Under pressure to act on climate change before it is too late, leaders from more than 120 countries began arriving in Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday for a summit ahead of decisive COP26 negotiations.
"Humanity has long played against the clock with the weather" and now "Is the moment to act"British Prime Minister and host Boris Johnson will say, according to excerpts from his speech, opening the two-day summit.
With elbows and handshakes, Johnson and those in charge of the UN received during the morning the leaders who arrived at a conference center flown over by helicopters and surrounded by strong security measures.
The American Joe Biden, who proclaims the return of his country to the negotiations on the climate, will be the main protagonist of a summit with great absentees, such as the Chinese Xi Jinping, president of the largest emitting country of polluting gases, and the Russian Vladimir Putin .
Biden landed around 11h00 (local and GMT) in the Scottish city of Edinburgh, to go from there to the headquarters of COP26. Before his arrival, his special envoy for climate, John Kerry, had reaffirmed the determination of the United States to act to "leave Glasgow having increased overall ambition very significantly".
Despite not attending, Chinese Xi Jinping will deliver a written message to attendees on Monday.
Prince Charles will also intervene, but in person, to replace Queen Elizabeth II, 95, who "keep repose" on medical advice. It will call on companies to join the global effort: "We need a broad military-type campaign to rally the strength of the global private sector" that "has billions" of dollars.
– "Unknown territory" –
Neither the Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, nor the Brazilian, Jair Bolsonaro, will attend from Latin America, despite the fact that the latter was present at the G20 summit, which ended on Sunday in Rome.
COP26 must develop the main themes of the historic Paris Agreement of 2015, such as increasing the commitments of each country to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, financing the fight against climate change, or the rules of transparency and mutual control.
A total of 196 parties signed the Paris Agreement with the aim of limiting the increase in the planet’s temperature to + 1.5ºC.
But the reality is that the Earth is heading for an increase of 2.7ºC, and with those digits its climate, its ecosystems, enter into "unknown territory", according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
– Fifty gigatons –
The world emits more than 50 gigatons of greenhouse gases annually, according to UN calculations. One gigaton represents 1 billion tons.
"Our studies indicate that there will be an increase in emissions of 16% in 2030, when we should register a reduction of 45%", summarized the executive secretary of the UN body for climate change, the Mexican Patricia Espinosa.
And although there is public awareness that this situation must change, big questions remain about the alternative energy model.
These differences reappeared at the G20 summit in Rome, which, although it ratified the commitment to + 1.5ºC, did not give clear guidelines to achieve it. "I’m leaving Rome disappointed"declared UN Secretary Antonio Guterres.
Biden for his part directly accused China, Russia and Saudi Arabia of not rising to the challenge.
Global growth forecasts pose a global challenge, experts acknowledge. The G20 is responsible for 80% of greenhouse gas emissions, and its members struck a balance again in their final communiqué.
"The G20 countries will stop financing coal plants abroad. But they had promised to do it with all fossil fuels. What the G20 started, the COP26 must finish"warned Pierre Cannet of the environmental organization WWF in France.
– Consequences "terrifying" –
Poor countries ask for help to mitigate or adapt to the consequences of climate change. Rich countries pledged $ 100 billion annually, a figure they should have delivered by 2020.
However, $ 20 billion is missing. The main economic powers ensure that the issue will be resolved in a couple of years.
Meanwhile, countries such as the Alliance of Small Island States denounce the consequences "terrifying" that could arrive in a few years if the sea level continues to rise, as scientists say.
"Some seem to be fearless, or worse, indifferent"said his Glasgow negotiator, Lia Nicholson.
World leaders will deliver their speeches under the suspicious gaze of environmentalists, including the Swedish Greta Thunberg, who are preparing mobilizations and protest actions.
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