COP26 President-Designate urges global collaboration on climate action at Austrian World Summit

COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma will visit Austria on Thursday 1 July to take part in the Austrian World Summit (AWS). He will call for international collaboration against the effects of climate change ahead of hosting COP26 in November.

The AWS, organised by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is a key event in the run up to the vital UN climate change summit. Mr Sharma will meet with Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, during the summit, alongside ministers, business leaders and climate activists and experts.

During the summit, Mr Sharma will set out the UK’s four key objectives as COP26 hosts and why keeping the critical goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C alive is so important.

Ahead of his visit Alok Sharma said:

The Austrian World Summit is vital in bringing key people together and I commend Arnold Schwarzenegger using his global profile to advance the climate agenda in this way.

We are at a crucial point in the global fight against climate change and cannot afford to lose any more time.

We are seeing progress. When the UK Government was first announced as the incoming COP Presidency back in 2019, less than 30% of the world economy was covered by a net zero target. We’re now at 70%.

But in the run up to COP26 we need all countries to step up ambition with short term plans for the next decade and strive for net zero by mid-century.

I look forward to speaking with Austrian and international leaders on how we can continue to work together in our efforts to raise climate ambition, and the UK’s goals for an inclusive, ambitious COP26.