What will the Cop26 deal mean for consumers?
In the end, two years of shuttle diplomacy, painstakingly conducted during a global pandemic, were nearly thrown off at the last hour. The historic climate deal secured at Cop26 was thrown into “real jeopardy” by a last-minute deal between India and China to object to calls to phase out coal power and fossil fuel subsidies, Alok Sharma said. Environment Editor Emma Gatten has the full story of how the Cop president became emotional after the last-minute scramble to secure a deal.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the summit sounded the “death knell” for coal, as he defended the deal against charges that it was significantly watered down. Boris Johnson said that it was impossible for the UK to force big polluters to cut their carbon emissions, but insisted that the change in wording from “phasing out” coal to “phasing down” coal does not “make that much difference”. As well as the main deal, a series of smaller agreements has also been announced on coal, deforestation, methane and food standards. What do they mean for the average person? From energy to food, Olivia Rudgard breaks the deals down for you.
How to help your pandemic brain to grow
Our memories have been ravaged by stress and isolation. Lockdowns had a big impact on the nation’s attention spans, but adopting good habits now can bring life-long benefits. According to Professor James Goodwin – the director of science and research impact at the Brain Health Network – better sleep, a healthy diet and regular sex will sharpen you up. He explains how to reverse pandemic brain ageing.
Today’s political cartoon
View today’s cartoon by Blower as he covers Alok Sharma’s coal-fired encounters with some world leaders. Matt is away.
Also in the news: Today’s other headlines
‘Stop every migrant Channel crossing’ | Priti Patel is expected to urge her French counterpart to speed up plans to intercept every migrant before they reach the UK in a crisis meeting this week. Sources told Home Affairs Editor Charles Hymas that the Home Secretary will meet Gerald Darmanin, French interior minister, to find a “shared solution” to the crisis that saw a record 1,185 migrants reach the UK in a day.
Around the world: Britain blamed for border crisis
Russia claimed that “Britain is to blame” for the migrant crisis on the Polish border, after Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, demanded that Vladimir Putin intervene. Her broadside triggered a furious response from Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesman, who said Britain bore a clear historical responsibility since the Iraq war.
