The COP26 UN climate change conference set to take place in Glasgow in November has been postponed due to COVID-19.
This decision has been taken by the COP Bureau of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), with the UK and its Italian partners.
Dates for a rescheduled conference in 2021, hosted in Glasgow by the UK in partnership with Italy, will be set out in due course following further discussion with parties.
In light of the ongoing, worldwide effects of COVID-19, holding an ambitious, inclusive COP26 in November 2020 is no longer possible.
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.
COP26 President-Designate and Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Alok Sharma said:
“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 COP26.
“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.”
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa said:
“COVID-19 is the most urgent threat facing humanity today, but we cannot forget that climate change is the biggest threat facing humanity over the long term.
“Soon, economies will restart. This is a chance for nations to recover better, to include the most vulnerable in those plans, and a chance to shape the 21st century economy in ways that are clean, green, healthy, just, safe and more resilient.
“In the meantime, we continue to support and to urge nations to significantly boost climate ambition in line with the Paris Agreement.”
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Ironic. The [catastrophic] [anthropogenic] climate cooling… warming… change conference is postponed until the climate changes, specifically cools. I guess they don’t believe people will take them seriously. Even less than usual. People aren’t that green, which will force environmentalists and corporate profits to look for an alternative green pot.
No need for any more COPs – a virus has delivered all that “climate change” doctrine was seeking.
change the venue to a cruise ship with a Italian captain who has the racing itch,
With CO2 emissions completely unaffected by these mass abrupt lockdowns the wheels are coming off the Manmade CO2/Global warming theory – nearly 416 ppm and following its natural cycles:
https://www.co2.earth/daily-co2
Holding a virtual conference would have been fatal to their pretense that they have to fly around the world to meet.
Having a video conference call en masse would defeat the real purpose of COP gatherings for the participants… the boondoggle to exotic locales on OPM.
Sorry, Joel, but by no stretch of anybody’s imagination could Glasgow be called “exotic”!
The climate delegation from Mali would beg to differ.
“In the meantime, we continue to support and to urge nations to significantly boost climate ambition”
What explains the weird fascination of UN bureaucrats with the word “ambition”? And what of all that scary climate research in the buildup to Glasgow to build up the motivation for climate ambition? As in OMG Antarctica is melting faster than ever & OMG Greenland is melting faster than ever & OMG there’s going to be sea level rise OMG!
https://tambonthongchai.com/2020/03/31/imbie/
My climate ambition is limited to visiting the southwest US every winter for 3 months. 🌵
COVID-19 vs. COP26 UN, a real and immediate danger defeats an imaginary threat once again.
This needs to be turned around:
“The UN is the world’s most important organization, charged with keeping peace and providing care for the entire world. What the United Nations says is for the good of all humankind. Just read their beautiful Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man.”
https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/
We did not do a good job destroying that myth.
7 months to find a way to do it via teleconference…nope, scrap it.
“…and a chance to shape the 21st century economy….” They’re not even being subtle anymore about their real intentions. You’d think the world would pick this up by now.
Responding to Markl
https://tambonthongchai.com/2020/03/18/the-eco-crisis-ambition-of-the-un/
Or is that they couldn’t secure enough bizjets and blue-chip airliners to haul NGO gurus, celebrities and officials as coronavirus effects keep the VIP aviation sector in soaring demand ?
I’m sure they’ll have two conferences next year. 😉
The only people who will notice are the attendees.
Wait… very large shrimp, which were destined for the copious amount of shrimp cocktail they serve at those gabfests, are probably cheering loudly at the news right about now. And I suppose the hookers have the sadz.
Responding to Markl
https://tambonthongchai.com/2020/03/18/the-eco-crisis-ambition-of-the-un/
Someone realised that the climate of Glasgow in November is not what they atre used to. No lazing in the sun drinking fruit juice cocktails whilst watching the working girls parade past in bikinis.
Consider this parallel:
In the US (at least) retailers who depended on mail orders continued to distribute huge printed catalogs (Sears, JC Penny et al) seemingly unaware that the world wide web had made that sales channel technically and economically obsolete.
It took 911 and the anthrax scare to “temporarily” halt distribution of those massive catalogs. When the scare passed, distribution was not resumed on the same scale, because their relative uselessness and inefficiency was realized.
Can we hope similar realizations once we come out of this crisis? Will this put telecommunication in its rightful place?
– Do all participants in an IPCC conference need to arrive in their personal jets and limousines?
– Does every academic who wants to hear a presentation have to be awarded travel, food and lodging to exotic sites?
– Can’t the presenter use the interactive multimedia capabilities of his University to originate his lecture?
– Can we make a college education much more affordable by using the “distance learning” techniques honed over the next several months?
–
George Daddis: “Can we hope similar realizations [ref. remote conferencing] once we come out of this crisis?
Are you out of your mind George?!?
What pluted bloatocrat would ever consider giving up private or 1st class jet travel, 5 star meals, and hookers?
If they ever solved the problem, the party would be over.
See you at COP 37, George ;o)
If I look at what companies are doing, especially the one I work for, here in Australia in the wake of COVID-19, working from home, telecommuting and teleconferencing will become the new normal for pretty much most forms of work.
Not all companies are the same. There’s a big difference between publicizing autonomous drones and and facing real situations in real aircraft.
This is a real tragedy. So many frequent flyer point not earned, cocktails not sipped and dinners not had. So many grant and job smoozing opportunities missed. Then without an assertive communique at the end of COP26 telling us time is running short, we will have surely moved doomsday that few months or maybe even a year . Stand by for even more draconian measures needed to make up for this lost time. Its worse than we thought.
Charles Higley, you are my hero. You have written the most rational and humane and well-informed article on
COVID-19 that I have read so far. Well done and thank you.
No he hasn’t and it is way off topic anyway, so I would call it topic-napping.
The old proverb
Every virus has a silver lining!
When will UNFCCC adopt teleconferencing, like I am doing now on a day-to-day basis?
Many Givernments have hammered their tax revenue while as the same time increasing their expenditure due to C19. They won’t be able to afford luxury items like COP conferences while trying to shake yet more revenue from the tax payer to make up the shortfall. In that context the UN is not going to close its funding deficit this year either any extra budget will be going to the WHO part of the UN. Financial reality dictates their actions, C19 is just the cover story allowing them to exit without losing face.
That stops 30,000+ nutters all trying to arrive in the UK by sailing boat until next year, when all the yurts can be prepared for their accommodation.
Oh dear, how disappointing. Cop 26 in Glasgow in November, who would want to miss that?
Maybe some spoilsport informed the Climate Alarmist Jet Set that Scotland is not the warmest place on Earth and Glasgow is not the warmest City in Scotland and November is not the warmest month in the year.
All a bit challenging if you are a Man Made Global Warmist, and very difficult to come to terms with.
How about they reschedule it for February 1st in Glasgow, so much lighter than November, especially if there is snow on the ground.
The Proclaimers sum up the prime ambition of those living in Glasgow, they seem to dream of walking 500 miles, and it is always south!
”… in partnership with Italy…”
I can’t wait to hear the Italians tell everyone that the greatest threat humanity faces in the future is Climate change.
Eamon.
We must be close to this point: