COP26 President Alok Sharma has urged the international community to set the global goal of "zero emissions" by 2050, supported so far by more than 110 countries.

"When we assumed the presidency of the COP, only a quarter of the countries supported this objective and now they reach 70% of the world economy," stressed the 'premier' Boris Johnson.

"It is promising, but we need more nations to pick up the baton."

In an open letter published in The Guardian, Alok Sharma acknowledges, however, that commitments to reduce emissions in 2030 are

far from the goal of the Paris Agreement

, to keep the increase in global temperatures below two degrees and so on. as close as possible to 1.5 degrees.

According to Sharma, all countries should commit to cutting their greenhouse gas emissions

in half in the next decade

(the UK has set a target of 68%) in order to neutralize them by mid-century.

"What we need are also policies to make that goal a reality," he stressed.

"This year we want to see more countries taking on ambitious goals, such as ending the sale of diesel and combustion cars by 2030," said Sharma.

"We need to put the green thread on all Covid recovery plans. And we also want commitments not to open new coal-fired power plants and gradually close existing ones."

"Coal is a relic of an earlier era and must be left in the past, which is where it belongs," wrote Sharma, who nonetheless ignored the controversy sparked in the UK by the first

coal mine

project

in thirty years on the shores of Cumbria (for the production of coke, a solid fuel used in smelting steel).

Former NASA scientist James Hansen has personally written a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson warning him that it would be "an infamy and humiliation" for the host country of COP26 in Glasgow to give the go-ahead to the controversial Whitehaven mine.

The British Government took action on the matter last week and may force the cancellation of the controversial project, nevertheless defended by dozens of Conservative MPs.

"The future is of clean energy", stressed in his letter Alok Sharma, who reiterated his commitment to make the United Kingdom the world epicenter of wind energy, green technology and finance for climate action.

The COP26 president highlighted the role that financing will play in Glasgow thanks to the work of former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney.

Sharma also predicted a special push at the climate summit for extreme weather protection and adaptation initiatives.

The president of COP26 recalled how this year he has witnessed population displacements caused by the melting of glaciers in Nepal and the effects of droughts and plagues in Ethiopia.

The highest responsible for the climate in the Johnson Government finally stressed his intention of a greater involvement of "civil society" in the negotiations, open not only to governments, but also to NGOs, cities and local communities.

"We have less and less time, but tackling the climate crisis is still within our grasp," concluded Sharma.

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