A climate for ambition: Diplomatic preparations for COP26 Contents

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2Ambitions

5.Greater ambition is essential ahead of COP26; if the conference is to succeed, countries arriving in Glasgow will need detailed climate road maps which deliver on the Paris Agreement targets set five years ago.11 COP26 needs to dramatically speed up global emissions reductions, build resilience to the impacts of climate change, turn economic incentives towards a green outcome and support the most vulnerable.12 We believe that, in order to achieve this, the UK Presidency must go beyond just encouraging ambitious target-setting and ensure that countries’ implementation strategies also stand up to scrutiny.13 COP26 will have the additional challenge of encouraging finance ministers to drive forward the transition of their economies and financial systems to net zero, whilst also successfully mobilising US$100 billion in public and private funding to support developing countries.14

6.As so many actors are involved in COP negotiations, “designing a plan and sharing it far ahead of the COP is the best way to increase convergence and shape expectations”.15 Many of those who contributed to our inquiry agreed that the UK Presidency needed to set out clear and ambitious targets, outlining what they expect from state parties attending COP26.16 Laurence Tubiana, France’s former Climate Change Ambassador and Special Representative for COP21, told us that by the beginning of the summer the COP President should have set out what he wants to achieve at the conference “almost drafting the press communiqué that he wants to get out of Glasgow”.17 Alongside colleagues from the European Climate Foundation she argued that:

Situating COP26 as a key moment for climate action, the presidency will have to set a highly ambitious goal and go, not one, but many steps beyond what has been done so far.18

Witnesses emphasised that the Government should seek input and buy in from other UNFCCC Parties well in advance of COP26 so that all countries feel invested and included in the UK’s vision for the conference.19 All governments, particularly in democracies, will need public support for ambitious climate targets and for many that will require parliamentary engagement. So far, there is little public evidence of the FCDO promoting and encouraging open participation in a national, never mind an international, debate about the objectives for COP26, nor the level of engagement with legislative bodies required to ensure enduring support.20

7.In March, the Government set out four headline objectives for its COP26 Presidency: to encourage countries to submit more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions, to protect and help adapt our communities, to meet the US$100 billion goal for climate finance, and to close off the outstanding elements of the Paris Agreement.21 Beyond this there has been little information on the level of ambition the UK Government hopes to secure in Glasgow or how it intends to measure success. The Business Energy and Industrial Skills (BEIS) Committee’s recent report recommended that the Government’s headline ambitions “be expanded to a clear list of measures, with a set of criteria attached to each in terms of how success will be measured”.22

8.The UK’s responsibility as COP President does not end when COP26 concludes.23 The UK’s Presidency will run until November 2022, when COP27 will be hosted by an African nation, and the UK will need to continue to champion climate change in multilateral and bilateral forums to help ensure a successful legacy for Glasgow.24 This commitment cannot be distinct from British foreign policy, but as the Integrated Review makes clear, is integral to the success of our global engagement. The UK has committed to continuing to make climate change and biodiversity loss the first international priority and the FCDO have said that they are in the process of integrating climate and biodiversity as a priority throughout their work.25 We agree with witnesses who argued that climate objectives will need to be successfully integrated into future foreign policy if we are to secure a successful legacy for Glasgow.26 The event in November will be the first indication of the Foreign Secretary’s commitment to the Prime Minister’s stated objective.

9.COP26 will be a key moment for global climate action. We have been encouraged by the number of countries that have expressed the importance of the climate agenda in international fora; COP26 must now translate these words into actions. The UK Presidency will need to mobilise public engagement so that as countries come forward with ambitious climate targets, those promises are backed by people around the world. COP26 will not be considered a success unless the UK Presidency sets the world on a path to net zero, secures an ambitious green finance package, and helps to build resilience to the impacts of climate change.

10.We welcome the Government’s announcement of four headline ‘objectives’ for its COP26 Presidency. However, beyond this announcement there has been little detail on what the UK Government wants to achieve. Setting ambitious expectations will be crucial to securing the success of the conference and the Government will need to do more than just set out broad ambitions. We recommend that the Government ensures that the process for setting objectives for COP26 is inclusive and incorporates the views of the Least Developed Countries and the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. We recommend that before the beginning of the G7 conference in June, the Government expands its headline objectives into a clear list of targets that the UK Presidency wants to achieve in Glasgow. Using the two events together to mobilise support will give a greater opportunity for success. Only by working with networks of partners will the FCDO ensure that more ambitious NDCs are put forward, and only by making plans early and engaging others will the Government secure buy in from other UNFCCC Parties.

11.We welcome the Government’s commitment to make climate change its number one international priority this year, but the responsibility of the UK does not end when COP26 concludes. The UK must continue its efforts as the torchbearer for the next COP, and beyond, to continue to ratchet up ambition on climate change. The FCDO and the UK’s diplomatic network will have a key role to play in this process. In order to ensure a successful legacy for the UK’s COP Presidency, we recommend that the FCDO publishes an environmental diplomacy strategy, defining the Department’s foreign policy aims for the UK’s COP26 Presidency and beyond, and that it establishes a unit that can support future presidencies. The UK must commit to working closely with the African COP27 Presidency, including with the loan of staff and expertise, to sustain momentum on global climate action; particularly on adaptation, resilience, finance and loss and damage. Without a future commitment Glasgow risks being a one-off jamboree of voice and worry, changing nothing but airmiles.