Climate ministers meet in Copenhagen to accelerate compliance with COP26 targets

Representatives of nearly 50 countries along with 20-odd climate ministers met in the Danish capital of Copenhagen "to revisit their 2022 climate targets and ensure compliance with the Paris Agreement".

In a statement, the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities said the meeting, known formally as the May Ministerial Meeting on Implementation, was organised at the request of both the UK Presidency of COP26 (UN Climate Change Conference) and the future Egyptian Presidency of COP27, reports Xinhua news agency.

Denmark was asked to host the interim meetings to create the "necessary momentum" for political cooperation and action on ambitions before the start of COP27 in Egypt in November.

"We have looked each other in the eye and agreed that our ambitious decisions from COP26 are in force, and that we must deliver on our promises," Denmark's Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities Dan Jorgensen was quoted as saying in the press release.

The ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia has pushed supply security and energy independence to the top of the countries' list of priorities, he said.

"At the same time, the climate crisis is raging. That's why we must fight to maintain momentum and phase out fossil fuels."

The participants in the meeting emphasized their commitment to the climate agenda and their determination to restore global momentum and political focus on the global climate crisis, while also following up on agreements reached at COP26, the Glasgow Climate Pact, on climate adaptation and climate finance.

The meeting came "at a time when the conflict between Ukraine and Russia has only emphasized the need for global cohesion", the Ministry statement said.

According to the statement, the climate ministers will meet next at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on November 7-18.

Before that, further negotiations will take place in Bonn, Germany, in June "to increase the countries' ambitions".