What’s In a Pledge? COP Declaration Is More Goodwill Than Law
A young climate activist holds a placard during a protest march on the "Youth Day" at the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow on Nov. 5.
Photographer: Jonne Roriz/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Negotiators in Glasgow are haggling through the night over the wording of key texts on tackling climate change far into the future. Whether countries will stick to their promises is another question altogether.
COP26, which has moved into its crucial final days, will produce three main documents that will be binding politically. The legal power of these decisions is weaker than commitments taken under international treaties, such as the historic Paris Agreement, which require ratification by nations. That makes it nigh on impossible to hold governments to account for any future failures.