By Elishya Perera
LONDON (CU)_The government of UK says that there are no plans to delay the UN climate summit (COP26) scheduled to be held in Glasgow in November, despite reports claiming it could be postponed for a second time.
Sky News reported on Wednesday (31 March) that the crucial climate summit may have to be postponed to next year, owing to signs which suggest the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening in parts of the world.
However, government sources insist that there are no plans to further delay the conference, although a final decision about the matter is expected to be taken within the next few weeks.
“We are working all-out on the basis that this will be an ‘in-person’ conference,” one source insisted.
Nevertheless, the possibility of the event being scaled down or going partly virtual cannot be entirely disregarded.
The summit was initially due to take place in 2020, but was postponed to November this year on account of the pandemic. Any decision to delay the event any further would be made after consultation with the United Nations and the Scottish government.
Sources say that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the organisers of the event are battling to ensure the crucial conference was held face-to-face by making sure participants are vaccinated and subjected to a robust testing regime.
While the United Kingdom is reported to have one of the most successful immunisation campaigns in the world, however, the global vaccine roll-out has been disappointing. Moreover, huge numbers of people are expected to attend the event, with more than 20,000 participants attending the last two Conference of the Parties (COP) summits.
Meanwhile, the government has decided to abandon plans for a face-to-face G7 finance ministers meeting in Cornwall in June, and therefore the event will be hosted virtually by Chancellor Rishi Sunak.
