Cop26 ‘key moment’ in climate fight
The Cop26 conference will be a “key moment” in the fight against climate change and ambitious targets must be set to ensure it is a success, MPS have said.
Areportbytheforeignaffairs Committee(fac)describeditas themostsignificantunclimate summit since Paris in 2015, whentheparisagreementwas negotiated.
The summit, to be held in Glasgow in November, is expected to bring together the largest gathering of heads of state ever hosted in the UK, alongside climate experts and campaigners, to agree a coordinated global action plan to tackle global warming.
The FAC'S report, A climate for ambition: Diplomatic preparations for Cop26, warns that it may become “impossible” to limittheaverageriseintemperatures to below 2C, let alone to 1.5C, if the event fails.
It says the UK'S presidency of theconferencewillnotbeasuccess unless it sets a path to netzero carbon emissions made real by changes to the UK economy that are secured by ambitious green financing.
The UK can be a “leader” in promoting low-carbon industry, the MPS said, and has the chance to set ambitious domestic climate policies, alongside credible plans to deliver them.
Thereportconcludes:“cop26 will be a key moment for global climate action. We have been encouraged by the number of countries that have expressed the importance of the climate agenda in international fora; Cop26mustnowtranslatethese words into actions.
“The UK presidency will need to mobilise public engagement so that as countries come forward with ambitious climate targets, those promises are backed by people around the world.
“Cop26willnotbeconsidered a success unless the UK presidency
sets the world on a path to net zero, secures an ambitious green finance package, and helps to build resilience to the impacts of climate change.”
It added: “Setting ambitious expectations will be crucial to
securing the success of the conference and the Government will need to do more than just set out broad ambitions.”
Tom Tugendhat, chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee,said:“co-operatingtomanage
and even reverse the causes of a changing climate transcends borders. It demands internationalco-operationand scientific understanding.”