The United Nations’ climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland opened on Sunday for almost two weeks of critical negotiations on how to slow global warming, a gathering that despite the pandemic was expected to draw tens of thousands of participants and potentially even more demonstrators.
The world’s top scientists and climate advocates say the stakes could not be higher as government leaders, researchers, youth activists and journalists gather until November 12 for the 26th annual U.N. conference on climate change, one of the biggest political gatherings since the pandemic began. The goal is to lock in concrete action to achieve the 2015 Paris Agreement to cut planet-warming emissions and slow climate change.
Large-scale cuts in carbon dioxide, methane and other climate-warming gases, mainly from fossil-fuel burning and other human activities, are essential to accomplishing the Paris deal that aims to avoid the worst effects of global warming. But a key threshold of that deal — to limit temperature rise to as close to 1.5 degrees Celsius as possible above pre-industrial levels — could be reached by 2024, the World Meteorological Organization warned last year.
“Paris was the engagement party. Now we’re at the wedding, waiting to see if the key countries and corporations are ready to say ‘I do,’ ” said Jennifer Morgan, executive director of Greenpeace International, said on Twitter. “Glasgow needs to see real commitment, ambition and action. If leaders are wise, they will seize this moment.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
