Ministers renew commitment on climate action, but more work to do says COP26 President

Climate ministers have taken a step forward towards a successful COP26, as a constructive meeting in London concluded with countries coming closer together on key issues such as actions to keep the 1.5C goal alive, adaptation finance and concluding the Paris rulebook.

At the two-day ministerial, convened by COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma to discuss critical negotiating issues and climate actions ahead of COP26, ministers from around the world sketched the outline of the Glasgow summit outcome and agreed collaborative ways forward to reach it.

Following the meeting, COP26 President-Designate, Alok Sharma said: “The steps we have taken over the past two days bring us closer to securing an outcome at Glasgow that people and our planet are crying out for. However, fault lines remain on some critical issues, and there is more work to do. We have asked ministers to lead conversations in order to bridge divides and get us in the best possible position for COP26. Every country must now give their all to this process; lives and livelihoods depend on it, and we have no time to waste.”

Ministers from Singapore and Norway agreed to continue consulting informally with ministers on Article 6, which relates to carbon markets, while Rwanda and Switzerland’s ministers agreed to consult on Common Time Frames for emissions reduction commitments, or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

In a boost for the COP Presidency’s goal of getting finance flowing for climate action, Germany and Canada agreed to take forward a delivery plan for mobilising the $100bn a year from developed countries that is so critically needed to help others in their fight against climate change.

Countries were clear that COP26 needed to deliver actions, not just words. Many highlighted the importance of ending coal power, coal financing and fossil fuel subsidies. Ministers looked forward to Italy’s G20 leaders summit October 30-31 as a pivotal moment for action.

Ahead of the meeting, there has been a recent show of leadership from Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) including the Solomon Islands, Bhutan and Ethiopia, as well as more ambitious NDCs from Paraguay, Morocco and Canada which will help keep the critical goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C in sight. Ministers participating at the meeting called for all countries to deliver ambitious NDCs and long-term strategies towards net zero before COP26.

Mr Sharma welcomed the progress but stressed significant further work is needed, particularly on finance, adaptation and other crucial issues, with less than 100 days to go before countries come together in November for COP26 in Glasgow.

Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change said: “There can be no neutral position when it comes to climate action. It is necessary to come to an understanding and ensure the full implementation of the Paris Agreement, which is the most comprehensive and the only reliable strategy to address climate change.”

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