Critical Climate Change Conference COP26 May Be Delayed By A Year Amid Pandemic

The 2020 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is likely to be postponed by an entire year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Experts have warned that such a delay could have catastrophic consequences on the planet as nations continue to fall short of targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

COP26, described as the most important international discussion on climate change since 2015 when the Paris climate accord was signed, had initially been scheduled to take place in November 2020 in Glasgow, Scotland. Dozens of world leaders were supposed to present detailed plans at the conference on how they intend to cut their nation’s emissions to ensure that global temperatures don’t rise more than 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, above preindustrial levels ― a limit countries agreed to in the Paris accord.

Due to coronavirus concerns, however, the U.N. said in April that the conference would be postponed. A new date wasn’t provided at the time, but there was hope the conference would be rescheduled for the first quarter of 2021, The Guardian reported.

The U.K. government, which will host the conference, has now proposed the talks be delayed until November next year.

“Given the uneven spread of COVID-19, this date would present the lowest risk of further postponement and the best chance of delivering an inclusive and ambitious COP,” U.K. officials said in a Tuesday letter addressed to participating nations, The New York Times reported.

A decision will reportedly be made at a Thursday U.N. meeting as to whether the U.K.’s proposed date will be accepted.

If COP26 is delayed by a year, smaller meetings could be held in the meantime as a stop-gap measure to ensure the momentum to curb the global impacts of climate change isn’t entirely lost, The Guardian reported. Still, experts have warned that the long delay could significantly dampen efforts to get countries on-track to meet their Paris targets.

Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, Costa Rica’s energy and environment minister, told the Times that a delayed COP26 could also cause countries to ignore climate change targets as they adopt economic recovery plans in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re losing time,” Rodríguez said. “If there are no strings attached to international aid and national recovery plans we may be in a very difficult spot. Having a COP soon would help influence global recovery plans.”