Cop26 pledges could limit warming to 1.8C, says energy agency boss

Fatih Birol says big step forward' is possible only if all commitments are implemented in full

The climate pledges agreed so far at the Cop26 conference could keep the world's rising temperatures to within 1.8C of pre-industrialised levels, according to the International Energy Agency - but only if the commitments are implemented in full.

Fatih Birol, the IEA's executive director, told delegates at the conference that despite the pessimism ahead of the Cop26 talks, a big step forward" was possible if all the pledges set out to date were fully achieved".