The World Leaders Summit was the highlight of the day, kicking off with an opening ceremony titled “Earth to COP.” Throughout the day, negotiations took place on key implementation issues, ranging from Article 6 (cooperative approaches) to transparency issues.
World Leaders Summit
Opening Ceremony: Earth to COP: Prime Minister of the UK Boris Johnson drew attention to the seriousness of the climate crisis, warning against the “anger and impatience” of youth should COP 26 not deliver the scale of action needed. He stressed that solutions are attainable, and the developed world has the responsibility to fund climate action in developing countries.
Brianna Fruean, an advocate from Samoa, stressed the power of words to “change worlds,” and called on leaders to “wield the right words” followed up by action. She highlighted the leadership of Pacific youth, rallied under the cry “we are not drowning, we are fighting.”
Txai Suruí, a young advocate from the Amazon, urged ending “the pollution of hollow words.” She said that, while people were closing their eyes to reality, one of her childhood friends was murdered for protecting forests. She called for placing Indigenous Peoples at the center of COP 26 decisions.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said recent climate action announcements might give the impression the world is on track to fulfilling the Paris Agreement’s objectives. Calling this an illusion, he cautioned that if commitments fall short by the end of this COP, countries must revisit their plans, not every five years, but every year, until 1.5°C is assured, fossil fuel subsidies end, carbon has a price, and coal is phased out. Continue reading