UN COP26 Climate Conference Lead by Alok Sharma
Alok Sharma has been appointed the full-time president of the UN COP26 climate conference in Glasgow this November, with Kwasi Kwarteng appointed BEIS Secretary of State & Anne-Marie Trevelyan becoming Minister of State.
COP26 will be the largest summit the UK has ever hosted. It will bring together representatives from over 200 countries to focus on coordinating a global action towards tackling climate change and achieving net-zero.
Since assuming the role in February 2020, Alok Sharma has been a leading figure behind the UK’s climate diplomacy. Speaking about his new position, Sharma said:
“The biggest challenge of our time is climate change and we need to work together to deliver a cleaner, greener world and build back better for present and future generations.”
Delighted that PM @BorisJohnson will announce £3bn in further international climate finance for nature at the #OnePlanetSummit today.
This will be crucial in helping preserve our forests & biodiversity – a vital step in #TacklingClimateChange.
— Alok Sharma (@AlokSharma_RDG) January 11, 2021
HSBC Pushed to Cut Exposure to Fossil Fuels
HSBC are facing pressure to slash its use of fossil fuels after an influential group of investors have filed a stakeholder vote urging the company to ramp up its climate action.
Fifteen pension and investment funds are pushing HSBC to reduce the loans and underwriting services offered to clients, which rely heavily on fossil fuels, within a timeline consistent with Paris climate goals.
It will be put to shareholders at HSBC’s AGM in April, and will become binding if 75% vote in its favour.
Prince Charles Encourages Companies to join Earth Charter
After 50 years of environmental campaigning, today HRH Prince Charles will urge firms to back a more sustainable future and do more to protect the planet. He wants companies to join “Terra Carta” – or Earth charter. It aims to raise £7.3bn to invest in the natural world.
In his foreword to Terra Carta, the prince writes “if we consider the legacy of our generation, more than 800 years ago, Magna Carta inspired a belief in the fundamental rights and liberties of people.
“As we strive to imagine the next 800 years of human progress, the fundamental rights and value of nature must represent a step-change in our ‘future of industry’ and ‘future of economy’ approach.”
Today The Prince of Wales’s Sustainable Markets Initiative (@TheSMI) announces the Terra Carta – an ‘Earth Charter’ that puts sustainability at the heart of the private sector.
The Prince will speak about the Terra Carta at the @OnePlanetSummit later today. pic.twitter.com/sPjFGrnAPn
— The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (@ClarenceHouse) January 11, 2021