May I just say to all delegates, I apologize for the way this process has unfolded,

and I'm deeply sorry.

I also understand the deep disappointment.

But I think as you have noted, it's also vital that we protect this package.

That was the COP-206 President Alok Sharma, holding back tears at the end of the two-week summit.

But was Glasgow really such a failure?

Hello and welcome to a special episode of the Spectators podcast.

I'm Cindy Yu, the Spectator's broadcast editor. And today we'll be reflecting on the highs and lows

of COP26. We saw many protesters, but didn't see some wild leaders. New commitments were made

while backroom wrangling, as Alok Sharma found out, had mixed results.

To discuss this and more, I talked to seasoned experts in the world of climate change and sustainability a few weeks ago.

Harriet Lamb, CBE, is the CEO of Ashton, an organisation which supports and promotes sustainable energy and enterprises around the world.

Emily Thornbury is the Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales, but was the Shadow International Trade Secretary

when we recorded this podcast just before the Labour reshuffle. And finally, Simone Rossi,

the CEO of EDF Energy, who are kindly sponsoring this podcast. To start with, I asked Harriet Lamb what she made of how the government did

on Boris Johnson's self-declared negotiating priorities of coal, cars, cash and trees.

Well, you'd have to say that on some of them he made substantial progress,

or rather, COP 26 and the nations as a whole, did make progress that

for the first time we really did have a commitment in the end to phase down, not phase out

coal, but nonetheless a commitment from the whole of COP to really make progress with coal.

And that's no question a win.

There were also wins on cars and wins on trees in terms of bold statements and ambitions,

...