LONDON, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- The world is facing a climate emergency and the Glasgow COP26 conference needs to be "as inclusive as possible" so that countries can find consensus on how to collectively tackle the climate crisis, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Tuesday.
"This is a climate emergency that the world is facing. This is here and now. The need for urgent action has never been clearer. COP26 is more important than Paris COP," Sturgeon said while addressing a "Countdown to COP26" event in London.
The 2020 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is slated for Nov. 9 to 19 in Glasgow, Scotland this year under the presidency of the British government.
Outlining Scotland's plans to reach net zero emission by 2045, she noted that the drive to get there "must not leave any communities behind."
"We recognise the targets will not be easy," she said, "the process of decarbonization should be handled very differently to the deindustrialization of communities in the 1970s and 1980s."
"The journey to becoming a net-zero society is one we must all make together in a fair and just way. Reducing emissions to the extent and at the pace required will bring significant change to our economy and society," she noted.
Official data shows that Scotland provides funding to accelerate transition to a net-zero economy, including a 1.8 billion pounds (2.3 billion U.S. dollars) investment in low carbon infrastructure, and more than 500 million (647.2 million dollars) to increase efforts responding to the global climate emergency.
"There are big benefits if we get it right, but there are risks if we get it wrong," she said.
Demonstrating Britain's resolve to reduce emissions, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last week that the government plans to bring forward an end to the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2035, or earlier if possible.
