Confirmed: UK and Italy to host crucial COP26 UN climate summit

The UK and Italy will jointly host next year's crucial COP26 UN climate summit in Glasgow, it has been confirmed today.

The UK government said countries around the world had officially given their backing to the UK and Italy's bid to host the conference, which is expected to be formally accepted at this year's COP25 summit in Chile.

Claire Perry, the UK's nominated President for the COP26 summit - who has just announced her intention to stand down as an MP at the next election - welcomed the news.

"In 2020, world leaders will come together to discuss how to tackle climate change on a global scale - and where better to do so than Glasgow, one of the UK's most sustainable cities with a great track record for hosting high-profile international events," she said. "I welcome the nomination from our partners in the UN regional group to host COP26 in Glasgow in partnership with Italy."

Both Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and International Development Secretary Alok Sharma also hailed the news, which was first confirmed this afternoon by Roseanna Cunningham, Scottish Government's Environment Secretary.

Raab said the UK was "ready to bring the world together to make sure we leave our previous environment in a better state for our children". 

Set to take place in November 2020, the event will see thousands of the world's top climate diplomats descend on the Scottish city to thrash out plans to keep the world on track with the Paris Agreement, which commits countries keeping global warming 'well-below' 2C.

Turkey was in the running to host the summit, but ultimately lost out to the joint bid from the UK and Italian governments. Under the joint bid Italy will host the preliminary meeting and the UK will host the main two-week conference. 

With 30,000 people from around the world expected to attend the high profile event, the UN meeting would be the largest summit the UK has ever hosted.

The summit will be a crucial test of the UK goverment's climate leadership on the world stage, with the event marking both the full adoption of the Paris Agreement and the date by which countries are expected to come forward with strengthened national action plans. British diplomats will be crucial in ensuring enough new pledges come forward, with ambitious enough proposals. 

Matthew Fell, chief UK Policy director at business body the CBI, said it was "fantastic news" the UK would be hosting COP26.

"This is a golden opportunity for the country to demonstrate its continued leadership from the front on global climate action," he said. "The conference will also show the world that the UK is a top destination for low-carbon investment, driving progress on reducing our own contribution to climate change and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050."

The announcement was warmly welcomed by a raft of green figues, including Dustin Benton, policy director at Green Alliance. He described today's announcement as "an important moment for the UK and a vindication of our track record of climate leadership".

However, he said hosting the international summit would require the UK turn up with strong domestic plans to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

"We can only credibly get countries together around a deal to stop climate breakdown if we practice what we preach and show action on our net zero commitments by November 2020," Benton added. "This will mean improving our housing stock, bringing forward electric vehicle targets, restoring our natural environment to absorb more carbon, supporting solar and onshore wind, and making industry more efficient."

Glasgow was first announced as the host city for the UK and Italy's bid last month, when it was revealed the event would take place at the Scottish Events Campus (SEC), Scotland's largest exhibition centre which hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2013.

Helen Clarkson, CEO of The Climate Group, said the summit is an opportunity for the UK to stand as a "climate leader" on the world stage and to accelerate action at home. 

"2020 will see us enter into a critical decade for climate action," she added. "We know through our initiatives with businesses and governments from around the world that good progress is being made, but more needs to be done at a much greater pace and scale if we are to halt global heating in its tracks. Only the highest levels of ambition are now acceptable."

Eliot Whittington, director of the Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change, which represents a raft of leading Blue Chips said hosting COP26 in Europe was "the right decision at the right time".

"The new Italian government has high aspirations for what it wants to deliver on climate and environment; the UK has some of the strongest legislation and commitment to net zero in the world," he said. "These two countries offer a substantial basis to build on in order to increase global ambition from next year."