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Boris Johnson has warned that failure to reach an ambitious agreement at the COP26 summit would be an “absolute disaster for the planet”.

The UK prime minister was speaking in Glasgow just hours after 196 countries took a first step to promising new climate change plans next year to avoid dangerous levels of global warming.

The climate talks are still officially slated to end on Friday, but Johnson said he didn’t see why they shouldn’t go in to “extra time” if needed. COP26 saw a key moment today, with the publication of a of the summit’s final statement. It “urges” countries to “revisit and strengthen” their 2030 climate plans by the end of 2022 to meet the world’s targets of holding global warming to 1.5^oC and well below 2^oC.

Johnson told reporters that the final stage of negotiations was proving hard and it was crucial that governments show “high ambition” for the summit’s outcome. “We are now finding things are tough. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. It doesn’t mean we can’t keep 1.5°C alive,” he said.

Countries also agreed in the draft to accelerate the phasing out of coal and of fossil fuel subsidies. If the reference isn’t cut during negotiations this week, it will be the first time in history that the outcome of a UN climate summit or international climate treaty has explicitly mentioned fossil fuels, the main driver of global warming.

Despite progress at Glasgow, including a new 2030 pledge from India,��an analysis found yesterday that the world is still on course for 2.4^oC of warming by the end of this century, well off the 2015 Paris Agreement’s temperature goals of 1.5^oC and 2^oC.

The cover decision this morning acknowledges that gap. The document “recalls” an article of the Paris Agreement that allows countries to deliver a better 2030 climate plan at any time, and “urges” countries to “revisit and strengthen” those plans by the end of 2022 to “align” with the temperature goals.

In a surprise move, the text also “calls upon parties to accelerate the phasing-out of coal and subsidies for fossil fuels”. Although the language is woolly, even its inclusion in the text marks a major step for UN climate negotiations. However, it is expected to be unlikely to remain in its current form by the end of the summit, and may be cut entirely.

Another key element of the draft is a commitment by higher-income countries to double the finance they give to lower-income countries for adapting to a warming world.

Reaction to the draft has been mixed. at the European Commission welcomed it and hailed the “the clear intention to close the gap to 1.5^oC within a year”. at the US non-profit World Resources Institute (WRI) says if the references to coal and fossil fuel subsidies stay, that would be significant despite the lack of a clear deadline.

However, a group of 77 lower-income countries and China said it was “extremely concerned” about progress on climate financing for lower-income countries. , also at WRI, says countries would like to see “more decisive language” on new climate plans, instead of the current language that simply “urges” countries to provide them. , ambassador to the United Nations for Antigua and Barbuda, echoed that point when speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States in a statement: “’Urging’, ‘calling’, ‘encouraging’ and ‘inviting’ is not the decisive language that this moment calls for.”

Asked by New Ů��С��Ƶ if the summit could credibly claim to have kept the 1.5^oC target within reach if the language on new climate plans isn’t strengthened, COP26 president Alok Sharma said: “Our ambition remains undiminished.” He added: “We are starting discussions on the first draft of the cover text. Let’s see what comes out of that. I am very unapologetic in that what we are looking for is an ambitious outcome.”

What happens next will depend on how governments respond to the draft, with a progress review scheduled for this evening. COP26 president Alok Sharma hopes for “near-final” versions of the summit’s final statement overnight. The current version is far from set in stone, and may be weakened or strengthened in coming days.

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