Prime Minister Robert Abela has called on all countries to pull their weight in the fight against climate change.

Addressing the COP 26 conference in Scotland, Abela spoke about the devastating impact climate change has, especially on small island states like Malta.

"As world leaders, we are here because we recognise that it is our responsibility to find and implement solutions to quickly and effectively mitigate its impact."

The COP 26 conference in Glasgow is aimed at uniting the world to accelerate efforts against climate change in what is considered to be the last chance to do so. With delegates from over 100 countries attending, this summit is considered to be one of the most important diplomatic meetings in recent history.

The summit also seeks to fully implement the 2015 Paris agreement. Countries are being asked to come forward with ambitious 2030 emissions reductions targets that align with reaching net zero by the middle of the century. To deliver on these stretching targets, countries will need to: accelerate the phase-out of coal; curtail deforestation; speed up the switch to electric vehicles; encourage investment in renewables.

Abela called the Paris agreement "the uniting force to combat this new reality that we live in."

"We must commit to playing our part as climate change knows no borders. This could be done by fostering a spirit of cooperation and solidarity that recognises that the whole is much stronger and more impactful than the sum of the individual parts."

Abela said that "our commitment to convene here in Glasgow must be translated into active, and I would dare say passionate, commitments to undertake meaningful and impactful actions."

He also said that "we cannot use climate change as a slogan generator of unkept promises. We must effect real change and convincingly ensure a just transition that leaves no one behind."

The importance of all the countries moving forward together was another important talking point in Abela's speech. He reiterated that all countries have their weight to pull and all the countries have to help one another to reach this common goal.

"If we aim for success in mitigating the ravages of climate change, we must also recognise the differentiated impact of climate change, especially on the most vulnerable. The truth is that we all have a part to play in mitigating the climate impacts and addressing international adaptation capacities."

Abela then shifted focus on Malta's efforts through the low carbon development strategy for 2030 and the climate neutrality target in 2050.

He then reminded the summit that it was Malta that brought climate change to the attention of the UN General Assembly in 1988. "We want to live up to this legacy, even though Malta is a country of just over 300 square kilometres."

Malta being a small island state is extremely battered by climate extremes, Abela said. The issues of rising sea levels and devastating storms together with droughts were part of Abela's conscious efforts to show the dangers of climate change on small island states.

"Malta is not only committed to reaching its own targets, but we are also ready to offer any assistance needed by small island developing states against climate change. We share similar risks. We live in common circumstances."

In his closing statement, Abela said that the importance of sharing experiences and transferring knowledge is a key factor in the fight against climate change. "We wish to share with other small island developing states our experiences and our lessons learnt for a fair and successful de-carbonised economy."

"Recognising that developing countries are facing major challenges, Malta is committing to immediately double its contribution to the Green Climate Fund as of now."

Apart from the delegates of various countries, the COP 26 conference was also attended by climate activist Greta Thunberg. Since the beginning of the conference, Thunberg has been urging countries to shy away from promises and further "useless" discussions and start acting now on climate change.