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This Sunday will start the conference that will be attended by practically all the leaders of the world and will be the second that will physically bring together the leaders since the pandemic after the G-20. Russia and China will do it from virtuality and Queen Elizabeth II, for health reasons, will not be able to be at the event where the United Kingdom is the host. “We cannot allow a failure,” said the president of the European Parliament.
Glasgow will host the COP26 summit that will bring together the world’s most important politicians to set the guidelines with which they will combat climate change in the coming years.
Yet despite the political enthusiasm, environmental activists disbelieve their productivity. Weeks ago, at the ‘Youth4Climate’ held in Milan in September, the young Greta Thunberg had stated that on climate issues, the rulers only dedicate themselves to “blah, blah, blah blah”.
After the disappointing COP25 in Madrid in 2019, the conference in the United Kingdom appears as a unique opportunity to mark a before and after to prevent the environmental crisis from deepening.
David Sassoli, president of the European Parliament, said this Saturday that the world “cannot afford a failure of COP26” that begins this Sunday in Glasgow. However, he clarified that the ‘green transition’ must be gradual and not be another reason to increase inequalities but on the contrary, reduce them.
“The UN Report on the Emissions Gap makes it clear that current national plans to deal with climate change are far from being considered sufficient,” he said.
He also asserted that if the intention is to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, they must take the ambitions seriously, “make them clear and achievable” and those who must lead these premises are the G20 nations since they are responsible for 80% of greenhouse gas emissions globally.
Sassoli called to “follow the example” of the European Union to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 and, to the most developed countries, to honor their promise to raise 100 billion dollars to help those who are developing to face climate change.
# COP26 will be a sustainable event.
✅ Carbon neutral
✅ Offsetting unavoidable emissions
✅ Prioritizing emissions reductionsWe are committed to leaving a positive legacy 💚
Find out more 👇
– COP26 (@ COP26) October 30, 2021
The United States returns to the ‘green’ side with the Joe Biden administration
One of the global giants is, without a doubt, the North American country. His power both economically and in terms of influence make him a key player in the duel to preserve the climatic indices in place.
“It is a partner that takes the threat posed by climate change seriously,” Sassoli said of President Joe Biden. Under his mandate, he will return to the ecological side that he had during the Barack Obama era and that he left with Donald Trump and his denial about global warming.
Under Obama, the country was one of the drivers for the signing of the Paris Agreement, but with the Trump administration the nation radically changed its position and unilaterally withdrew from the climate pact.
The United States is among those that took the initiative most intensely, at least in theory, after announcing the project to reduce methane emissions by 50% by 2030 and increasing that number over time.
China does not travel and will defend its proposals virtually
Chinese President Xi Jinping was one of the great absentees from the G-20 held in Rome. The first post-pandemic global summit that could be held in person. However, the president of the Asian giant was not part of the delegation and appeared remotely.
Now, in Glasgow, the same will happen after he asked the G20 members at Saturday’s appearance to be “an example” in reducing carbon emissions after stating that China is already in the “green transition.”
Among the Chinese environmental goals is the “effort” to reduce CO2 emissions to zero by 2060.
Another casualty is Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, who remotely asked G20 leaders to speed up mutual recognition of Covid-19 vaccines. In environmental matters, Putin will also speak by videoconference at COP26. The president had declared to be aware “of how important it is” to combat climate change and committed Russia, the fourth country with the highest greenhouse gas emissions, to achieve neutrality in 2060.
Who will not be either Queen Elizabeth II after this last Friday Buckingham Palace reported that the monarch will have two weeks of rest for medical precaution. In this way, you will not be able to host the summit that will be held in Scotland under the United Kingdom flag.
Environmental activists took to the streets of Glasgow in the run-up to COP26
Green militants are also on British soil to demand concrete decisions from world leaders to prevent the devastating effects of runaway global warming.
This Saturday six different marches converged in central Scotland -among them those promoted by the Extinction Rebellion movement, Ecologists in Action and the Alliance for Climate Emergency- attended by hundreds of people on the eve of the COP26 summit.
In addition, the ‘March to Glasgow for Climate’ came to an end, the pilgrimage of activists who traveled 1000 kilometers on foot from Zaragoza to the Scottish capital to ask politicians to take note of environmental emergencies.
Finally, the young Swedish Greta Thunberg also arrived at the appointment. She was greeted by a large mass of protesters who waited for her at Glasgow station.
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