The UK has been nominated to host the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) in November 2020, considered the most significant gathering on climate change since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015.
Italy has been nominated to host the preparatory events, while the UK will host the main summit that will last up to two weeks.
Over 30,000 delegates, including 200 world leaders will meet at Glasgow’s Scottish Events Campus (SEC) to develop an international response to the escalating climate crisis.
Claire Perry, COP26 President 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.”
The Scottish government’s Climate Change Secretary, Roseanna Cunningham welcomed the news, saying:
“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.”
Last week, Chancellor Sajid Javid announced the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) will receive £30 million of extra funding towards ensuring the UK meets its 2050 net zero target and £87 million towards helping developing countries reduce their carbon emissions.