COP26 - Day 2: Landmark pledges must be delivered

Amid powerful pleas heard in Glasgow yesterday, world leaders, young people and campaigners all stressed the urgency of taking tangible action to keep the prospect of holding back global temperature rises to 1.5C and building resilience to climate impacts. Today countries have made unprecedented commitments to protect forests, reduce methane emissions and accelerate green technology.

• An end to deforestation by 2030: 114 leaders committed to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030. The pledge is backed by $12bn in public and $7.2bn in private funding. Together, the pledges support 85% of the world's forests - an area that absorbs one third of global CO2 emissions each year.
• Reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030: 105 countries signed up to the pledge with scientists believing this could eliminate 0.2°C of warming by 2050.
• Glasgow Breakthrough Agenda on clean technologies: 35 world leaders have backed this pledge to make clean technologies the most affordable, accessible and attractive choice for all globally in the most polluting sectors by 2030, particularly supporting the developing world to access the innovation and tools needed for a just transition to net zero.

Chair of the Liberal Democrat Group and Councillor for Newnham, Hilde Hendrickx said "These pledges are very encouraging, but it is crucial that global leaders make sure they deliver on these promises. This is a climate emergency and we must make sure we treat it as such and deliver on these goals."

Together with Councillor Jake Sampson, Councillor Hendrickx has planted new trees across Newnham Ward to help combat climate change and improve air quality in the area.