansim Leylim of environmental campaign group 350.org said the draft has some important points, but called for nations to go further on fossil fuels. 

Those most at risk from changing global temperatures have said that the language in Wednesday’s draft is insufficient, with so little time remaining to find solutions to the climate crisis. 

Chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States Aubrey Webson said: “We won’t get the ambition on emissions we need for 1.5°C if we don’t scale up the provision of finance [to the global South] and this includes the long-overdue recognition of a separate and additional component for loss and damage.”