UK to host crucial global talks on tackling climate emergency

(The Guardian, 10 Sep 2019) COP26 meeting in Glasgow in 2020 will determine future course of efforts to avert crisis.

Britain is to host a crunch climate conference next year at which the future direction of global efforts to avert the climate crisis will be determined, the government has confirmed.

The COP26 meeting, under the auspices of the UN, will take place in Glasgow in December 2020, with about 30,000 delegates expected as well as leaders of most of the world’s governments, making it the biggest international summit to be hosted in the UK.

After months of behind-the-scenes preparations, the UK was confirmed as co-host with Italy, where some preparatory meetings will take place, when other countries signalled their acceptance on Tuesday.

The announcement shines a spotlight on the UK’s diplomatic standing on the world stage after Brexit and will bring intense scrutiny of the British government’s actions on the climate emergency.

Before her departure, one of Theresa May’s final acts as prime minister was to enshrine in law a commitment to ensure the country had net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, said: “The UK has just received a huge vote of confidence from our international partners. We’re ready to bring the world together to make sure we leave our previous environment in a better state for our children.”

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The Guardian, 10 Sep 2019: UK to host crucial global talks on tackling climate emergency