COP26: Paris Agreement extended to include Isle of Man after UK talks

Daphne Caine met officials from the UK and Channel Islands at COP26 this week

The Isle of Man has shown it will "play its part on the world stage" by joining global efforts to limit temperature rises to 1.5C, the government's climate change lead has said.

An extension of the 2015 Paris Agreement to include the Crown Dependencies was announced at COP26.

The island will now have to meet the obligations of the treaty, including cutting carbon emissions to net zero.

Daphne Caine MHK said the agreement was "hugely significant".

Representing the Manx government at the conference, she said the had brought "nearly 200 countries together" to take "urgent action" needed on climate change.

'Cut emissions'

A government spokesman said the extension came after "lengthy negotiations" between the Isle of Man, Jersey, and Guernsey, and UK authorities.

That included a "full review" of the Manx government's plan to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, he added.

The extension was announced by Greg Hands MP, the UK Minister of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), at COP26 on Thursday,

His department said once the move had been formally accepted, it would "bring the Crown Dependencies into scope of the UK's Nationally Determined Contribution target to reduce emissions by at least 68% by 2030 on 1990 levels."