PM calls on world to 'pull out all the stops' in final days of COP summit
Negotiators from around the world are rushing to finalise a deal to make COP26 a success, ITV News Correspondent Rachel Younger reports
Boris Johnson has urged world leaders to "pull out all the stops" in the closing days of the COP26 summit, as negotiators race to make a deal on a range of vital issues.
The climate change summit in Glasgow opened last week with many of the world leaders attending.
Some landmark deals have already been signed but a number of criticisms have been levelled too with teenage activist Greta Thunberg branding it two weeks of "blah, blah, blah".
Boris Johnson is leaving Westminster to make his way to talks at the COP26 climate conference
Before the conference had even begun, the leaders of both Russia and China chose not to attend, while many others - including Mr Johnson - sounded gloomy about keeping the prospect of limiting global warming to the agreed 1.5C alive.
Negotiators from 197 countries are still trying to reach a deal on a common time frame for national commitments on emissions reductions and agreed methodology for countries to report on their climate action.
The COP27 climate conference - what you need to know
What is COP27? When and where will it be?
What is COP27? When and where will it be?
Each year, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meets at what is called the Conference of the Parties (abbreviated as COP) to discuss the world's progress on climate change and how to tackle it.
COP27 is the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties summit which will be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from November 6-18.
Who is going?
Who is going?
Leaders of the 197 countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - a treaty that came into force in 1994 - are invited to the summit.
These are some of the world leaders that will be attending COP27:
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is attending the conference, after initially saying he wouldn't as he was too busy focusing on the economy within his first weeks in office.
US President Joe Biden and his experienced climate envoy, John Kerry, will appear at the talks.
France President Emmanuel Macron will also be among the heads of state from around the world staying in Egypt.
King Charles III will not be attending COP27, despite being a staunch advocate for the environment. The decision was made jointly by Buckingham Palace and former prime minister Liz Truss.
Elsewhere, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will not attend the talks just as they decided to do for COP26.
What is it hoping to achieve?
What is it hoping to achieve?
1. Ensure full implementation of the Paris Agreement and putting negotiations into concrete actions - included within this is the target of limiting global warming to well below 2C.
2. Cementing progress on the critical workstreams of mitigation, adaptation, finance and loss and damage, while stepping up finance notably to tackle the impacts of climate change.
3. Enhancing the delivery of the principles of transparency and accountability throughout the UN Climate Change process.
These are important technical points needed to ensure words become action.Other key issues involve funding for nations most vulnerable to climate change.
The prime minister said: “Negotiating teams are doing the hard yards in these final days of COP26 to turn promises into action on climate change.
“There’s still much to do. Today I’ll be meeting with ministers and negotiators to hear about where progress has been made and where the gaps must be bridged.
“This is bigger than any one country and it is time for nations to put aside differences and come together for our planet and our people.
“We need to pull out all the stops if we’re going to keep 1.5C within our grasp.”
Mr Johnson is expected to hold a press conference in Glasgow later on Wednesday.
He will also meet representatives from around the world alongside UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.A draft of agreed proposals is expected to be published on Wednesday morning, with further discussions going on into the weekend.
A “High Ambition Coalition” of vulnerable countries and others including the US and Europe countries is calling for nations to submit action plans in line with limiting temperatures to 1.5C in the next year and long term plans to meet the target by 2023, though there is pushback from other countries.
Finance for developing countries is also key to the talks.
Robin Mace-Snaith, lead climate analyst for aid agency CAFOD, said: “We have to get new, additional, and needs-based loss and damage finance and a system to deliver it to vulnerable communities in low-income countries.
“At the same time, there needs to be a place in the UN climate process to formalise these discussions, so countries can be held accountable for their promises.”
“With the PM due to be back on Wednesday at Cop, we hope he gets this over the line and delivers the action needed on loss and damage.”
The Prime Minister will be joined by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in Glasgow, where he will meet with heads of delegations and other groups.