The COP26 UN climate change conference, which had been due to take place in Glasgow this November, has been postponed due to the coronavirus spread, the government announced this evening (Wednesday).
The COP Bureau of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), took the decision together with the event’s co-hosts, the UK and Italy.
Dates for a rescheduled conference in 2021, which will still be hosted in Glasgow by the UK in partnership with Italy, will be set out in due course following further discussion.
The government said that in light of the “ongoing, worldwide effects of COVID-19”, holding an ambitious, inclusive COP26 this November was “no longer possible”.
It added that rescheduling the showpiece global climate change event would ensure all parties could focus on the issues to be discussed at the conference and allow more time for necessary preparations.
Question marks have been mounting over whether the event could be held on time throughout the last month as the coronavirus crisis has intensified, leading to the lockdown of countries across the world.
All but a relative handful of the UK’s international flights have now been cancelled, severely constraining the government’s ability to conduct the intense face-to-face diplomacy, which would be required to secure concrete progress on tackling climate change at this November’s event.
A weeklong event, which was designed to pave the way for Glasgow, was due to be held next month in Germany, which is also in the grip of the epidemic.
However environmental campaigners will worry that the postponement of COP26 will ease the pressure on the UK government to take fresh steps this year to cut emissions.
COP26 president-designate Alok Sharma said: “The world is currently 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 and I look forward to agreeing a new date for the conference.”
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that while this evening’s decision was “disappointing”, it was “absolutely the right one”.
Chris Stark, the chief executive of the Committee on Climate Change, agreed that the postponement was “the right decision”, adding that there was now “a window to understand the implications of the COVID19 crisis and reboot UK climate diplomacy in its wake”. He also pointed out that the result of the US presidential election would be known by the time a rescheduled conference is held.
Responding on Twitter, he went on to say: “Pre-COP diplomacy was as important than the meeting itself. And that already difficult task was shot to pieces by the COVID19 tragedy now playing out.
“The only reason to want to host COP in November was if we wanted it to fail. And clearly that is not the plan.”
Lord Nicholas Stern, an adviser to the COP26 presidency, said the move was “welcome and understandable”
He said: “There is an opportunity in the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis to create a new approach to growth that is sustainable, inclusive and resilient. It can build on the understanding of a common humanity and shared vulnerability. Now is the time to forge a new internationalism and move from this crisis to a much more sustainable and resilient economy in closer harmony with the natural world. That will be the challenge and opportunity of COP26 next year. We must use this time well.”
Matthew Fell, chief UK policy director at the CBI, agreed that the momentum must be kept up, saying: “The climate crisis will not pause for this health crisis. When the virus subsides, COP will be more important than ever to catalyse fast, decisive action and build a sustainable, global economy. The CBI will continue to work with enterprise and government to demonstrate an unflinching commitment to reaching net-zero.”