UN warns UK over unrealistic plans for in-person Cop26 climate summit


  • English
  • Arabic

The UN has reportedly warned the UK government that its push to ensure Cop26 is held in person in Glasgow later this year is unrealistic because of Covid-19.

While it is generally accepted the climate summit in Glasgow in November will not be as big as its predecessors, UK officials do not want it to take place online.

Cop26 was originally supposed to take place in November 2020, but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly 27,000 registered to attend Cop25 in Madrid in December 2019.

According to The Sun newspaper, the UN has voiced concerns about the event being held in person. The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres pushed for virtual meetings to be stepped up last month as he expressed fears that the pandemic could again derail the effort to address the climate crisis.

“Because of Covid-19, it is unlikely that the usual schedule of meetings will happen in person. Preparatory negotiations for Cop26 will need to take place virtually,” Mr Guterres reportedly said.  “We simply cannot allow the pandemic to keep us from working together on the crucial pathway to Glasgow.”

More than 126,000 people in the UK have died from Covid-19, but the country also has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world.

However, a third wave of the virus has recently gripped Europe and forced this week’s European Council meeting to move online.

The UK government has stressed the importance it places on hosting the Cop26 summit.

"The Cop26 summit is one of the single biggest priorities that any government could have domestically and internationally and it's a massive job and we're throwing everything at it," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday.

"The question now really is just to make sure that we can have a Cop that is physical”, he added.

"I really think it would be a wonderful thing if by November, the UK can lead the world in all sorts of things, but actually have a summit that is a big global summit where everybody turns up. And everybody turns up without fear,” Mr Johnson said.

Mr Johnson’s comments came six weeks after Alok Sharma, president of Cop26, clearly indicated to the UN the plan remained for the summit not to be held online.

“We must continue to work creatively and flexibly, guided by the principles of transparency, inclusivity and common purpose, to make progress which is so vital.

“So that when we do meet in person in November, we secure an outcome that delivers for each and every country. And that delivers for our planet as a whole,” he said.

Earlier this month Mr Sharma said; “we will do everything we can to ensure that this is a physical meeting."

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterrres last month said that important pre-summit negotiations could have to take place virtually.
"We simply cannot allow the pandemic to keep us from working together on the crucial pathway to Glasgow," he said.
Preparatory talks, which help set the agenda for Cop summits, were originally meant to be held in June 2020 before being pushed back to October 2020 and then postponed again.
No new date has been announced since.
But there are also fears that an unequal distribution of vaccines could prevent delegates from developing countries being able to attend.
"I'm very keen to champion the voices of developing nations. It's an important reason why we want to make sure that the event in Glasgow is a physical event so they can sit at the same table," Mr Sharma said earlier this month.

Company profile

Company name: Suraasa

Started: 2018

Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker

Based: India, UAE and the UK

Industry: EdTech

Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding

MATCH INFO

Chelsea 1 (Hudson-Odoi 90 1')

Manchester City 3 (Gundogan 18', Foden 21', De Bruyne 34')

Man of the match: Ilkay Gundogan (Man City)

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
TO A LAND UNKNOWN

Director: Mahdi Fleifel

Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

Rating: 4.5/5

The Comeback: Elvis And The Story Of The 68 Special
Simon Goddard
Omnibus  Press

Tell-tale signs of burnout

- loss of confidence and appetite

- irritability and emotional outbursts

- sadness

- persistent physical ailments such as headaches, frequent infections and fatigue

- substance abuse, such as smoking or drinking more

- impaired judgement

- excessive and continuous worrying

- irregular sleep patterns

 

Tips to help overcome burnout

Acknowledge how you are feeling by listening to your warning signs. Set boundaries and learn to say ‘no’

Do activities that you want to do as well as things you have to do

Undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. It releases an abundance of feel-good hormones

Find your form of relaxation and make time for it each day e.g. soothing music, reading or mindful meditation

Sleep and wake at the same time every day, even if your sleep pattern was disrupted. Without enough sleep condition such as stress, anxiety and depression can thrive.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
  • Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
  • Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
  • Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
  • Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
  • Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
  • Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.