Alok Sharma
The British-Indian politician who steered the fragile COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, fighting to keep a 1.5-degree warming target alive.
Born 1967 (age 59)·British politician·Birthday: September 7·Generation X
Biography
Alok Sharma's career is a story of quiet ascent and a single, monumental task. Born in India and raised in Reading, England, he worked as an accountant before entering Parliament in 2010, holding a series of mid-level ministerial posts. His defining moment arrived in 2021 when he was appointed President of the COP26 UN climate summit. For nearly two years, he became a global diplomat, crisscrossing the world to cajole, negotiate, and build consensus among nearly 200 nations. The Glasgow summit, held under the shadow of a pandemic, was a grueling marathon of last-minute deals. Sharma, often seen as a measured and earnest figure, was visibly emotional as he gaveled through a final pact that, while imperfect, preserved the critical goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C. His tenure cemented his reputation as a dedicated, if weary, steward of the world's most pressing collective challenge.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Alok was born in 1967, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alok Was Born
The biggest hits of 1967
#1 Movie
The Jungle Book
Best Picture
In the Heat of the Night
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Alok's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1967Born
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1972Started school
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1980Became a teenager
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Could drive
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1985Could vote
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Turned 21
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1997Turned 30
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 40
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 50
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 59 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as President of the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in 2021, a pivotal global negotiation.
- Held the cabinet position of Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Elected as the Member of Parliament for Reading West for 14 years, from 2010 to 2024.
- Was appointed to the House of Lords in 2024, receiving a life peerage as Baron Sharma.
Did You Know?
He is a qualified chartered management accountant.
He was born in Aurangabad, India, and moved to the UK with his family when he was five years old.
During COP26, he visited over 30 countries in seven months to conduct preparatory diplomacy.
He broke down in tears at the end of the COP26 conference when apologizing for a last-minute change to the agreement on coal.
“We can now say with credibility that we have kept 1.5 degrees alive. But its pulse is weak.”
