Poor Countries Could Be Excluded From Climate Talks Due To COVID Restrictions On The Unvaccinated

The world’s Least Developed Countries (LDC) urged the U.K. on Friday to help 20 “red list” countries overcome the COVID-19 barriers restricting them from meeting the requirements and costs of next month’s United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

These “red list” countries must meet the U.K.’s vaccination and quarantine requirements in order to attend the COP26 meeting that will discuss the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and the stabilization of the global average temperature rise.

LDC chair Sonam Phuntsho Wangdi of Bhutan said in a statement that delegates from the LDC Group “remain concerned about the logistics of getting to Glasgow in November."

"Our countries and our people are among the worst affected by climate change – we must not be excluded from talks deciding how the world will deal with this crisis, determining the fate of our lives and livelihoods," Wangdi said.

There are 20 countries on the U.K.’s “red list,” including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Haiti. Delegates of these countries will have to quarantine for up to 10 days if unvaccinated, while vaccinated must quarantine for five before they meet from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12.

Reuters noted that the U.K will pay for quarantine costs and provide COVID-19 vaccines for delegates.

“When you add the time for quarantining in the UK to that at home to three weeks of meetings in Glasgow, some delegates may have to be away from families for more than seven weeks,” Wangdhi said.

COVID-19 restrictions are not the only concerns these “red list” countries have. Many also lack access to straightforward transportation which could impede them from participating.

“Commercial flights out of pacific island nations are almost non-existent, and some of the regular transiting hubs are not allowing non-residents to fly through,” he added.

Climate Action Network (CAN), a coalition of more than 1,500 environmental groups, urged on Tuesday for COP26 to be postponed because it would exclude many countries from participating.

“With just two months to go, it is evident that a safe, inclusive and just global climate conference is impossible given the failure to support the access to vaccines to millions of people in poor countries, the rising costs of travel and accommodation, and the uncertainty in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic,” CAN said in a statement.