Indian-origin UK Minister Alok Sharma Given Sole Charge of UN Climate Summit
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Alok Sharma, one of the Indian-origin ministers in UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson s Cabinet, on Friday relinquished his role as Business Secretary in a mini-reshuffle to take sole charge as President of COP26 the United Nations climate summit scheduled for Glasgow, Scotland, in November.
The Agra-born minister, who was until now in charge of dual roles, will focus entirely on what has been dubbed as the largest summit the UK has ever hosted, bringing together representatives from nearly 200 countries, including India. Downing Street said Johnson had asked Sharma to take on the new charge to drive forward coordinated global action to tackle climate change to meet the high ambitions for the summit. The biggest challenge of our time is climate change and we need to work together to deliver a cleaner, greener world and build back better for present and future generations, said Sharma.
8 January 2021
The Prime Minister has appointed Alok Sharma as full-time President of the UN COP26 climate conference in Glasgow this November, with Kwasi Kwarteng appointed as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
COP26 will be the largest summit the UK has ever hosted, bringing together representatives from nearly 200 countries, including world leaders, experts, and campaigners.
To meet the high ambitions for the summit in the year of COP26, Alok Sharma will solely focus on driving forward coordinated global action to tackle climate change. A successful summit in November will be critical if we want to meet the objectives set out by the Paris Agreement and reduce global emissions. The UK has set a high bar, with our recent commitment to reduce emissions by at least 68% by 2030, but we also need other countries to do their bit.
Article by Amanda Doyle
THE Climate Ambition Summit was held on 12 December to mark five years since the Paris Agreement, and saw many world leaders submitting new and updated climate pledges.
The Summit was hosted by the UN, the UK, and France, in partnership with Italy and Chile. It provided a platform for some discussion in lieu of the COP26 climate summit being postponed to next year. Around 75 world leaders, along with business executives and representatives from NGOs, gathered for the virtual summit.
New and updated pledges
Under the Paris Agreement, countries are expected to submit new or updated pledges – known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – every five years. The Summit marks the first time that this “ratchet” system of increasing ambition has been used. NDCs covering 71 countries (the EU submits one NDC) were announced at the Summit or just prior to it.
Most Influential 2020: S-T
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Welcome to the 2020 edition of the Most Influential list.
Our list concentrates on the individuals who make a real difference to the North East and the S-T section includes MPs, leading academics and a range of business figures.
UK sets out approach to prepare for climate change effects at home and overseas
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also made a commitment to end taxpayer support for fossil fuel projects overseas ‘as soon as possible’
Image: Shutterstock
The UK Government has set out its ambitious approach to prepare for the effects of climate change at home and overseas, helping vulnerable countries adapt and become more resilient.
It published its ‘Adaptation Communication’ following the virtual Climate Ambition Summit over the weekend, which brought together 75 world leaders as well as businesses and civil society to make strong new commitments to tackle climate change ahead of COP26, being held in Glasgow in 2021.