Select committee: Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 7
Seventh Report: A climate for ambition: Diplomatic preparations for COP26
Published 19 Apr 2021
Paragraph 25
Addressed to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Foreign Affairs Committee Environmental diplomacy All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The US Climate Summit and COP15 (the biodiversity COP) will be two key moments where the UK will need to take stock of progress and push for increased ambition. As the COP26 President, the UK should play a leading role in both the preparations for the US conference and during the conference itself. We recommend that the UK works closely with the US administration to align the objectives of the US climate summit on 22 April with the objectives of COP26. The United States’ unquestioned importance in the pledging of climate commitments should not replace the UK’s diplomatic role in bringing together other partners. It will be important for the FCDO to find ways to build bridges between both processes as well as pushing for ambitious commitments from the USA and China at COP26.
From: Foreign Affairs Committee, Seventh Report: A climate for ambition: Diplomatic preparations for COP26 (HC 202), paragraph 25, 19 April 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 25 June 2021 (deadline 19 June 2021).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response sets out its work towards COP26 and makes a number of specific commitments, while stating that carbon pricing "is not a mandated discussion for COP26, and so will not be an outcome".
- On integrating climate into wider foreign policy, the government says "We agree about the need to take a holistic approach" and cites a Fossil Fuels Policy from 31 March 2021 and a new rule on aligning ODA with the Paris Agreement.
- On future presidencies and the African COP27 Presidency, it will "continue to use the UK's diplomatic convening power after COP26", but "Specific decisions on resourcing and structures beyond this year will be taken as part of the next Spending Review".
- On the international development strategy, it will "set out what this means for the UK's international development offer in our forthcoming international development strategy", without giving a date.
- On Covid-19, its "intent remains to hold the main conference in person"; it will provide vaccines for delegates unable to access them, and will give further details on contingency planning to Parliament "in due course".