The person in charge of the Cop26 summit said that the torrential rains and flash floods “at our doorstep” in recent days have reminded the UK of the urgent need to tackle climate change.
but Alok Sharma Speaking at the press conference, he expressed disappointment at the lack of progress in a two-day meeting with ministers from more than 50 countries on the prospect of abandoning coal as an energy source.
Britain is pushing for an agreement Glasgow The climate conference limits global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, but Mr. Sharma-by Prime Minister Leading the negotiations in November-stating that without all countries participating, the goal will be “extremely difficult” to achieve G20 Sign the pledge to phase out coal.
Unless we want all countries to sign unabated coal phase-out agreements, it will be extremely difficult to keep 1.5C within an achievable range
The former Secretary of Commerce told reporters on Monday that when ministers were negotiating, rain and floods “swept through London”, which made them more concerned.
He added: “I think this is a sober reminder of the urgency of the task at our door.”
On Sunday, Britain suffered nearly a month of rain in one day and flooded houses, roads and subway stations in the south. UK As water entered the basement and affected its power supply, a flooded hospital had to cancel all surgery and outpatient appointments on Monday.
Mr. Sharma used non-seasonal weather to convey the message of changing domestic power generation methods to countries.
He said that there are still “major differences” on some issues and the failure to reach an agreement on coal is “very disappointing”.
“We can’t get every country in the G20 to agree on language about the unabated coal phase-out,” Mr. Sharma said.
“For me, this is very disappointing, and for the countries that support this policy, it is also very disappointing.”
The chairman of the meeting stated that he “fully accepts” “different countries have different positions in terms of energy structure”, but pointed out that the UK itself is turning to renewable energy.
“In the UK, in 2012, 40% of our electricity came from coal power-we are now less than 2%; it will be completely phased out by 2024.
“We have successfully developed the world’s largest offshore wind power sector. This is because we have established the right market mechanism to allow the private sector to also invest.
“To be sure, unless we want all countries to sign agreements to phase out coal, it will be extremely difficult to keep 1.5C within an achievable range.”
With less than 100 days to go before the Glasgow rally postponed by the new crown virus, Mr. Sharma emphasized that “every day is important” and believed that “every country has the responsibility to go all out for this process”.
“Ultimately, there will be no place to hide on Cop26. Each of us will be the focus of the spotlight, and we can only do this by working together,” he said.
