LONDON — Alok Sharma, the UK's COP26 president-designate, is arriving in Saudi Arabia on Thursday to discuss ramping up global action on climate change ahead of the vital UN Climate Change talks in Glasgow this November, the UK government said in a press release. The COP26 president-designate is set to meet with Minister for Energy Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman and Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Eng. Abdulrahman Al-Fadly and others. The UK climate envoy will also meet with business leaders and civil society to discuss international collaboration on the transition to net-zero by the middle of the century. "The UK is keen to build on commitments made during the recent G20 Environmental Ministerial in Naples where ministers agreed to the full implementation of the Paris Agreement," the statement read. "This included accelerating climate action in the 2020s and submitting ambitious 2030 targets for reducing emissions ahead of COP26, aligned with keeping the 1.5-degree limit temperature increases in reach," the statement added. On his visit, Sharma is expected to discuss the Kingdom's green initiatives and projects to support coral reef survival. Commenting on his visit, Alok Sharma said: "I am delighted to be in Riyadh to build on a strong, modern partnership with Saudi Arabia to address the global threat of climate change. "The launch of the Saudi Green Initiative and Middle East Green Initiative was an important step as we look to accelerate climate action ahead of COP26 and the UK welcomes Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 for creating a more diverse and sustainable economy." "Indeed, climate action can pave the way to an exciting vision of our future that is good for the planet and the economy, as the plans for the green city of NEOM and sustainable development for tourism on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast show." "We look forward to working with Saudi Arabia to deliver on this ahead of COP26, noting our responsibility to young people and to future generations to do so," he added.
