Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s President Xi Jinping were among the few world leaders not to attend the summit
and both countries have been criticized for moving slowly on climate change. Mr. Putin recorded a video statement that was shown at the conference and Presdient Xi sent written remarks. Both countries also have delegations at the meeting.
Earlier he attended a symposium with representatives from island nations that have begun to feel the effects of climate change. “I’m an island kid,” he told the gathering after reflecting on his youth in Hawaii. He added that islands states were “in many ways the canary in the coal mine” when it came to global warming.
Mr. Obama said that despite setbacks at the national level – including four year of “active hostility” toward climate change under Mr. Trump – many U.S. states and cities have pursued carbon reduction programs. He also cited actions taken by other countries, including Canada, and many corporations since 2015 as evidence that the Paris deal had been effective. “Paris showed the world that progress is possible,” he said.
Mr. Obama’s appearance at COP26 was not universally well received. Some environmental campaigners criticised him over the failure of the U.S. and other wealthy countries to commit to spending US$100-billion annually to help developing countries tackle the effects of climate change. The financial commitment was supposed to start in 2020 but that deadline has been missed, and Alok Sharma, the COP26 President, said it likely won’t be reached until 2023.
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