Britain proposes hosting UN Climate Summit in November 2021: Report

Britain has proposed that the United Nations' climate summit should be held in November 2021 as it was postponed from the previously scheduled dates in November 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Britain's government stated that the conference, known as COP-26, be rescheduled between November 1 to 12, 2021 in the letter from the cabinet office to the UN, accessed by a news agency. The authorities have been working with the international and delivery partners to agree on the new dates to hold COP26, the letter revealed.

The official dates, once decided, will be set out in due course in a formal statement, a government spokesperson was quoted saying, confirming that the conference is considered to be held in Glasgow. However, as per the letter, it was not made clear whether the rescheduling would push the dates for the annual UN climate summit (COP-27) scheduled for the end of the year, 2021 in Africa.

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200 countries to lay new pledges

The two-week summit, in which hundreds of leaders worldwide participate, is expected to be one of the biggest events held in Britain to pledge to avert the impacts of global warming under the Paris agreement on climate change. Glasgow summit, further, is expected to serve as a deadline for over 200 countries to lay down new, more ambitious emissions-cutting measures, as per the reports. Countries’ current pledges lack its reach to levels of global warming that could be deemed as “safe”, which in turn, threatens severe droughts, sea-level rise, desertification, and mass extinction of species due to severe levels of carbon emissions.  

A meeting has been called as of May 27 to discuss Britain's proposal, however, the decision on a new date ultimately rests with the UN's climate body, according to reports. It is speculated that some investors, diplomats, and campaigners supported the postponement of the summit, citing, it would buy the governments worldwide some time to prepare emissions-cutting plans and integrate climate targets into stimulus packages to revive the coronavirus hit economies. 

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(Image Credit: AP)