Alok Sharma – UK Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy Secretary, COP26 President.
On December 12, the UK will co-host a Climate Ambition Summit with the UN and France to mark the fifth anniversary of the landmark Paris Agreement. On this occasion, UK Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy Secretary, COP26 President, Alok Sharma shared an op-ed with Dantri/DTiNews.
Following is his full article:There is less than a year remaining until the UN Climate Change Conference COP26, which will be hosted in the UK. This will be a pivotal moment for the world to come together and agree ambitious steps to prevent the catastrophic warming of our planet.
This is an issue of crucial significance not just as we navigate the current global pandemic, but for the years and decades ahead.
While the world has been dealing with the Coronavirus, the dangers of global warming have continued to become more evident. Just this year, we have seen unprecedented heatwaves in Siberia, flash floods across East Africa and vast areas of the Western United States ravaged by wildfires. I know that Vietnam has suffered from prolonged, widespread floods and landslides as a result of a series of tropical storms. About 280 people have lost their lives and over 320,000 houses as well as schools and health centres have been damaged or destroyed. Vietnam is one of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with livelihoods in the Mekong Delta particularly at risk.
As countries continue to manage the impact of the pandemic, they also face an important choice. Whether to invest in building back greener economies or locking in polluting emissions for decades to come.
As incoming President of COP26, I am encouraged by what I have seen so far of governments and businesses rallying behind the goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050. China has announced it will reach carbon neutrality before 2060. Japan and South Korea have pledged to net reach zero by 2050. Earlier this year, Singapore announced their ambition to reach net zero emissions by the second half of the century. According to the Climate Action Tracker, there are now 126 countries, together responsible for over half of global emissions, with similar carbon or climate neutrality announcements. This also includes the UK. On December 3 Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an ambitious new emissions target setting the UK on the path to net zero by 2050. The prime minister confirmed that the UK’s NDC will be a 68% reduction in emissions compared to 1990 levels, by 2030. This will commit the UK to reducing emissions by the fastest rate of any major economy.
Ambitious world leaders have made a really positive start, but now there is more to be done. Tackling and adapting to climate change, as we are all coming to realise, cannot wait.
Vietnam has committed to a 9% voluntary cut of GHG emission. This is a small step forward but we believe it can do more to tap into its incredible renewable energy potential. According to Electricity of Vietnam, solar energy generation in the first quarter of 2020 surged by 28 times to 2.3 billion kWh compared to the same period in 2019; Vietnam has the fastest growing solar energy sector in ASEAN. The Communist Party of Vietnam’s Resolution 55 offers a pathway to renewables, prioritising fast and sustainable energy development. The economic and environmental case for renewables is compelling. Investors are stopping financing for new coal power for this reason.
In the run up to COP26, we are committed to support Vietnam, one of the world’s fastest growing and most dynamic economies, in raising its climate ambitions and reaching its green energy targets. Vietnam has transformed its economy. It can now develop a truly green economy. We welcome Vietnam’s plan towards no new coal for 2026-2030, and increasing its use of renewables in its up-coming Power Development Plan.
On December 12, the UK will co-host a Climate Ambition Summit with the UN and France, and in partnership with Chile and Italy, to mark the fifth anniversary of the landmark Paris Agreement. Every country subject to the Paris Agreement will be invited to the virtual event which will focus on action to reduce emissions and build resilience to climate impacts.
So now, I am calling on all countries to bring their highest ambitions to the table, for what I hope will be a key moment for our planet.
The UK will use the time ahead of COP26 to raise ambition and action. We strongly believe that together we can build a greener, more sustainable future. That future begins now.