By Valerie Volcovici
GLASGOW (Reuters) – Envoys from the United States and European Union were meeting with their Chinese and Indian counterparts on Saturday at the U.N. climate conference to discuss details of an agreed phaseout of coal, according to a member of the Indian delegation.
The meeting suggested last-minute negotiations were underway between the crucial players at the Glasgow COP26 talks as the UK conference hosts pressed for a accord that could keep alive an international goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Immediately before the meeting, U.S. special envoy John Kerry was overheard by Reuters telling his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua “You’re supposed to be phasing out coal over the next 20 years, you just signed an agreement with us.”
The two had announced earlier in the week a surprise joint declaration in which Beijing agreed to accelerate its phase down of coal this decade. The draft agreement from the Glasgow conference, which has yet to be adopted by a vote, also calls on countries to phase down coal.
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Frances Kerry)
