The British minister responsible for organising the COP26 international climate summit in October and November flew to 30 different countries in seven months. Minister of state Alok Sharma, who was told in January that he would organise the Glasgow summit, has been flying to Brazil, Indonesia and Kenya since February.

Despite the coronavirus measures and severe travel restrictions, Sharma managed to fly to thirty countries to cover more than 320,000 kilometres. It’s eight times the circumference of the Earth.

On returning to Britain, the minister did not have to go into quarantine once, despite the fact that at least six of the countries he visited had been given a red colour by the British authorities. Travellers from these countries must be quarantined for ten days in a hotel upon arrival in England, but because Sharma was committed to the country as a politician, an exception was made for him.

In an interview with The Guardian at the end of July, Sharma said that ‘we all have to play our part’ in taking measures to combat the climate crisis. He encouraged everyone to ‘make small changes that can make a difference’.