Greta Thunberg joins climate activists ahead of UN climate talks

Greta Thunberg, 18, Swedish green icon arrived in Glasgow to urge world leaders to act on climate change.

Over 100 international leaders and governments from around the world, including US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, will attend the 26th COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, which begins today (Sunday) in Glasgow.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will attend the conference and present the Israeli concept on dealing with the climate crisis. Israel has agreed on raising the threshold for reducing greenhouse gas emissions so that by 2050, Israel will reach zero emissions. 

Against the background of the conference, the Prime Minister will meet with world’s leaders, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and more.

In the run-up to the conference, around 25,000 state officials, journalists, members of non-governmental organizations, and business leaders, from 196 nations descended on Scotland’s largest city. To ensure their protection, some 10,000 police officers will be on duty.

COP26 will be significant in part because it was postponed by one year due to the new coronavirus epidemic, and its organizers confessed that it was difficult to cram the tasks and agenda of two conferences into one. Furthermore, this conference will summarize the results of the five-year cycle, which began in 2015 with the signing of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change at COP21.

The organizers and host countries face a significant hurdle in persuading the international community that the agreement is working and persuading its participants to take on new substantial duties (in accordance with the Paris Agreement, this should be done every five years).

In the weeks leading up to the summit, it became clear that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin would not be in attendance. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will not be attending the event in Glasgow.

The decisive moment

The event’s host, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, dubbed it “the moment of truth.”

“Everyone is wondering whether we should grab this time or let it slip away,” he remarked.

“I hope world leaders hear them and come to Glasgow ready to respond with decisive action,” the UK prime minister said. “Together, we can mark the beginning of the end of climate change – and finally put an end to uncertainty.”

Unlike the United Kingdom, which has set 2050 as the deadline for reaching carbon neutrality (the state of having no net carbon dioxide emissions), Russia has an extra ten years. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated in mid-October that Russia has a “clear benchmark” for accomplishing this aim by 2060.

The Russian president spoke by phone with Johnson in the days leading up to the meeting. The UK Prime Minister commended Russia’s recent moves to commit to net zero emissions by 2060, and expressed hope that Russia will raise that objective to net zero by 2050.

Activists and law enforcement officers

The Extinction Rebellion movement organized a demonstration in Glasgow on the eve of the COP26 session, attracting approximately 1,000 protestors. Participants came from all around the United Kingdom, as well as Europe and Argentina. They also want to hold a number of events throughout the summit to emphasize the urgency of combating climate change to the international population.

Every day, around 10,000 law enforcement personnel will be on duty in Glasgow, creating one of the largest police operations in the history of the United Kingdom.

Beginning on Saturday, all routes leading to the event’s location were totally closed off. Earlier, the Scottish police force stated that it was prepared to take any steps necessary to avoid public order infractions, even if they would be looked upon by the international community.