A disappointing G20

Its failure to agree on climate casts a shadow on COP26

After two days of tense negotiations, the leaders of the Group of 20 nations finally agreed on a joint statement that highlighted the fight against climate change. Yet, as a consequence of continued intransigence by several members of the G20, the final statement was a signpost for relative failure rather than success. The headline pledge was to bring an end to the international financing of coal-fired power plants. Even there questions will be asked about the degree to which this pledge will affect plants that have already been planned. The commitment to climate neutrality for domestic economies was vaguely specified