Wind tubine next to factory pollution

Climate Action Network calls for COP26 postponement

Climate Action Network (CAN), a global network of more than 1,500 civil society organisations in over 130 countries working together to fight the climate emergency, has today called for the UN climate talks COP26, due to take place in November in Glasgow, to be postponed.

With less than two months to go till COP26, the call for postponement is based on the network’s assessment that logistics and support communicated by the UK as host, is not adequate to ensure safe, full and inclusive participation.

The network is concerned that under current arrangements there is a risk that many low income and climate-vulnerable countries, who have high stakes in the negotiations, will be unable to adequately take part, and many observer groups, including civil society from the global south, will be absent. Despite being the least responsible for causing it, low-income countries and marginalised communities are often hit the hardest by climate change.

The network is calling for a postponement of COP, but crucially not of climate action, and CAN states that countries must still deliver credible commitments and plans, including enhanced NDCs and increased climate finance commitments at key political decision making moments this year – including the UN General Assembly in September and G20 in October.

As accredited observers to the UN climate negotiations, CAN will continue to push political leaders to deliver ambitious national climate targets, fulfil their responsibilities on climate finance, phase out fossil fuels and address the needs of the most vulnerable people experiencing loss and damage.

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Soon after the network’s announcement, the UK COP Presidency has announced that delegates currently waiting to receive their promised vaccinations will be vaccinated this week, and that they would offer funding to party delegates, observers and media arriving from red list countries to cover required managed quarantine hotel costs – funding called for by CAN-UK, Bond, and The Climate Coalition in a letter to the Chancellor last month.

For press enquiries, please contact Dharini Parthasarathy, Climate Action Network, [email protected] For inquiries for more information from UK civil society organisations, please contact Cat Pettengell, CAN-UK [email protected]

CAN-UK is the UK node of CAN and was previously Bond’s Development Environment Group (DEG).

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