Concessions on coal at Cop26 are ‘gut wrenching’ – Eamon Ryan

Eamon Ryan said the Cop26 compromise was necessary for a deal that 197 countries worldwide signed up to (Julien Behal/PA)

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has said a decision at Cop26 to water down commitments on the phasing out of fossil fuels is “gut wrenching” but urged people to look at the “bigger picture”.

A global agreement to keep temperature rises below 1.5C was reached at the climate conference in Glasgow on Saturday, but saw a commitment to “phase out” the use of coal reduced to a promise to “phase down” the fuel, following interventions by China and India.