The talks concluded at 8:15 p.m. local time (GMT) after a last-minute dispute over the wording regarding the phase "down" or "out" in relation to coal usage. Despite mixed reviews, a global agreement was reached with the aim of maintaining hopes of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and preventing catastrophic climate change. Kaveh Guilanpour, Vice President of International Strategies at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, stated that the success of COP26 will only be determined in the future, with Glasgow serving as a test of whether promises on paper will be translated into action. At 7:40 p.m., COP26 President Alok Sharma appeared on the verge of tears as India's environment minister Bhupender Yadav halted the adoption process for the Glasgow pact by proposing new language that suggested governments should "phase down" coal use instead of phasing it out. Despite expressing disappointment, several countries agreed to still support the deal to prevent the negotiations from failing. Sharma apologized to the plenary for the handling of the process and became emotional. At 7:23 p.m., COP26 President Alok Sharma officially began the formal plenary by stating, "It is now decision time." At 7:04 p.m., a deal was confirmed by Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua, according to China. When asked on the plenary floor if the Glasgow pact was going to pass, Xie Zhenhua gave Reuters the thumbs up and stated "we have a deal" through his translator. However, he did offer a critique. "The voice of developing nations has not been given adequate attention," he expressed through his translator. Samuel Adeoye Adejuwon, a technical adviser on Nigeria's team, stated that his country supports India in resisting stringent language directed at fossil fuels in the Glasgow agreement. He emphasized that the debate revolves around unique circumstances and that it is unreasonable to expect them to abandon their development process. Adejuwon mentioned that the US dialogue with China and India regarding coal is an effort to reach a compromise. At 6:42 p.m., attendees at the UN climate talks became anxious when representatives from the United States and the EU met with their counterparts from China and India to discuss the language surrounding coal phase-out in the deal. The meeting lasted around 30 minutes before they emerged. A member of the Indian delegation confirmed to Reuters that the meeting indicated last-minute negotiations were taking place as the UK conference hosts pushed for an agreement. Just before the meeting, US special envoy John Kerry was overheard by Reuters reminding his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua that they had agreed to phase out coal in the next 20 years. At 5:36 p.m., COP26 President Alok Sharma announces that the meeting will resume soon after country delegations complete their speeches. A vote on the deal is expected to take place once they reconvene. Prior to this, at 4:40 p.m., US special climate envoy John Kerry observed that not everyone was pleased with the draft deal presented at the UN talks in Glasgow, stating that in a successful negotiation, all parties should feel uncomfortable. After a number of small and island nations expressed their dissatisfaction with the draft agreement for not providing enough support, one official stated that it may be too late for their country. Another official from India also criticized the draft deal for asking developing countries to phase out coal and fossil fuel subsidies before addressing their development and poverty eradication goals. At 4:08 p.m., Swiss Environment Minister Simonetta Sommaruga expressed her country's dissatisfaction with the deal, particularly regarding global carbon market rules, but stated they would accept it nonetheless. She emphasized the general sense of unhappiness among attendees at the COP. Gabon's Minister of Water, Forests, Sea and Environment Lee White also expressed some reservations about the deal and stated he needed more reassurance from developed countries before leaving the COP in Glasgow. At 3:58 p.m., he remarked, "It's not perfect." The common sentiment expressed by poor and small island nations during the plenary discussions about the draft climate deal was that more support was needed from rich nations. Despite this, each of these nations stated that they would still support the deal. These countries had been advocating for additional financial assistance to help them transition to clean energy and recover from climate-related disasters. While Marshall Islands climate envoy Tina Stege acknowledged that the existing deal was not sufficient, she saw it as progress and pledged her support because she could not return home empty-handed. Tuvalu's climate envoy Seve Paeniu, holding a photo of his grandchildren, expressed his hope that the promise made in Glasgow would secure their future upon his return to the low-lying island nation. "That would be the greatest Christmas present I could give to them." At 3:44 p.m., EU climate chief Frans Timmermans received enthusiastic applause for his remarks to the plenary, urging countries to come together for the benefit of "our children, our grandchildren." He emphasized that they would not forgive us if we let them down. Timmermans began by warning that the conference could falter near the end if country delegations insisted on making new alterations to the texts. At 3:30 p.m., he made these statements. In a potentially encouraging development, Chinese negotiator Zhao Yingmin stated during the plenary that although the current draft of the deal is not perfect, his team does not plan to reopen it. Representatives from Tanzania and Guinea expressed disappointment that the draft did not provide sufficient financial assistance for poor, climate-vulnerable nations like theirs to address global warming issues. COP26 President Alok Sharma initiated an informal plenary at 3:12 p.m. to assess the latest proposals, emphasizing that the conference had reached a critical juncture for the planet and future generations. Despite remaining differences on the final agreement, Sharma indicated that negotiations were running out of time and an accord needed to be finalized by 2:40 p.m. Before the official plenary session was scheduled to begin, US special envoy John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua were seen together, carefully reviewing a document line by line. Just a few days earlier, the two men had surprised the summit with a joint declaration in which China committed to increasing its efforts to combat climate change by reducing coal usage, limiting methane emissions, and preserving forests. At 2:30 p.m., negotiators gathered behind closed doors to address any remaining obstacles to reaching an agreement, leaving delegates from three countries feeling unsure and out of the loop. One negotiator expressed frustration, calling the situation chaotic. China's representative was not mentioned specifically. As he arrived at his country's offices, negotiator Zhao Yingmin stated that he had no new information to share. Meanwhile, representatives from Brazil were observed entering a meeting of the G77 group of developing countries. At 1:45 p.m., after an hour and 45 minutes, Sharma returned to the microphone to inform everyone that they could leave but must return at 2:30 p.m. for the official plenary session. The delay was necessary to give parties time to finalize their negotiations, he explained, emphasizing that an agreement would be reached later in the afternoon. At 1:06 p.m., COP26 President Alok Sharma attempted twice to persuade delegates from other countries to take their seats in the plenary room, where he had arrived promptly at noon. Despite his efforts, an hour later, the delegates remained standing, engaged in intense discussions on one side of the stage. US climate envoy John Kerry was seen circulating among the groups, actively engaging with attendees. By 12:30 p.m., delegates were eagerly awaiting updates on the negotiations, but were handling the delays with patience. Axel Michaelowa, an advisor to the Honduras delegation, stated that it is typical for the COP to run overtime, so it was no surprise. Views in the cafeteria were divided on whether the delays indicated a strong or weak final deal. Emily Wright from Save the Children International believed that the delay showed commitment to a deal that benefits everyone, while Naja Moretro from the Norwegian Church Aid Youth Organization thought the texts were becoming weaker in terms of clarity. Danish Climate Minister Dan Jorgensen expressed his support for language in the final deal that promotes a phase-out of coal as he entered the summit's plenary room at 12:02 p.m. He stated that it is important to recognize that the issue is not about criticizing countries dependent on fossil fuels, but rather acknowledging that some countries require assistance in transitioning away from coal. He suggested that the text should now include reference to a "just transition." At 11:35 a.m., Nellie Dokie, 37, has been commuting two hours each way to the conference center to work as a chef. She has been cooking meals for VIPs and delegates and finally ventured into the main conference area to see what was happening. Dokie resides in Glasgow, although she hails from Liberia. She expressed her desire to be involved in historical events, stating, "I played a minor role." At 11:20 a.m., US Special Climate Envoy John Kerry seemed to be in a jovial mood. He remarked that it was a lovely day in Scotland as he walked with his top negotiators Sue Biniaz, Jonathan Pershing, and Trigg Talley, with reporters following closely behind. It was uncertain whether his positive outlook was influenced by the progress of negotiations at the conference or the uncommonly sunny weather in Glasgow. The focus of activity had moved to "bilateral" meeting rooms spread throughout the conference venue over the past day. Delegates gathered in windowless rooms under tight security. They were examining the preliminary text in preparation for the noon stocktaking session. At 8:53 a.m., a group of Greenpeace employees were gathered in the COP26 conference halls, working on a new statement regarding the latest draft revisions. Spanish Energy and Environment Minister Teresa Ribera was observed hurrying from her delegation's office, while the UK COP26 Presidency released what many hope will be the final draft of the Glasgow agreement. Technical crews were dismantling equipment and removing it from meeting rooms as they continued to break down parts of the venue. At 8:21 a.m., following intense overnight discussions, delegates were ready for the unveiling of another draft agreement. The pavilions where countries displayed their climate-friendly initiatives have been taken down, but the coffee stands are still open. Civil society groups are carefully examining documents released in the early morning for hints about the final agreement. The UK conference hosts announced on Friday evening that there will be no deal reached that night. Alok Sharma, the UK summit president, stated that formal plenary meetings will be held in the afternoon on Saturday to finalize decisions and close the session. Delegations and the media were seen returning to their hotels for some rest before the upcoming long day. By 8:40 p.m., the COP26 conference halls were quiet, with small groups of negotiators, including around a dozen EU delegates, moving between meetings. According to Costa Rica's carbon markets negotiator Felipe De Leon Denegri, this "shuttle diplomacy" of moving between rooms is how most of the work is accomplished in the final hours of climate negotiations. However, this year, much of the communication is done through the messaging app WhatsApp, making the process quieter than usual. De Leon noted that in the 21st century, shuttle diplomacy is sometimes conducted through WhatsApp, which he finds unusual. He believes that the pandemic and the trend towards virtual work have led to an increase in exchanges using the Facebook-owned app. Tuvalu's Finance Minister Seve Paeniu, who leads the island nation's delegation, spent most of the previous night negotiating the section of the draft agreement related to "loss and damage". Countries like Tuvalu, facing the effects of climate change, are pushing for wealthy nations with high emissions to provide compensation. He mentioned that his team is in the process of urging the United States and Australia to support a separate fund for loss and damage. Overall, he emphasized the importance of reaching a strong collective agreement in Glasgow to maintain the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C. He expressed concern over the lack of commitment from countries to reduce emissions to reach the 1.5 degree target and the insufficient focus on additional financing for adaptation. Former UK Labour Party leader Ed Miliband took a moment to praise Paeniu for a speech he delivered earlier. At 7:38 p.m., the delegation offices at the summit complex were mostly quiet. Two prominent negotiators from China were spotted in their office, while nearby, a duo of US negotiators walked down the hall with sandwiches. It was anticipated that the night would be lengthy due to numerous significant disagreements regarding increasing emissions cuts commitments, handling carbon markets, and providing funding for impoverished nations.