Picking city as likely venue of COP26 may be seen as move to shore up pro-union sentiment

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A crucial climate change conference expected to be co-hosted by the UK would take place in Glasgow, the government has announced, in a move that will be seen as trying to dampen pro-independence sentiment in Scotland.

The UK is bidding to host COP26, the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC), alongside Italy.

If successful, scores of world leaders and as many as 30,000 delegates would attend the summit in Glasgow over two weeks at the end of 2020, with other events held in Italy.

The two countries had been competing to hold the event, but have joined forces and are expected to be formally named as co-hosts in December.

COP26 is seen as a crucial next step in international efforts to tackle the climate crisis, the most significant UN climate summit since the Paris deal was struck in 2015, when countries pledged to curb emissions.

The programme would be based at the Scottish Event Campus conference centre, with some events taking part elsewhere around the UK, a Cabinet Office announcement said.

The decision to select Glasgow will be viewed as a sop to Scottish unionist sentiment, which has been strained as expectations grow that the UK could be heading for a no-deal Brexit.

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A poll this week found a majority of Scots would now vote yes in a new independence referendum, and the country’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has said she will push for another poll.

Claire Perry, the Conservative MP who was moved from energy minister by Boris Johnson to lead the COP26 bid, said: “As one of the UK’s most sustainable cities, with a record for hosting high-profile international events, Glasgow is the right choice to showcase the UK’s commitment to the environment.”

The government has said the event would be the largest summit ever hosted in the UK, with as many as 200 world leaders expected on the final weekend.

Dr Alison Doig, Christian Aid’s head of policy who was born in Glasgow and chairs the group that coordinates UK NGOs’ engagement with the government, said: “Hosting the UN climate summit is a huge responsibility, as we are already seeing the very real impacts of the climate crisis.

“With record temperatures in the UK and across Europe recently, devastating floods in Mozambique and India, and weather extremes causing havoc in other parts of the world, it will be up to the UK’s diplomatic skills and influence to ensure the Glasgow summit delivers a positive and urgent outcome for the planet.

“The two priorities need to be that countries commit to work together to achieve rapid emissions reductions, and that vulnerable countries and people already suffering from the damaging effects of climate change are provided the financial support to help them adapt and prosper.”