ALOK SHARMA - CONSERVATIVE MP READING

COP26: JULY 22 - PRESIDENT ALOK SHARMA - CHAIR

The Pacific-UK High Level Climate Dialogue brought together Pacific Islands Leaders with the COP26 President Designate in an important milestone ahead of COP26 in Glasgow this November. This event, delivered in collaboration with Wilton Park and One CROP (Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme and the Pacific Community), built on previous engagement with the region on climate change, and provided a unique opportunity for Pacific Island Leaders and the COP President to engage in open and frank discussion ahead of COP26.

Leaders from Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Tuvalu, Niue, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Ministers from Nauru, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, the CEO of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Samoa, youth leader Gladys Habu, the Secretary General of the Pacific Island Forum, Directors General from the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, the Pacific Community and the Forum Fisheries Agency attended the event.

DOUBLE STANDARDS - Greenpeace has threatened to take the Conservative government to court if it approves drilling at a new oil field in Scotland. Where most would imagine that leading by example would be the order of the day in all matters leading up to Cop26, ministers are considering green-lighting the gas and oil project at Cambo, a North Atlantic site west of Shetland. No matter how you cut it, if this application gets the go ahead, how will the UK be able to hold its head up high when seeking to persuade India and China to stop burning coal. It's like the ongoing grants of permission for houses that add to climate chaos, where councils are investing ratepayer's dollars in oil, instead of renewables. CIL payments are not going to the Community as Infrastructure Levies, they are (it is alleged) being used to make up the shortfall in pension plans for council employees. We agree with Greenpeace, this should be the subject of a Judicial Review or Public Inquiry.

GROUNDS - In a climate emergency, any government serious about meeting the Paris 1.5 degree target, without a definite plan as to how to achieve that goal, should not be pursuing fossil fuel agendas, that can only add to the problem, contrary to the principles of sustainability and circularity. This is especially so where the UK is one country with wind energy from coastal advantage, that is under exploited. For example, development of hydrogen fuels from renewable energy and distribution infrastructure, is more appropriate. The only argument in favour of drilling for offshore oil, is where there is no alternative. It may be that the country is in debt, but that is because it has been pursuing policies that are unsustainable - such as exploiting reserves, just for the sake of taxation.

Over 190 world leaders are expected to attend the conference in Glasgow, where they will be joined by government representatives, businesses, non-profit organisations and citizens for 12 days of climate talks, that many now think will flop miserably without commitment from China, Russia, USA, India and Australia's coal mogul, Scott Morrison. Never have we hoped so much to be proven wrong, but it is 6 years since the 2015 Paris Agreement, and nobody is committing. In fact they are all backpedaling. It is time for a serious trade war, blocking cheap imports from China, a nation selling the West goods made from coal-fired generating stations. Are we mad! Why are we buying goods that are heating the planet? These are not cheap goods. They extremely expensive, because they are killing life on earth.

FOSSIL FOOLS - Geriatric politicians with 'climate-senile' policies will find in difficult to break away from their corrupt ways, as part time politicians with two jobs. Their main job being to find paid consultancy work, rather than craft policies and create statute that works to protect our voters from lung cancer, energy shortages and a lack of affordable (sustainable) housing.

The 'zerophobics' are the undertakers of the political world, sending millions of ordinary people to an early grave, while loading us with NHS, hospital and staff costs that would not be needed if we had clean air in our cities.

Basically, the longer you are in politics, the more likely you are to be exposed to bribes, from climate deniers, mostly fossil fuel and energy companies, looking to keep on pumping toxic fumes into the atmosphere, so they can keep making money. The political undertakers are working with them to keep hospitals stocked with cancer victims. They are blood sucking vampires, draining what little you had saved for your retirement.

Amongst the discussion points of the summit, there are some fundamental goals that the UK will strive to achieve. These include: 

- securing global Net Zero emissions by the middle of the century and continuing to strive towards limiting global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels; 

- the deployment of adaptation measures to protect vulnerable communities and natural habitats from the impacts of climate change; 

- the mobilisation of financial aid by developed countries to achieve global Net Zero; and 

- acceleration of collaborations between governments, business and society in order to achieve ambitious climate goals.  

PRESIDENT - Alok Sharma is presiding at the United Nations COP26 event in Glasgow, Scotland in 2021, from the event postponed in 2020. This event is in partnership with Italy from October 31st to November 12th. The Queen has now cried off what many are already calling FLOP26, leaving Mr Sharma is a tricky position, where his own government are doing a lot of talking (as usual) with very little action to show for it. Hot air is wonderful stuff to get elected on Brexit promises, but then it pays to have some kind of plan to make those promises come true. The electorate have been rather badly let down.

1995 COP 1, BERLIN, GERMANY
1996 COP 2, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1997 COP 3, KYOTO, JAPAN
1998 COP 4, BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
1999 COP 5, BONN, GERMANY
2000:COP 6, THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS
2001 COP 7, MARRAKECH, MOROCCO
2002 COP 8, NEW DELHI, INDIA
2003 COP 9, MILAN, ITALY
2004 COP 10, BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
2005 COP 11/CMP 1, MONTREAL, CANADA
2006 COP 12/CMP 2, NAIROBI, KENYA
2007 COP 13/CMP 3, BALI, INDONESIA
2008 COP 14/CMP 4, POZNAN, POLAND
2009 COP 15/CMP 5, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
2010 COP 16/CMP 6, CANCUN, MEXICO
2011 COP 17/CMP 7, DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA
2012 COP 18/CMP 8, DOHA, QATAR
2013 COP 19/CMP 9, WARSAW, POLAND
2014 COP 20/CMP 10, LIMA, PERU
2015 COP 21/CMP 11, Paris, France
2016 COP 22/CMP 12/CMA 1, Marrakech, Morocco
2017 COP 23/CMP 13/CMA 2, Bonn, Germany
2018 COP 24/CMP 14/CMA 3, Katowice, Poland
2019 COP 25/CMP 15/CMA 4 Spain

2020 - Postponed - A year without any progress, that the planet can ill afford

2021 COP 26 Glasgow, Scotland 1st-12th November

THE CLIMATE DIRTY DOZEN - IN ORDER OF CO2, METHANE AND COAL FIRED INSANITY

CABINET MPS -MARCH 2020

CONSERVATIVE MPS 2017-2020

LINKS & REFERENCE

https://www.gov.uk/government/people/alok-sharma

http://www.aloksharma.co.uk/

CLIMATE CHANGE COP HISTORY

DESERTIFICATION COP HISTORY

BIODIVERSITY COP HISTORY

UN CLIMATE ACTION PORTFOLIOS

1. Finance
2. Energy Transition
3. Industry Transition
4. Nature-Based Solutions
5. Cities and Local Action
6. Resilience and Adaptation
7. Mitigation Strategy
8. Youth Engagement & Public Mobilization
9. Social and Political Drivers