Isle of Man included in 'landmark' Paris Agreement at COP26

From left to right: Senator Ian Gorst (Jersey), Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq (Guernsey), Greg Hands MP, (UK) Daphne Caine MHK (Isle of Man). Credit: Isle of Man Government

The Isle of Man is to be included in the Paris Agreement following negotiations at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow.

This means that the Island will be able to comply with the obligations of the treaty and the UK’s overall target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Members have agreed to "pursue efforts" to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C, and limit greenhouse gas emissions from human activity to the same levels that trees, soil and oceans can absorb naturally - also known as reaching 'net zero'.

The agreement was announced by Greg Hands MP, the UK Minister of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), at the conference on Thursday.

It applies to the Isle of Man and the other Crown Dependencies and follows lengthy negotiations between the Isle of Man and UK Governments.

Daphne Caine MHK is representing the Isle of Man at the conference for the week as Chair of the Climate Change Transformation Board.

Key discussions at the conference will be around whether countries are doing what they have agreed to within the Paris Agreement.

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international agreement around climate change.

It was an agreement made by 196 parties at COP21 in Paris to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius.

This weekend will see the Isle of Man showcase the story behind the blue carbon stores in Manx shores.

The COP27 climate conference - what you need to know

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?

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.

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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.

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