• Menus at COP will be affordable and with a strong focus on sustainability
• Eighty percent of food to be served at conference will be seasonal and sourced from Scotland
• Sustainable measures at the heart of approach

COP26 delegates will be served sustainable, locally-sourced food at the upcoming climate summit in Glasgow, the UK confirmed today.

Overall, 95 percent of the food will be from the UK, largely sourced from Scotland, and be seasonal. This will put sustainability at the heart of catering for the summit, reducing emissions and promoting environment-friendly food production.

COP26 will set an example for other large-scale international events, in terms of food sourcing, by taking a number of measures to ensure a sustainable approach:

• Ingredients will be replicated across the conference’s menus to ensure produce can be repurposed for other meals, if necessary, to avoid food waste.
• The cups used to serve drinks will be reusable and it is estimated that this approach will save up to 250,000 single use cups.
• Suppliers are setting high standards for sustainable food production, from Edinburgh’s Mara Seaweed, which is abundant and entirely sustainable and does not require fertilizer, fresh water or soil to grow, through to Benzies carrots and potatoes who use wind turbines to power their cool storage, biomas to provide heating and actively recycle the water they use.

In line with the international nature of COP26, we will be using Scottish produce to deliver an international inspired menu. There will even be a Scottish fusion to certain international dishes such as the ‘Scotch beef ramen’.

COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma said:

“There will be a tremendous amount of work to be done at COP26, with many hours of negotiations and long days, so the choice of food that we serve our visiting delegations, staff and all our volunteers, is very important.

“It is exciting to see such innovation in the menus that will be on offer and to understand the thought and effort that has gone into making dishes both healthy, sustainable and suitable for different diets and requirements.

“We very much look forward to giving our international visitors a flavour of the wide-ranging cuisine the UK has to offer.”

Kevin Watson, Business Director, SEC Food said:

“We have worked hard to create low carbon menus that are accessible to all. We hope our sustainable food strategy will shape menus of the future as we all work to protect our planet. As well as providing great tasting and nutritious food, our menus are focused on local and seasonal sourcing, with a plant-forward approach. We have been delighted to showcase and work with so many local Scottish suppliers and our teams are looking forward to supporting the event.”

Ends.

Note for editors:

• The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November 2021.

• The COP26 summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

• The UK is committed to working with all countries and joining forces with civil society, companies and people on the frontline of climate change to inspire climate action ahead of COP26.

• The ISO 20121 Event Sustainability Management System is an international standard which sets out the requirements to establish, maintain and continually improve an event sustainability management system (SEMS).

• Our approach is guided by 7 Sustainability Governing Principles; actively manage potential impacts on the environment and local community and identify opportunities to deliver environmental and social value, provide an accessible and inclusive setting for all, encourage healthy living, ensure a safe and secure atmosphere, encourage more sustainable behaviour, promote the use of responsible sources and responsible use of resources throughout the supply chain, and leave a positive legacy.

• The UNFCCC secretariat (UN Climate Change) is the United Nations entity tasked with supporting the global response to the threat of climate change. UNFCCC stands for United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Convention has near universal membership (197 Parties) and is the parent treaty of the 2015 Paris Agreement. The main aim of the Paris Agreement is to keep the global average temperature rise this century as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The UNFCCC is also the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

The British Ambassador to Guatemala, Nick Wittingham, visited Petén on October 22 to participate in the delivery ceremony of three Community Concession Extension Contracts for 25 years in the Maya Biosphere Reserve (RBM), in Petén. Additionally, two new Community Concession Management Units were awarded.

The National Council of Protected Areas of Guatemala (CONAP), the governing body of biodiversity in the country, authorized these concessions that allow generating income, health, education, among other benefits to about 10,000 direct beneficiaries and approximately 50,000 indirect beneficiaries within the communities. At the same time, this scheme allows different actions to be carried out in favour of the protection, conservation, management and sustainable use of biological diversity.

The event was chaired by the President of the Republic, Alejandro Giammattei; the Director of CONAP, Carlos Martínez; the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mario Rojas; the Departmental Governor of Petén, Luis Burgos; William Popp, Ambassador of the United States, Romeo Ruiz Armento, Ambassador of Mexico; Thomas Peyker, Ambassador of the European Union; Alejandro Santos, Country Director of Rainforest Alliance; Marcedonio Cortave, Director of ACOFOP; Marcial Córdova Álvarez representative of the community organizations Arbol Verde, AFISAP and Laborantes del Bosque.

During his intervention, Ambassador Whittingham highlighted that the concessions constitute a milestone in the conservation efforts of the largest block of continuous tropical forest in the north of the continent. The MBR is an important buffer zone for reducing emissions and its contribution to combating climate change is invaluable.

The UK is calling for urgent global action in response to United Nations reports on the science of climate change, which say the planet has warmed more than previously estimated. COP26, to be held in a week in Glasgow, will seek to increase global climate ambition and take immediate action to help cut emissions in half.

Progress has been made globally since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015. More than 85 new or updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) have been submitted through 2030, representing more than 110 Parties, to establish how the countries will reduce their emissions and tackle the climate crisis. The United Kingdom hopes that Guatemala can soon make an announcement along these lines and join other environmental initiatives in the framework of COP26.

Meanwhile, the UK remains committed to Guatemala’s efforts to protect its biodiversity and tackle the effects of climate change. Between 2020 and 2022, the United Kingdom will have invested more than US$1 million in projects in Petén to address issues linked to the protection of biodiversity, combat illegal trafficking of species and bring development opportunities to vulnerable communities.

Last September, the UK also announced a Biodiversity Landscapes Fund that over seven years will invest US$20 million in the Northern Triangle of Central America, including the RBM. The Fund is part of the UK’s commitments ahead of COP26 and builds on the successes achieved at the G7, where its leaders pledged to protect and conserve 30% of the world’s land and oceans by 2030.

Currently, the RBM has 12 Concessions, totalling around 500 thousand hectares, of which 10 of these were granted to local community organizations and 2 granted to industrial companies between the nineties and the beginning of this century. This was done in compliance with the Protected Areas Law and the Peace Accords signed in Guatemala in 1996.

The Environment Agency has today (22 October) launched a six month consultation on the statutory review of the draft River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) which set out how organisations, stakeholders and communities will work together to improve the water environment over the next six years.

River Basin Management Plans play a key role in the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan for 75% of waters to be as close to their natural state as soon as is practicable. They are designed to:

• Provide an overarching strategic framework for managing the local water environment, including pressures such as more extreme weather events and climate change;
• Set out the objectives and measures required to protect and improve the river basin districts in England, cross river basin districts in England and Wales, and the Northumbria River Basin District; and
• Inform decisions on land-use planning and work alongside other plans and strategies, such as flood risk management plans

Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive, Environment Agency, said:

“Water quality overall in England has improved over the last twenty five years – wastewater treatment works put 60% less phosphate and 70% less ammonia into the water environment than they did in 1995 – but we know there is still much to do.

“These plans will play a key role in informing the way our rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal areas, wetlands and groundwater are managed and improved in response to the challenges we face now and can see ahead.

“We need radical and sustained action from all parties to ensure clean and plentiful water alongside greater resilience to flooding. I encourage all those with an interest to take part so we can take their views forward into the final plans.”

All submissions will inform the final plans, which will be published in December 2022 following approval by the Secretary of State.

In order to enable respondents to take a complete view of the water environment, the Environment Agency is also today opening its consultation on the draft Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs) which set out how the Environment Agency and Lead Local Flood Authorities will work together to manage flood risk in at-risk areas.

There are draft FRMPs for each of England’s 10 river basin districts, with the three month consultation a chance for comment on the key actions in the plans as we work to implement the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy and ensure homes, businesses and communities are resilient to climate change. Effective alignment between these plans is critical to building resilient catchments, mitigating the impact of natural hazards, and contributing to the delivery of the ambitions in the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England.

The RBMPs consultation is open now and will close in 6 months’ time on 22 April 2022. The final plans will then be published by December 2022.

The FRMPs consultation is open now and will close in 3 months’ time on 21 January 2022. The final plans will then be published by Autumn 2022.

The Children’s People and Nature Survey asked a younger and nationally representative sample to report on their thoughts and feelings about environmental protection, as well as wider topics such as what they enjoy most about nature and what prevents them from getting outdoors.

Nearly 8 in 10 8-15 year-olds (78%) agreed that looking after the environment was important to them, and more than 8 in 10 (81%) said they wanted to do more to look after the environment.

Crucially ahead of COP26, 46% of those surveyed do not think adults are doing enough to protect the environment (an increase of 7% since last year).

Marian Spain, Chief Executive, Natural England said:

The message is clear: children and young people care deeply about the natural environment and are eager to act. With COP26 just around the corner, we must seize on this as an opportunity to make lasting change in what will be a crucial year for the environment.

The research also shows that not all children have the same opportunities to enjoy nature. We need to heed the call of future generations and ensure that children and young people – wherever they live and whatever their background – can access good quality green spaces close to home – and reap the benefits to health, wellbeing and quality of life that being in nature brings to us all.

Other key findings include:

• Those spending time outside at least once a week were more likely to rate their anxiety as ‘low’.
• Most (96%) children and young people spent time outdoors beyond the garden at least once during the week. This did not vary based on gender, ethnicity, or income.
• Despite the pandemic, just 16% said anxiety about coronavirus stopped them from spending more time outside.
• More than 8 in 10 (85%) children and young people agreed that being in nature made them very happy. White children were also more likely to agree that being in nature made them very happy (86%) than Black children (75%).

Although concern for the environment was very high across all groups surveyed, younger children and those with higher household income were most likely to be concerned.

Children and young people aged 8-11 were more likely to agree that looking after the environment was important to them than those aged 12-15. Those with a higher household income (greater than £50k) were more likely to agree that looking after the environment was important to them (82%) than those with household income less than £15k (68%).

Natural England is committed to promoting health and wellbeing through the natural environment, and helping more people from a wider cross-section of society benefit from the environment. It continues to work with Defra and DfE on the Children and Nature programme to improve the physical and mental wellbeing of children from disadvantaged backgrounds. This includes a range of work, including training and support for school staff, providing outdoor resources, improvements to school grounds for wildlife and learning, and opportunities for off-site visits or residential stays in nature.

An infographic showcasing the survey’s key findings is available here and the full Children’s People and Nature Survey report can be found here, as well as released data and summary tables.