The Elders write to Boris Johnson arguing enhanced UK climate action 'would reverberate around the world' and set tone for COP26 next year
A clutch of influential former world leaders have urged the UK government to unleash an ambitious net zero plan ahead of next year's COP26 climate summit, arguing that the impact of doing so "would reverberate around the world and set the tone for an historic international moment in Glasgow next year".
The Elders, a group of influential figures that includes former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, have written an open letter to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling for greater climate leadership from the UK ahead of the crucial climate summit.
While welcoming the UK's leadership in being the first major economy to set a 2050 net zero target, and to double its international climate finance commitments to £11.6bn, the letter urges the PM to seize the opportunity as COP26 hosts to spur "the rest of the world to raise their ambitions further".
In order to rally nations to ramp up their Paris Agreement commitments in line with net zero, it argues the UK should put forward a "bold and world-leading climate target for 2030" and encouraging other nations to do the same.
The UK is set to host a 'launchpad' event alongside the UN in early December designed as a platform for countries to come forward with more ambitious climate pledges, as is required ever five years under the terms of the Paris Agreement, which first agreed at COP21 in 2015. And while the UK has promised to deliver a comprehensive net zero strategy and updated Paris Agreement plan ahead of COP26 next year, a precise timetable remains unclear and it has yet to announce a firm 2030 target.
The Elders therefore urged the UK itself to use the December event to signal enhanced ambition towards building a green recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic by announcing a near-term 2030 climate action pledge. "If the UK uses this occasion to announce a 2030 pledge to meet its fair share of efforts to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees, the impact would reverberate around the world and set the tone for an historic international moment in Glasgow next year," the letter states.
It comes amid growing pressure from businesses, green groups, investors and politicians for the UK government to come forward with a host of policy actions in support of the 2050 net zero target this autumn, in order to drive momentum during what is shaping up to be a crucial year for climate action in 2021. Last week, even 40 Conservative Party MPs and Lords joined the chorus of demands for policy clarity and an enhanced Paris Agreement plan backed by an ambitious 2030 target.
Other world leaders signing last week's letter from The Elders include former President of Chile Ricardo Lagos, former President of Mexico Ernesto Zedillo, former Norway PM Gro Harlem Brundtland, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Al Hussein and former President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
"The world needs an outward-looking, dynamic and determined United Kingdom to put its considerable weight behind this greatest of existential challenges," their letter states. "Genuine success for the UK COP Presidency will take every ounce of the UK's influence and diplomatic muscle, but it could be an historic achievement that defines a critical decade of climate action."
With the crucial summit now just a year away, hosts the UK face a major diplomatic challenge to encourage world leaders to ramp up their decarbonisation commitments. Several announcements have signalled more positive momentum in recent weeks, however, including China and Japan's net zero commitments, while green hopes are pinned on Joe Biden securing victory in next week's Presidential election that could also see the US also join the net zero club.
And today Business Secretary and COP26 President Alok Sharma announced a Memorandum of Understanding on green finance between the UK and South Korea aimed at "unlocking the benefits of a financial system that is smarter about climate risk", he said.
It comes, however, as the government faces conflict of interest claims in its COP26 preparations, after Channel 4 News over the weekend revealed Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has been given a contract worth almost £1.2m to aid the Cabinet Office in the run up to the summit.
BCG, which claims to offer consultancy and advisory services to 19 of the world's leading 25 oil and gas companies, and which is a member of UK trade association Oil & Gas UK, has been supporting the Cabinet Office's COP26 preparations since April as part of a contract running until January.
The consulting giant's contract with the Cabinet Office includes the "provision of consultancy for COP26 support, providing strategy implementation, strengthening the project management function and supporting the high level champions workstreams", according to Channel 4 News.
Concerns have therefore been raised about the role of a private sector company with ties to the fossil fuel industry in high level diplomatic talks on climate action, but both the Cabinet Office and BCG have fiercely rejected such claims.
"We strongly reject the suggestion that there has been a conflict of interest," BCG said in a statement to Channel 4 News. "It is standard practice for professional services firms to work across different industries. We have policies and processes around staffing restrictions and protecting our clients' confidential information which we have strictly adhered to."
It signals the increasing level of scrutiny the UK government is set to face in the coming months to match its rhetoric on climate with action, and comes as Boris Johnson gears up to unveil details of his 10-point plan for a green recovery, which is expected to include slew of funding commitments for clean technologies.