UN climate talks in Glasgow moved to 2021

LONDON: COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference scheduled for November in Glasgow, has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. A decision was taken at a virtual meeting attended by UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to attend the meeting that will now take place in 2021, which will be hosted in Glasgow by the UK in partnership with Italy.

The Scottish government announced this week that the SEC Arena, where COP26 was due to take place, will be turned into a field hospital to cope with coronavirus cases.

UK business secretary Alok Sharma, the COP26 president-designate, said, “The world is facing an unprecedented global challenge and countries are rightly focusing their efforts on saving lives and fighting Covid-19. That is why we have decided to reschedule COP26. We will continue working tirelessly with our partners to deliver the ambition needed to tackle the climate crisis.”

Espinosa said, “Covid-19 is the most urgent threat facing humanity today, but we cannot forget that climate change is the biggest threat facing humanity over the long term.

“Soon, economies will restart. This is a chance for nations to recover better, to include the most vulnerable in those plans, and a chance to shape the 21st century economy in ways that are clean, green, healthy, just, safe and more resilient.”

Experts involved with the Paris Agreement endorsed the postponement. Ajay Mathur, director-general of the Energy and Resource Institute, said, “The momentum for climate action has accelerated considerably, and we will have to ensure that this momentum is sustained as COP26 is moved to 2021.”