As the COP26 summit concludes, China has put domestic stability before its international reputation.

The climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, ended on Saturday, with China and India demanding a watered-down declaration on coal. While the vast majority of delegations supported a call to “phase out” the use of coal in power generation, China and India demanded that the language be changed to “phase down.” This shift reflects the continuing dependence of both nations on coal. As China and India are the respective largest and third-largest carbon emitters globally, their action may have significant consequences.