Guernsey agrees 'in principle' to extend Paris climate change treaty

Friday 05 November 2021

The States have reached agreement in principle that the Paris Agreement will be extended to Guernsey.

The Paris Agreement - an international treaty on climate change - was adopted by 196 parties at the COP21 conference in Paris six years ago. It set out a framework to limit increases in global warming to 1.5 degrees.

Deputy Jonathon Le Tocq announced the agreement in principle from the COP26 conference in Glasgow, where he is representing Guernsey along with Deputy Lindsay De Sausmarez. A request will now be made to extend the agreement formally. 

“One of the key elements of the [States'] Government Work Plan is to secure extension of the Paris Agreement on climate change,” said Deputy Le Tocq, External Relations Lead for the Policy & Resources Committee.

“I welcome the announcement that we have reached an agreement in principle to extend the agreement to Guernsey. This is exciting news and it demonstrates that our policies in relation to climate change, which will be fundamental in shaping the future of Guernsey, are aligned to international standards.”

Pictured: Deputy Le Tocq (middle) met with the Rt Hon Greg Hands MP, Minister of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (left), alongside his Jersey counterpart, Senator Ian Gorst (right).

The agreement in principle was reached after detailed discussion between Guernsey and the UK Government.

“Guernsey is only small, but it too has its part to play in managing climate change, through its domestic actions and through the business we conduct internationally,” said Deputy Le Tocq.

“It was good to see Guernsey Finance having a strong presence at the conference. The global leadership we have in supporting green finance - right down to the fact we have one of the highest recycling rates in the world - demonstrates that we have the drive and ingenuity to deliver our commitment towards net zero.” 

The 26^th annual UN summit on climate change continues until the end of next week. 

Pictured top: (Left to right); Senator Ian Gorst, Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq, Rt Hon Greg Hands and Daphne Caine, Chair of the Climate Change Transformation Team Board in the Isle of Man.