COP26 updates: Countries officially adopt Glasgow Climate Pact

On the heels of COP26 delivering the Glasgow Climate Pact, some environmentalists and activists are mildly praising world leaders for agreeing to phase out fossil fuels, while others called the summit a failure for not going far enough. 

"The #COP26 is over. Here’s a brief summary: Blah, blah, blah," teen climate activist Greta Thunberg tweeted, repeating a criticism she made early on. "But the real work continues outside these halls. And we will never give up, ever."

Ani Dasgupta, president and CEO of World Resources Institute, called the decision a strong foundation to build on, but the real test will be whether countries implement everything they promised in Glasgow and if developed countries will meet their financial commitments.

"The train is moving and all countries need to get on board," he said in a statement. "As attention shifts beyond COP26, it’s critical for everyone to step up their efforts and turn commitments into real action in ways that benefit all people."

The Nature Conservancy said that if Paris established the "scaffolding" of global climate action, Glasgow is the foundation -- but there’s a lot of heavy lifting still to be done.

“Despite suggestions to the contrary, I believe we can leave COP26 with some hope still intact," Nature Conservancy Director of International Climate Policy John Verdieck said in a statement. "It is imperative, as we look towards COP27 in Egypt and the threats facing its African neighbors, that on-the-ground implementation of proven climate strategies accelerates this year."

Jennifer Morgan, the executive director of Greenpeace, called the text "meek" and "weak" and said it could have been even weaker if it wasn’t for young people speaking out.

Rachel Cleetus, policy director and lead economist for climate and energy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said countries ultimately failed to deliver everything they promised in the final document and specifically criticized the U.S.

“Richer countries -- including the United States -- had a chance to be climate champions, but instead evaded their historical responsibility and prioritized the profits of fossil fuel polluters over the needs of people on the frontlines of the climate crisis," she said in a statement.

Others said the COP26 decision doesn’t mean much if President Biden doesn’t take stronger action to end the use and development of fossil fuels in the U.S.

“We made it plain that President Biden can use the power of his pen to stop the toxic buildout in the Gulf and across the country. If we’re in code red, as Biden says we are, he’s got to act now to stop the crisis,” said John Beard, CEO of Port Arthur Community Action Network and a member of the Build Back Fossil Free coalition.

-ABC News' Stephanie Ebbs

COP26 has officially adopted the Glasgow Climate Pact, a 10-page document that lays out the groundwork for how the world will attempt to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.

Nearly 200 countries agreed on the importance of addressing climate change but deep divisions still remained about the future of fossil fuels and rich countries' reluctance to provide full-fledged financial support to countries more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

Representatives from several countries said the pact did not go far enough to address the climate crisis but they could not justify leaving Glasgow without any progress on the issue.

-ABC News' Stephanie Ebbs

Despite being the last stipulated date for the COP26, country representatives continue to work on finalizing the draft of the Glasgow deal. The negotiations are expected to continue into the night.

Countries continue to dispute who bears the financial burden of climate action and the deadlines for carbon emissions reductions. Some disagreements also took place over the semantics of the draft as representatives argued over whether "requests" or "urges" was a better fit when talking about climate goals.

The final day also witnessed walkouts and protests from climate activists around the world who claimed their voices were not being heard.

Crowds outside chanted: "Fighting for justice, and for liberation."

Developing countries, including top emitters China and India, are asking for changes to the COP26 draft letter focusing more on reparations from established countries.

On Wednesday, Diego Pacheco Balanza, the head of Bolivia's delegation and spokesman for the Like-Minded Developing Countries group, along with 21 other countries released an opposition to the draft agreement.

They say it is unfair for rich countries who built their economies on fossil fuels to tell developing countries what to do without recognizing that historical responsibility.

"We will never achieve the targets they are putting forward for the entire world. So we need to fight -- the developing world -- against this carbon colonialism," Balanza said at a press conference Friday.

The statement comes amid rising concerns from vulnerable countries in the Global South, which claim that COP26 isn't focusing enough on their needs.

Uganda's Vanessa Nakate emphasized that any additional global temperature warming could lead to more suffering in her country.

"A 2.4-degree [warmer] world is a death sentence for communities like mine; 1.2 degrees is already hell for us," Nakate told reporters Wednesday night.

Similarly, Elizabeth Wathuti from Kenya spoke about climate-related starvation in her country, urging leaders to keep those affected by it at the front of their minds.

"The big question is, are the leaders here going to step up to do what must be done to save those lives and livelihoods that are at stake?" Wathuti asked. "I come from Kenya where over 2 million Kenyans are facing climate-related starvation and I need answers when I go back to my communities to my country. What are we going to tell these people whose lives and livelihoods are at stake when we go back?"