Several hundred people gathered in Glasgow on Saturday to urge world leaders to take action on climate change on the eve of COP26, a meeting crucial to the future of the planet. Many of them had reached Glasgow after a march of several tens or even thousands of kilometers, kicking off the demonstrations organized in parallel to the UN climate conference, scheduled until November 12 in the Scottish city.
The young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg arrived by train in Glasgow, after having joined the day before in London to demonstrate against the role of financial institutions in the climate crisis. For her arrival, the museum of the Tate Modern in London was illuminated with quotes from the young activist. “We must stop subsidies for fossil fuels, stop the exploitation and extraction of these energies and keep the carbon in the ground”, one could read. Or, “If we choose to act together, there is no limit to what we can accomplish.
Chances of COP26 success about 6/10, UK PM Johnson says
On Saturday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that he estimated the chances of a successful outcome to the United Nations COP26 climate change summit at about six out of ten. Britain hopes the summit at Glasgow, which begins on October 31, will adopt plans to help move closer to the target of limiting the rise in the average global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
When asked if he still rated chances of success in Glasgow as six out of ten as he did in September, Johnson told, “I’d say they’re about the same.” He had stated in Rome where he is attending a meeting of leaders of the group 20 major economies, “What we need to do is to ensure that at the COP summit next week the world leaders come together and make commitments that are necessary.”
