COP26 climate talks rescheduled for November 2021 in UK's Glasgow

London — The UK has been cleared to host the re-scheduled COP26 UN climate talks in November 2021, having been delayed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"The Bureau of the Conference of the Parties, with the UK and its Italian partners today ... agreed new dates for the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference, which will now take place between 1 and 12 November 2021, in Glasgow," the UN said in a statement late Thursday.

The Bureau of the COP is made up of 11 member countries nominated by each of the five UN regional groups and Small Island Developing States.

At a virtual meeting of the Bureau Thursday, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change committed to take forward crucial work to tackle climate change despite the coronavirus crisis.

"Our efforts to address climate change and COVID-19 are not mutually exclusive. If done right, the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis can steer us to a more inclusive and sustainable climate path," said UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa.

The UN will hold a series of online events from June 1-10 under the UNFCCC's subsidiary bodies, which will include work on climate adaptation, emissions mitigation, science, finance, technology, capacity-building, transparency, and the preparation and submission of each country's climate targets and action plans -- the so-called nationally determined contributions.

The COP26 talks aim to finalize the details of the rulebook that will allow the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change to operate, including a system that encourages countries to progressively ramp up their climate ambition over time.

The UNFCCC's ultimate goal is to stabilize atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gas emissions at a level that would avoid dangerous interference in the planet's climate system.

The goal involves reducing emissions of CO2 and other GHGs from fossil fuel consumption, ushering in cleaner forms of energy, industrial processes and transport technologies.

The global effort paves the way for growth in renewable energy, hydrogen, and other low-carbon forms of energy, while reducing demand for unabated use of fossil fuels for energy generation, industry, transportation and buildings.