Civil servants recognised for Cop26 climate summit roles

TEN civil servants and the head of Glasgow council, who helped to organise and run the Cop26 climate summit, have been recognised for their work, although the event failed to meet high expectations set by the Government.

The event, in November, was billed as a crucial follow-up to the 2015 Paris summit where nearly every nation agreed to limit carbon emissions.

While Cop26 was not a failure, it ended on a disappointing note when a block of developing countries led by India managed to remove a promise to “phase out” coal power. Instead, signatories pledged to “phase down” the heavily polluting fossil fuel.

Nevertheless, 11 of those involved have been honoured. Matthew Tombs from the Cabinet Office, director of campaigns and engagement at Cop26, received a CBE. Eleanor O’riordan, deputy director of events for the Cabinet Office’s Cop26 unit, got an OBE. Annemarie O’donnell, the chief executive of Glasgow city council, was also recognised with an OBE, despite the Scottish city struggling with a severe accommodation shortage during the summit that saw hotel rooms charged at £1,400 a night.

In total, one CBE, four OBES and six MBES were given to Cop26 organisers.

Ahead of the summit, the hope had been to get the world on track to limit average global warming to 1.5C.

However, just a day before it opened, Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, was forced to admit that a failure to get China on board with tougher emissions cuts made such a goal unachievable.

Combined with the rearguard action by India, it left a tearful Alok Sharma, the Cabinet minister and Cop26 president, able to claim only that attendees had “kept 1.5 degrees alive”.

Hopes for more stringent emissionscutting pledges now rest on the Cop27 summit being held this November in Sharm El-sheikh, Egypt.