Question

To ask the President of COP26, what steps he is taking to place pressure on the most-polluting countries to commit to keeping the global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Under the Paris Agreement, all parties committed to holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, recognising that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change. As the incoming COP Presidency, the UK has been pressing all leaders to raise ambition on reducing their emissions ahead of COP26, through a programme of regular engagement and events, including through the G7 and G20.

Under the UK G7 Presidency, all G7 countries have now increased the ambition of their NDCs and committed to net zero by 2050 at the latest. Additionally since taking office, I have made 41 visits to 33 countries, including many major emitters, and engaged directly with over 100 ministers from over 65 countries to encourage ambitious climate action. So far, 122 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) have now been submitted to the UNFCCC, representing around 55% of global emissions. We continue to call on all countries that have not yet done so to put forward ambitious new NDCs and Long Term Strategies ahead of COP26.