LONDON (Reuters) -Britain is working hard to make sure it will host an in-person United Nations’ Climate Change Conference, known as COP26, in November and there is no desire to postpone the summit again, Britain’s COP26 president said on Wednesday.
“We are working very hard to ensure we deliver an in-person COP, which allows all countries to participate on an equal footing,” Alok Sharma told parliament.
“This is incredibly important as many parties feel strongly that negotiations must be in person,” Sharma said.
The November summit in Glasgow, Scotland, was originally due to be held in 2020, but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asked if the summit would go ahead, Sharma said: “COP26 has already been postponed by one year and the urgency of the climate crisis has not abated.”
“I don’t sense any desire amongst parties for a further postponement and we’re working very hard to ensure that we have an in-person physical COP, taking into account of course any COVID-related contingencies,” he said.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Holton, writing by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Alistair Smout)
