UN climate summit postponed to 2021

This year's UN climate summit (Cop 26), due to be held in Glasgow in November, has been postponed until next year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The decision was taken jointly by the Cop bureau of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the event's presiding nations, the UK and Italy. A set of intersessional negotiations due to take place in Bonn, Germany in June has also been pushed back, to October.

"In light of the ongoing, worldwide effects of Covid-19, holding an ambitious, inclusive Cop 26 in November 2020 is no longer possible," the UN said.

The rescheduled conference, still slated to take place in Glasgow, will be held in 2021. Dates for the event will be determined in due course following further discussions with parties, the UN said.

"Rescheduling will ensure all parties can focus on the issues to be discussed at this vital conference and allow more time for the necessary preparations to take place. We will continue to work with all involved to increase climate ambition, build resilience and lower emissions," the UN said.

Cop 26 is considered the most important UN climate summit since the 2015 meeting that produced the Paris agreement, because it marks the deadline for countries to update their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) for reducing emissions in line with the Paris treaty.

Preparations for the summit had earlier been thrown into disarray when UK prime minister Boris Johnson sacked the president of the event, former UK climate minister Claire O'Neill. She was replaced by minister for business, energy and industrial strategy Alok Sharma, who said the decision to postpone the summit was taken to ensure that governments would be fully focused on trying to reach agreement on the remaining issues within the Paris agreement by the time the talks are held.

"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 Cop 26," Sharma said. "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," he added.

NGOs urge continued climate action

The decision to delay the summit was largely met with understanding by environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) today. But such groups pressed for governments to ensure that any financial action taken over the coming months include support for climate action.

"It is crucial that the economic stimulus needed to restart the global economy after Covid-19 is low-carbon and in line with the Paris agreement," the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) said, with Climate Action Network Europe also calling for financial packages to take the climate crisis into account.

"Governments will need urgently to pick up the pace as soon as a new summit date is decided and ensure their nationally determined contribution plans for addressing the climate crisis are workable and in place in time," IIED added.

The NGO reiterated the importance of securing climate financing for developing countries, while avoiding the acceptance of "false counting of emissions cuts".

The permittance or not of the "double counting" of emissions allowances under carbon trading rules has been a major sticking point at the past two Cop summits. Members of the UK parliament's upper house energy and environment committee heard last month that Cop 26 delegates should not sacrifice the prevention of carbon credit double counting for the sake of an agreement.

By Victoria Hatherick