COP26 President Alok Sharma to be questioned by MPs on progress fighting climate change

• Watch the session on Parliamentlive.tv
• Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee

Questions to Mr Sharma and senior officials will focus on progress made towards implementing commitments agreed at COP26; countries’ willingness to prioritise climate action in difficult economic conditions; adequacy of updated Nationally Determined Contributions (countries’ specific climate actions); and the achievability of the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rises to “well below 2C”. 

There will also be questions on whether the UK is behaving as a role model on climate action, given recent policy chances regarding fracking and North Sea oil and gas drilling, and how effectively government departments are coordinating their efforts to cut carbon emissions. 

Among key high-level commitments that countries made at COP26 were stated in the Glasgow Climate Pact. They included: 

• A “request” that countries “revisit and strengthen the 2030 targets in their nationally determined contributions… to align with the Paris Agreement temperature goal by the end of 2022”
• A decision to “establish the Glasgow Dialogue between [countries], relevant organizations and stakeholders to discuss arrangements for the funding of activities to avert, minimize and address loss and damage associated with adverse impacts of climate change” 
• A call for countries to “accelerate efforts towards the phasedown of unabated coal power and phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies [..] recognizing the need for support towards a just transition”

This one-off session will be hosted by the BEIS Committee, whose members will be joined by MPs from the following select committees:

• Greg Clark, Chair, (Science & Technology Committee)
• Anna McMorrin (Environmental Audit Committee)
• Barry Gardiner (Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Committee) 

This will be the last evidence session that the Commons select committees have with Alok Sharma before the COP27 presidency is handed to Egypt. 

Witnesses

Tuesday 25 October at 3PM, Committee room 8

• Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP, President, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP26
• Alison Campbell, Deputy Lead Negotiator, UNFCCC COP26, Cabinet Office 
• Peter Hill, Chief Executive Officer, UNFCCC COP26, Cabinet Office

Further information

• About Parliament: Select committees
• Visiting Parliament: Watch committees

Image: UK Parliament/Tyler Allicock