In the first week of the landmark COP26 summit in Glasgow, a local businessman has criticised the government’s handling of the climate crisis.

Jon Curtis is currently at COP26 as part of the British Chambers of Commerce’s ’Climate Chambers’ event.

His business, Curtis and Associates, is based in Port St Mary, and is described as an ’energy management group’ which ’manages data for the entire spectrum of [the] energy industry, including fossil fuel extractions, as their use declines in a managed way and are replaced by renewables.’

Mr Curtis told Manx Radio that the government did not support his attendance.

He said: ’I had major concerns about the very slow way in which the Isle of Man appeared to be responding to the climate crisis that we all face today.’

The island does have a delegation in attendance at the conference, including the newly appointed chair of the Climate Change Transformation Board, Daphne Caine MHK.

The COP26 summit is the United Nation’s climate conference, which provides a platform for the biggest climate crisis talks held in years.

Governments present there have already signed up to a number of agreements.

More than 40 countries have promised to shift away from coal and more than 100 world leaders have promised to tackle deforestation.

Earlier this week, the new Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, Clare Barber MHK called the conference vital opportunity to learn from others, describing it as a ’key turning point’.

Appearing on Manx Radio, she said: ’We should have been doing this stuff 20 years ago.

’Some of the elements have started, we’ve got the Climate Change Bill now.

’From my perspective, that was something that it’s not so much about the legislation, it’s about now the action we take and there’s a number of areas we will need to make some really sharp progress on.’

She said she was delighted that Mrs Caine was at the conference representing the island, and described her new role as chair of the Climate Change Transformation Board as a good step forward to take action on climate change, as it is fundamentally separate from any particular government department.

l This Saturday, Isle of Man Friends of the Earth and other member organisations of the Climate Change Coalition are holding a march.

The event will be coincide with other climate protest events across the world.

The march will be through Douglas town centre, beginning at the Sea Terminal at 1.30pm.