COP26: UN Climate Change Conference, Glasgow
The eyes of the world were on Glasgow this November as the UK hosted the first UN Climate Change Conference since 2019. This was billed as a key opportunity to put the finance and actions in place to bolster the 1.5C target that major countries agreed to in 2017.
Darren attended COP26 as a parliamentarian due to his role as Chair of the Business Committee. The outcome of the conference was disappointing and the UK must do more to show climate leadership domestically and internationally. However, Darren was able to use this time to put the views of Bristol North West to leaders and experts during the conference.
You can read Darren’s summary of the conference below:
Dear Constituent,
Thank you for contacting me about the recent COP26 UN Climate Conference which took place in Scotland. I hope that this email finds you healthy and well.
This is a critical moment for both our planet and our country. I have long believed the overriding aim of COP26 must be to keep the hope of limiting global warming to 1.5°C within reach. Yet we know that to do this, we need to halve global emissions by the end of this decade, and we are alarmingly off track if this goal is to be achieved.
As you may know, pledges submitted before the summit set a course for global heating of 2.7°C, and whilst further commitments were made throughout the summit, further analysis depicts a world still falling short of doing what is needed to change course.
I believe the UK Government needs to be clear about the reality of the situation we are facing. Given that COP26 has barely delivered what is necessary for the world, Ministers now need to outline, in detail, what commitments the UK can champion to close the remaining gap between policy and promise. We still hold the COP Presidency and can push for additional pledges that would better secure the prospects of limiting rising temperatures.
We must also deliver proper support for climate vulnerable countries. It is extremely concerning that the commitment to provide $100 billion in climate finance annually to help developing nations transition and adapt will not be honoured until 2022 or even 2023. This is a matter of trust for those countries on the frontline of the climate crisis. Advanced economies falling short will need to do more to reassure them.
I also believe the Government needs to reflect on its role in the failure to honour this pledge from 2020. We cannot expect to persuade the rest of the developed world to do more on climate finance while cutting our own overseas aid budget.
Finally, it is vital that the Government addresses the climate emergency with the speed and scale of action it demands here at home. While it has now published its Net Zero strategy, it continues to fail to invest in the green transition at the scale needed.
This is why I support Rachel Reeve’s recently announced Climate Investment pledge that would see a future Labour government commit £28 billion each year, until at least 2030, to tackle the climate emergency. We must show leadership in this decisive decade ahead.
You can also keep up to date with my recent activities relating to COP26 through my social media:
I conducted my bi-monthly Facebook Live at the COP26 Conference, focusing specifically on the events’ environmental themes. You can re-watch the session here.
I recently wrote to Alok Sharma MP, President of COP26, regarding my concerns about the lack of engagement of small and medium enterprises at the conference. You can read the letter in full here.
I asked the Prime Minister whether the Government would now reopen the UK-Australia trade deal which saw Australia water down climate commitments in the Commons and can be seen here.
Thank you once again for contacting me. I can assure you that I will continue to support efforts to press the Government to ensure that COP26 delivers rather than further delays the action we, and the world, desperately needs.
Yours sincerely,
Darren
Darren Jones MP
Member of Parliament for Bristol North West