Ellie Goulding takes on COP26 Advocate role for Glasgow summit
UK government taps singer-songwriter to help boost public awareness of the climate crisis when she attends the summit in person in November
Ellie Goulding has been tapped by the UK government to help raise public awareness about the climate crisis at the upcoming UN climate summit in Glasgow, with the singer today announced as an official ‘COP26 Advocate’.
The British singer-songwriter, who has sold 15 million albums worldwide to date, will be attending the Glasgow summit in person as part of her new COP26 Advocate role, according to the government.
Goulding has long been vocal on environmental and social issues such as climate change and homelessness. In 2017 she was recognised with a Global Leadership Award by the United Nations Foundation for her environmental and social justice activism.
Commenting on her COP26 role, Goulding said it was essential that global leaders listen to scientists and make bold commitments towards tackling the climate crisis at November’s summit.
“There’s going to be an incredible energy and focus in Glasgow in November and I think it’s important that as many people as possible take part in deciding their future on this planet,” she said. “I’m encouraging as many people as possible to get involved.”
The government has also revealed today further details of its plans for the summit, which it said would see more than 200 events being hosted in the UK-run ‘Green Zone’ in Glasgow from 1-12 November.
The Green Zone is designed to provide a platform for summit sponsors – or COP26 Principal Partners, which include Unilever, SSE, Sky, ScottishPower, Sainsburys, Reckitt, NatWest Group, National Grid, Microsoft, Hitachi and GSK – to share their experiences, showcase their commitment to fighting climate change, support and encourage others to do the same, according to the government.
Hosted in the Glasgow Science Centre, the Green Zone will also showcase cultural performances, exhibitions, talks, film screenings and technical demonstrations from young people, indigenous leaders, businesses and grassroots communities, the government said. Tickets to the zone will be available free of charge to the public, with most events also streamed live on the COP26 YouTube channel.
Events planned for the Green Zone include a collective of asylum seeking and refugee musicians in Glasgow, who are scheduled to perform music from their homelands, alongside new songs created for COP26 about the impact of climate change on refugees, the Cabinet Office revealed today.
Former astronaut Nicole Stott is also set to feature in ActionAid’s ‘Earth Observers’, a women-led debate on climate justice from space frontiers to frontline farmers, while a British Formula-E racing car will be on hand to showcase to visitors the power of electric vehicles.
