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The UK has been chosen as the host of the United Nations’ 26th climate change conference.
Glasgow’s staging of the COP26 event at the end of next year had been all but secured when the government announced a partnership with Italy, which will take on the pre-conference programme.
COP26 is set to bring together over 30,000 delegates from around the world, including climate experts, business leaders and the public to “agree ambitious action to tackle climate change”.
The UK’s nomination is set to be formally accepted at December’s COP25 summit in Chile but has been given the backing of other countries.
The successful bid has been seen as recognition of the UK’s ambitious pledge to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. However, the government has been criticised over the past week for allocating just £30 million for projects to progress that target over the next year.
Claire Perry, the former energy minister who announced last week she was stepping down as an MP, remains the UK’s nominated president of COP26.
She said: “In 2020, world leaders will come together to discuss how to tackle climate change on a global scale – and where better to do so than Glasgow, one of the UK’s most sustainable cities with a great track record for hosting high-profile international events.
“I welcome the nomination from our partners in the UN regional group to host COP26 in Glasgow in partnership with Italy. The UK is a world-leader in emissions reduction, and we have recently committed to reducing our net emissions to zero.”
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said the decision was “a huge vote of confidence from our international partners”.
He added: “We’re ready to bring the world together to make sure we leave our precious environment in a better state for our children.”
The Scottish government’s climate change secretary Roseanna Cunningham said this was a recognition of the commitment Scotland has shown to decarbonisation.
She added: “Scotland was one of the first countries in the world to acknowledge the global climate emergency and the Scottish government has introduced the toughest targets in the UK to ensure our action matches the scale of our climate ambitions.
“We look forward to working collaboratively with partners to deliver an ambitious and effective conference that ensures Scotland plays a leading role to help promote the increased global effort to tackle climate change.”
Claire Mack, chief executive of Scottish Renewables, called it “fantastic news for Scotland and for Glasgow, which is already aiming to become the UK’s first net-zero city”.
“Scotland’s renewable energy industry is looking forward to working with the world’s leading climate change experts to make sure that the COP agenda is followed by concrete action”, she said.
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