Glasgow to host UN climate change summit

Glasgow will host a “hugely successful'' United Nations climate change summit next year, the Scottish Climate Change Secretary has said.

Roseanna Cunningham's comments came as she confirmed the UN has chosen Glasgow to hold COP26.

The 26th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will bring around 30,000 delegates to the city's Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in November 2020.

It will be the largest summit the UK has held, with up to 200 world leaders expected for the final weekend.

At COP21 in Paris in 2015, participating countries reached a landmark agreement to keep the global temperature rise this century at less than 2C above pre-industrial levels.

The UK Government said previously that, five years on, COP26 will be the first major test of the international community's commitment to scale up efforts to reduce emissions.

Ms Cunningham said: “I am pleased that Glasgow has been confirmed as the host city of COP26, now that the joint UK and Italy bid to host the summit has been approved.

“It is right that this conference should come to Scotland given our leadership in climate action.

“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.

“I have no doubt that Glasgow will deliver a highly successful conference and I look forward to welcoming delegates to Scotland.''

Lang Banks, director at environmental charity WWF Scotland, said: “The fossil fuel era began in Scotland and in 2020 the nations of the world must come to Glasgow and say that this generation will be the last fossil fuel generation and that they are serious about increased action to address the joint climate and nature emergencies we face.''

Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie also welcomed the announcement.

He said: “The science is clear, we have just a decade left to take the bold and urgent action required to transform our economy so that it works for people and planet.

“I am hopeful that hosting this event will focus minds, and embolden both the Scottish and UK governments to recognise the scale of the challenge we face and set to work focusing all the levers of government toward tackling the climate emergency.'