MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd December, 2020) The United Kingdom is looking to increase its cooperation with Russia in tackling climate change ahead of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in the Scottish city of Glasgow, Deborah Bronnert, the UK's ambassador in Moscow, said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a webinar organized by the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce, Bronnert cited Russia's ratification of the United Nations' Paris Agreement, which commits the international community to keep the global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), ahead of the UN conference on climate change.
"Russia is part of the Paris Agreement, Russia is the fourth largest global emitter, it also has the largest boreal forests on the planet. There's a lot that Russia can do here, and there's a lot that the UK can and is doing. So I think there's a lot of scope to work together on both the low carbon transition and climate," the UK ambassador remarked.
UK Foreign Office minister Wendy Morton conducted a two-day trip to Moscow earlier in November; the first such visit of a UK government minister to Russia since 2017. Climate change was one of the major items on the minister's agenda, Bronnert said.
"[Climate] was one of the themes of minister Morton's visit, and that's an area where we are, and we're hoping to work even more closely with the Russian government. It's going to be a big priority for us and the embassy," the ambassador remarked.
The UK is expected to host COP26, which was pushed back one Calendar year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, from November 1-12, 2021.
