Official UK launch of UN COP 26 slated for Tuesday morning February 4th in London with UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, set to speak.
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The UK in partnership with Italy will host this year’s annual UN climate talks, COP 26, in Glasgow in November. As president, the UK government’s top diplomatic priority in 2020 will be persuading every nation, particularly the biggest emitters in the G20, to pledge more ambitious climate action to reduce their emissions.
Critical wins for global climate action in 2020 must include fresh commitments to cancel new coal power, announcements from international financial institutions to end support to fossil fuel projects, and a package of measures offered to the most vulnerable countries to address the increasingly destructive nature of climate impacts.
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Nick Mabey, Chief Executive of E3G, said:
“The UK’s Presidency has had a bumpy start with last week’s decision to dismiss Claire O’Neill as head of the talks. Her replacement has a daunting task ahead making it vital the Government appoints a political heavy hitter to the role. The diplomatic effort required from the UK government to steer these negotiations will be immense. But the rewards will be rich.
A successful Presidency could bring about transformational changes in the global economy that would accelerate the transition to net zero and improve our resilience to climate risks. Importantly, it would reinforce trust that the Paris Agreement is working – an essential outcome in the face of Trump, Putin and Bolsonaro, whose disdain for multilateralism threatens the possibility of a climate safe world.”
