Responding to reports that COP26 in Glasgow has been postponed, former Secretary of State for Climate Change and Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “Regrettably it is the right decision to postpone COP26 during the coronavirus crisis. With the virus only just beginning to hit parts of our world, and with real worries about its impact on people here at home and in the world’s poorest countries, a global meeting involving thousands of people would simply be too risky to public health.
“Yet we can’t let up on efforts to battle the risk climate change poses to the world either – so it’s vital these key UN climate talks happen as soon as it’s safe to do so in 2021.
“The British Government as the hosts of COP26 must now work with the UN, to look at other ways to maintain momentum for climate action, that don’t impact the fight against CV19.
“The Coronavirus crisis has shown that global problems need global solutions. Solving the climate emergency will take the same level of resolve and determination as we are showing during the coronavirus crisis.”