John,

With COP26 on the horizon, we want to make sure everyone has access to information about the summit's development and how we'll be involved in COP26 and. You can sign up to follow the developments of COP26 here!

WHAT IS COP26?

It is the United Nations Climate Change Conference. It is a global summit organised by the UN called COP, which stands for 'Conference of the Parties'. This year is the 26th annual summit, with the U.K. as President (host country).

WHEN IS COP26?

COP26 is being hosted by the U.K. in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November this year.

This is the last COP where we have a chance to impact the worst effects of climate change. It's a crucial event because we urgently need agreement on how to tackle the climate and ecological emergency. We cannot afford this one to fail. 

But the government is in danger of making COP26 a wasted opportunity - with huge gaps between the actions government have promised to deliver and the real action we desperately need. 

Sign up to receive weekly digests about COP26 as it happens here.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT COP26?

World leaders will arrive in Scotland alongside tens of thousands of negotiators, government representatives, businesses and citizens for twelve days of talks. Learn more about COP here.

But COP26 is not inclusive, and runs the risk of gatekeeping important information from the general public. That is detrimental, because COP26 can be such a vital event for climate action. Decisions made at COP26 will determine if the impacts of the nature and climate emergencies will worsen and how quickly. 

Greens from governments around the world will participate. There will be a strong Green presence at COP26. But we still need more Greens in the room to be part of making decisions for our future.

We, the Green Party of England and Wales, will actively be campaigning and lobbying to widen and strengthen the range of policies that are part of the national debate and to influence governments to take action.

WE DEMAND...

✔️That the UK government show leadership and consistency - we cannot have promises on climate alongside new coal mines and road building. 

✔️A commitment to global reparations with the richest countries paying back those who have less, for the impact of our emissions and to help build resilience for the future. The U.K. government is not living up to its responsibilities as a rich and former colonial nation with a history of high emissions.

✔️A carbon tax to make polluters pay for their contribution to the climate emergency while also supporting people who have less. It would raise money to fund the transition to a zero-carbon economy and motivate the transition to renewables. Our carbon tax comes with a dividend, meaning that poorer people would not be hit with higher prices.

Want to keep up to date with COP26 news? We will be sending out updates about what happens at the summit to make sure that as many people as possible have access to the vital decisions being made by world leaders about our future. We will also be posting updates about activities ran by the Green Party's COP26 Working Group on our COP26 hub & you can find an overview of Green events at COP26 here. 

-- The Green Party