On Thursday afternoon the European Parliament voted to approve a resolution on COP 26, setting out its mandate ahead of the UN ‘Conference of the Parties’ Climate Conference in Glasgow beginning next week.Green MEP for Dublin Ciarán Cuffe said “In the Greens/EFA group, we were pleased to see ambitious language pass through the plenary.“We know that this is our last decade to get it right for the climate crisis - if we are to have any hope of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius, we need to change our policies now. There is no time to lose. Taken all together, the current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) from each country would see us hit about 2.7 degrees warming by the end of the century. The extreme weather events we have seen recently are the beginning of the legacy that we will leave our grandchildren if we don’t act urgently.“With this vote we highlight the need to phase out fossil fuels as quickly as possible, re-build international coalitions for high ambition, and step up climate finance. On these issues the EU can really make a difference at COP. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes out of the negotiations in Glasgow in a few weeks time but I am concerned that the fossil fuel lobby will succeed once again in watering down the ambition that is required. Yesterday we saw very concerning leaks published by the BBC showing that several countries are lobbying hard against the phase out of fossil fuels and touting flawed technologies that will continue to allow them to pollute, despite the huge opportunity that exists with renewables. ”Grace O’Sullivan, Green MEP for Ireland South, said “We are in a climate and biodiversity emergency that threatens the survival of humankind and all life on planet earth. The recent IPCC report was rightly described as a ‘code red for humanity.’ The upcoming COP26 heralds another pivotal call to action in our fight to get on track with keeping our emissions targets within reach.“It’s six years since the 2015 Paris agreement and if we’re to have any hope of real progress, it’s time to focus on the promotion of concrete solutions and ramping up action around reducing emissions in the key areas of energy, transport, agriculture, finance and forests.“The resolution represents the European Parliament’s position and will serve as the mandate for the parliament’s delegation to COP26, where our Greens/EFA calls for action must be heard.”