AFP UK

For more than two decades, promoters and purveyors of nuclear energy felt shunned at UN climate change conferences.

At the COP26 summit underway in Glasgow, however, they have been welcomed with open arms, the UN’s top nuclear regulator told AFP.

The spectre of Chernobyl and Fukushima, along with the enduring problem of nuclear waste, kept energy generated by splitting atoms on the sidelines, even if that energy was virtually carbon free.

But as the climate crisis deepens and the need to transition away from fossil fuels becomes urgent, attitudes may be shifting.

“Nuclear energy is part of the solution to global warming, there’s no way around it,” said Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in an interview.

It already accounts for a quarter of “clean” — that is, carbon-free — energy worldwide, and Grossi said this COP is the first where it has “had a seat at the table”.

“The winds are changing.”

To have even a 50/50 chance of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels — the threshold for dangerous tipping points that could trigger runaway warming — global greenhouse emissions must be slashed by almost half within a decade, scientists say.

But things are still moving in the wrong direction: a report on Thursday said emissions in 2021 are approaching record levels.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned they could hit new heights by 2023.

That is helping refocus attention on nuclear.

“At the 2015 COP in Paris, nuclear wasn’t welcome,” said Callum Thomas, head of a recruitment firm for the nuclear industry, who was spotted at COP26 sporting a T-shirt saying “Let’s Talk Nuclear”.

“There was a belief it was not needed. Now many countries are looking at the feasibility, especially with the rise in gas prices.”

– ‘Never stops’ –

From the time he took the IAEA’s helm nearly two years ago, Grossi, an Argentine diplomat, has been a tireless advocate for the industry.

At his first COP in Madrid he “went in spite of the general assumption that nuclear would not be welcome”.

On the contrary in Glasgow, where nearly 200 countries are still trying to put flesh on the bone of the 2015 Paris Agreement, he said “nuclear is not only welcome, but is generating a lot of interest”.

Grossi argues that the technology can not only speed the transition away from fossil fuels, but also power research on technologies needed for adapting to climate impacts, from finding drought-resistant crops to eradicating mosquitos.  

He acknowledges that it carries serious risks.  

The meltdown of three reactors at Japan’s Fukushima power plant in 2011 following an earthquake and a tsunami profoundly shook confidence in nuclear.

The industry also has yet to find a way to dispose of nuclear waste, which remains highly radioactive for thousands of years.

But Grossi said these issues are not disqualifying, arguing that statistically the technology has fewer negative consequences than many other forms of energy.

It could also be a complement to renewables.

“Nuclear energy goes on and on for the entire year, it never stops,” he said.

Even so, with prolonged construction times, many argue that it is too late to build enough nuclear capacity to effectively join the battle against global warming.

But Grossi said he thinks part of the answer lies in keeping existing reactors up and running. 

– 100-year-old reactors? –

Many power plants designed to run for 40 years are now licensed for 60 years under strict national safety standards supervised by the IAEA, he said.

“What could be more efficient than a facility that you build that gives you energy for close to 100 years?” he said.

He acknowledged that plants running that long might be a “bit of a provocation”.

“But it still might be possible.”

In their projections on how to limit the rise in global temperatures and satisfy a growing global demand for energy at the same time, the IEA takes all non-carbon sources on board.

The UN’s climate science advisory panel, the IPCC, has also given a place to nuclear in its models, even as it says that its deployment “could be limited by social preferences.”

Indeed, attitudes towards nuclear power vary sharply across nations.

While New Zealand and Germany are opposed, India is in discussions with French energy giant EDF to build what would be the largest nuclear power plant in the world.

Meanwhile, both Canada and the United States are developing so-called “small modular reactors”, although only Russia has put into operation a floating reactor using this technology.

Price is also not the barrier it used to be, said Grossi.

“Countries see in smaller units a very interesting alternative, which is not in the range of billions but of hundreds of millions,” he said. “When it comes to energy projects, this is quite affordable.”

The problem is persistent: a fully vaccinated public figure catches Covid-19, and social media sites are soon flooded with claims that this proves the shots do not work.

From White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and American comedian Chris Rock testing positive to former secretary of state Colin Powell dying of Covid-19 complications, prominent cases have triggered a deluge of inaccurate information online.

So-called breakthrough cases are expected and do not mean the vaccines are ineffective, US health authorities say. But claims that the shots are failing can erode trust and slow uptake efforts, which remain crucial as younger children become eligible for the shots.

“Any time there is a breakthrough case, people who feel very concerned about the efficacy of vaccines see it as yet another reason to reinforce the doubt that’s already in their mind,” said Andy Carvin, managing editor at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, describing the problem as a “weaponization of doubt.”

Psaki announced on Sunday that she had Covid-19, crediting the vaccine for the mildness of her illness. But she was described as “living proof that the vaccine is ineffective” by a Twitter user with more than 12,000 followers — one of a number of people who made such claims on social media.

Similar allegations followed the Powell family’s October announcement that the retired four-star general died from complications caused by Covid-19, even though he had a type of cancer that experts say undermines the efficacy of the shots.

Positive tests for Kavanaugh and Rock this year also gave rise to accusations that the shots are not effective. 

– Not ‘a magic forcefield’ –

Addressing the issue of misinformation stemming from breakthrough cases is increasingly important, because as more people get vaccinated, more cases — including severe ones — will occur in the vaccinated population, said Devon Greyson, public health researcher at The University of British Columbia.

“Vaccination is an amazing technology, but it isn’t a magic forcefield,” Greyson said. 

Yotam Ophir, health and science misinformation expert at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, said that health communicators need to better set public expectations about the realities of the vaccines, both in terms of their benefits and their limits.

The other issue is that “humans have a tendency to pay a lot of attention to vivid cases. We don’t really know how to think in numbers and statistics, we usually think in stories and good narratives,” he said.

What is not covered by the news is “all the people who got vaccinated and stayed healthy,” Ophir said.

– ‘Putting out fires’ –

Nina Jankowicz, a disinformation specialist at the Wilson Center, said false claims following Powell’s death were “especially disappointing,” because a lack of nuance in the media allowed misinformation to bloom.

“A lot of the coverage that I saw, even from some of the most trusted news outlets in our country… didn’t include information about Secretary Powell’s cancer status,” she said.

Carvin said the necessity of context in news coverage is at odds with the breakneck speed and need for brevity in the current media environment.

Deciding which breakthrough cases merit coverage — thus possibly inciting a misinformation storm — “very much becomes a media ethics question,” he said, adding that “journalists and media in general has to think creatively about how we go presenting it.”

Ophir called for policy-level changes to address health misinformation, saying that “we are basically at the mercy of private corporations like Facebook and Twitter” to manage the problem.

“What we’re doing right now is putting out fires,” he said. “That’s a losing battle. What we will need to do eventually is to find a more systematic solution.”

On a fall night in 2019, Eric Brandt was awoken by the sound of steel rods cracking inside concrete.

“I heard the pings. I know the sound because I used to drill rebar into the top of coal mines,” Brandt explained. “I couldn’t even imagine what was happening out there.”

But Brandt, a 69-year-old former mine worker, was nowhere near a coal mine. He was in bed in his condominium on the shore of Lake Michigan, on the South Side of Chicago.

Brandt, now a writer, recalled that it was the second major storm that he lived through in four years at his building.

This time, crashing waves broke a cement wall in half, and the water washed away a beach adjacent to his 12-story building.

“They called it a 50-year storm, but it was the second in two years,” Brandt said, standing by a new shoreline of giant rocks put down by the US Army Corps of Engineers to protect against further erosion — a problem that has increased dramatically for the Great Lakes over the last decade.

The five lakes that make up the Great Lakes, which account for more than 20 percent of the world’s freshwater supply, have always risen and fallen over the decades.

But climate change has now made the extremes much stronger than before, according to Drew Gronewold, a hydrologist at the University of Michigan.

“You have precipitation coming in and evaporation going out,” Gronewold said.

“The analogy we use now is a game of tug-of-war. If both teams are equally strong, the rope doesn’t move. What happens if they are both getting stronger, and one slips — the rope swings much more quickly than it otherwise would.”

– Adapting to new extremes –

The coast of Lake Michigan, the third-largest Great Lake by surface area, is a mix of dune bluffs, sandy beaches, rugged rocks, marshland, big midwestern cities and small tourist towns.

Experts say the Great Lakes should be considered as one body of water.

“It’s important to realize that they are connected. If one lake is going up, they probably all are,” Gronewold said.

In 2014, water levels were at record lows and caused alarm in the shipping industry.

Since then, the lakes have risen sharply, reaching highs in the last two years and threatening buildings, beaches and nearby structures.

They have since dipped slightly, but all the Great Lakes remain above the long-term average.

“We’ve seen this huge increase over the last seven years. Lake levels have come down a bit since last year, but it was a huge swing and was larger than anything we saw over the last 100 years,” said Tomas Hook, director of the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and professor of forestry and natural resources at Purdue University.

Todd Rosenthal, a 56-year-old theater set designer who has lived on Chicago’s Lake Michigan shoreline for two decades, says a major 2019 storm “like the wrath of God” tossed cement barriers around and sent water through the walls and windows in his second-story unit.

He and several neighbors then installed hurricane doors and shutters — which he says is just part of the cost of living on the lake.

“You never can tell. We’ve had times when the lake has been pristine and calm, and within five minutes you could see whitecaps,” Rosenthal said.

His building, 20 miles (30 kilometers) north from Brandt’s, also lost a protective cement wall and had adjacent beaches washed away by storms in the last two years — the sand now replaced with large, protective rocks.

“Some people moved out of the building because they couldn’t take the constant pounding,” Rosenthal said.

– Forced out? –

That could also be the future for Jera Slaughter, a 71-year-old retired Amtrak worker on a fixed budget who has lived in the same building as Brandt for 44 years.

She fears extra costs will drive out her and her neighbors.

Since 2019, residents at the 12-story, 70-unit building on Chicago’s South Shore have spent $450,000 on damage repairs — and have little money left for routine maintenance and preventative measures.

“We love this building, but at some point we won’t be able to afford it,” Slaughter said.

“We take it moment by moment because we don’t know what this year is going to bring.”

Aaron Packman, the director of Northwestern University’s Center for Water Research, can offer little comfort.

“One of the issues, especially with Lake Michigan, is that we’re seeing the effect of climate change with more intense storms, more flooding, and there’s a lot of uncertainty with what will happen with the Great Lakes in the future,” said Packman.

“Beyond being a critical water resource for a big section of the country, the Great Lakes also are an economic engine for the country.

“The future is going to be different, and in some sense worse. We can and must change our response to be much more effective than it’s been in the past,” he said.

America’s northeast is famous for its red, orange and yellow fall foliage but experts say climate change is dulling the colors and delaying peak season, causing concern for the region’s multibillion-dollar “leaf-peeping” tourist industry.

Warmer temperatures and heavier rainfall are keeping leaves greener for longer while extreme weather events like heatwaves and storms are stripping trees bare before getting to autumn, according to conservationists.

“Climate change is making it less likely that we’re going to get those perfect fall color displays,” Andy Finton, a forest ecologist with the Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts, told AFP.

Several delicate factors combine for leaves to turn the vibrant colors that adorn picture postcards from New England and see visitors flocking to states like Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire every October.

The right combination of heat and precipitation in the summer followed by sunny days and cooler nights as the days start to shorten are required for chlorophyll to break down, unveiling the yellow and orange carotenoid pigments that turn ash and birch trees a golden hue.

But the more complicated process by which leaves produce sugar that creates the red anthocyanin pigments seen in sugar maple and black gum trees is worrying arborists the most.

Hotter days, coupled with warmer nights and overcast skies caused by increased precipitation are slowing down photosynthesis, threatening those deep red colors beloved by “leaf-peepers.”

“What you’re gonna see is more muted colors,” said Finton.

Leaf-peeping is a slang term in the United States used to describe the recreational activity of traveling to see and photograph autumnal colors.

Numerous tracking websites try to predict where and when peak fall foliage will occur as it makes its way south through New England, including Massachusetts and Connecticut, and into New York.

But ecologists say climate change is pushing the season back, making it harder to predict when the leaves will turn and threatening to shorten the window if it is followed by a quick cold snap.

Stephanie Spera, an environmental scientist at the University of Richmond, is studying the impact of climate change on fall foliage in Acadia National Park in Maine.

“What we are seeing is that it is about a full week later than it was in the 1950s,” and now arrives around the second week of October, Spera told AFP.

Barbara Brummer, a field biologist with the Nature Conservancy’s New Jersey office, estimates it was at least two weeks late this year “from what typically might have happened 100 years ago.”

– Pests and disease –

Fall foliage tourism is big business in the northeast. It contributes $300 million to Vermont’s economy alone every year, according to official figures.

In autumn, upwards of 500 people visit Polly’s Pancake Parlor in New Hampshire every day to marvel at the colors on display in the White Mountains.

The restaurant has been recording when leaves change color since the 1970s to keep track of how weather was impacting footfall.

“Fall is a huge part of our business and customers would ask, ‘When’s the best time to visit?” owner Kathie Cote told AFP, adding that she was “definitely concerned” about climate change.”

Alejandro Bertagnoli, a 31-year-old tourist from Argentina, and his girlfriend visited New York’s Central Park in early November and were surprised by how green the leaves still were.

“The pictures do seem different from what you usually see. But it’s still enjoyable,” he told AFP.

Warmer, wetter temperatures are also helping invasive pests and disease live longer and spread further, according to Pete Smith, urban forestry program manager at the Arbor Day Foundation.

“There’s nothing worse for fall color than a dead tree,” he told AFP.

Extreme weather events are also wreaking havoc.

In September, heavy rain and powerful winds brought by Hurricane Ida brought down trees and knocked leaves off branches. 

Ecologists are also concerned by foliage scorch, a phenomenon seen this summer in the western US when brutal temperatures burned leaves brown, stripping them of their pigments.

They say carbon emissions must be reduced and forests conserved to protect foliage.

While they acknowledge that foliage may not top the agenda at Cop26, healthy leaves mean healthy forests which are essential for the environment.

The leaves that sugars develop into the twigs and stems of trees to provide food for spring.

“If you disrupt these cycles, there are impacts that we probably don’t even know about, because nature is so complex,” said Brummer.

Fall foliage is also good for the soul, she added.

“When you go out and see beautiful red colors it’s joyful.”

What if a simple pill could help heal from Covid-19?

US pharma giants Merck and Pfizer have announced encouraging results for oral drugs, while an anti-depressant has also shown promise in what could open up a new chapter in the fight against the pandemic.

– What are these treatments ? –

They are pills taken orally as soon as the first symptoms of Covid-19 appear, to avoid serious forms of the illness, and therefore hospitalisation.

This form of treatment has been sought since the start of the global health crisis.

After months of research, Merck and Pfizer say they have reached that elusive goal.

Early October, Merck said it was seeking authorisation in the United States for its pill molnupiravir, and Pfizer followed suit on Friday with paxlovid.

They are both anti-virals that act by reducing the virus’s ability to replicate, slowing down the disease.

Both companies say clinical trials showed a strong reduction in the risk of hospitalisation.

Those who took molnupiravir saw that risk diminish by 50 percent and those who took paxlovid by nearly 90 percent, although direct comparisons of these efficacy rates should be avoided because of the different study protocols.

An anti-depressant which is already available to the public, fluvoxamine, has also shown encouraging results in preventing serious forms of Covid-19, according to a study published in October by Brazilian researchers in the Lancet Global Health journal.

– Why are they important? –

If the efficacy of these drugs is confirmed, it will be a major step forward in the fight against Covid-19.

They would add to vaccines to bolster the world’s therapeutic arsenal against the virus.

Treatments already exist, mostly in the form of synthetic antibodies.

But these drugs, which usually target those who already have severe forms of the disease, are injected and therefore more difficult to administer.

A pill can be quickly prescribed to a patient who will then take it easily at home.

Merck and Pfizer’s treatments, which so far have not shown many side effects, would entail taking around 10 doses over five days.

“The success of these antivirals potentially marks a new era in our ability to prevent the severe consequences of SARS-CoV2 infection,” British virologist Stephen Griffin told the Science Media Center.

– What limitations ? –

It is difficult so far to properly evaluate Merck and Pfizer’s treatments given both groups have only published statements and have not made the data of their clinical trials available.

French infectious diseases specialist Karine Lacombe warned in September that these types of announcements should be treated with “caution” until the studies can be scrutinised.

She pointed out that these treatments represent a “potentially enormous” market for pharmaceutical groups.

Nevertheless, some elements indicate that Merck and Pfizer are not making empty promises.

For one, they both stopped their clinical trials earlier than expected as the results were so strong, with the okay of independent monitoring committees.

Where fluvoxamine is concerned, the data is available but is not without criticism.

Several researchers have complained that the authors did not just limit themselves to evaluating the frequency of hospitalisations, but also assessed the frequency of prolonged emergency room stays.

This, they say, complicated the interpretation of data.

– When? And how much? –

Merck’s molnupiravir has already been approved in the United Kingdom where health authorities on Thursday gave their green light to its use in patients at risk of developing a serious form of the illness, such as the elderly, obese people, or those suffering from diabetes.

US and EU health authorities are also urgently reviewing the drug.

The European Medicines Agency promised on Thursday to “accelerate” proceedings, without giving a firm date.

Several countries have already ordered stocks of molnupiravir, such as the United States, with 1.7 million courses of the drug.

The US order gives an idea of the steep price of the drug.

It comes to $1.2 billion, which equates to around $700 for a five-day course.

As for Pfizer, while it has not outlined a price for paxlovid, it has promised it will be “affordable” and subject to a tiered pricing approach based on the income level of countries.

What if a simple pill could help heal from Covid-19?

US pharma giants Merck and Pfizer have announced encouraging results for oral drugs, while an anti-depressant has also shown promise in what could open up a new chapter in the fight against the pandemic.

– What are these treatments ? –

They are pills taken orally as soon as the first symptoms of Covid-19 appear, to avoid serious forms of the illness, and therefore hospitalisation.

This form of treatment has been sought since the start of the global health crisis.

After months of research, Merck and Pfizer say they have reached that elusive goal.

Early October, Merck said it was seeking authorisation in the United States for its pill molnupiravir, and Pfizer followed suit on Friday with paxlovid.

They are both anti-virals that act by reducing the virus’s ability to replicate, slowing down the disease.

Both companies say clinical trials showed a strong reduction in the risk of hospitalisation.

Those who took molnupiravir saw that risk diminish by 50 percent and those who took paxlovid by nearly 90 percent, although direct comparisons of these efficacy rates should be avoided because of the different study protocols.

An anti-depressant which is already available to the public, fluvoxamine, has also shown encouraging results in preventing serious forms of Covid-19, according to a study published in October by Brazilian researchers in the Lancet Global Health journal.

– Why are they important? –

If the efficacy of these drugs is confirmed, it will be a major step forward in the fight against Covid-19.

They would add to vaccines to bolster the world’s therapeutic arsenal against the virus.

Treatments already exist, mostly in the form of synthetic antibodies.

But these drugs, which usually target those who already have severe forms of the disease, are injected and therefore more difficult to administer.

A pill can be quickly prescribed to a patient who will then take it easily at home.

Merck and Pfizer’s treatments, which so far have not shown many side effects, would entail taking around 10 doses over five days.

“The success of these antivirals potentially marks a new era in our ability to prevent the severe consequences of SARS-CoV2 infection,” British virologist Stephen Griffin told the Science Media Center.

– What limitations ? –

It is difficult so far to properly evaluate Merck and Pfizer’s treatments given both groups have only published statements and have not made the data of their clinical trials available.

French infectious diseases specialist Karine Lacombe warned in September that these types of announcements should be treated with “caution” until the studies can be scrutinised.

She pointed out that these treatments represent a “potentially enormous” market for pharmaceutical groups.

Nevertheless, some elements indicate that Merck and Pfizer are not making empty promises.

For one, they both stopped their clinical trials earlier than expected as the results were so strong, with the okay of independent monitoring committees.

Where fluvoxamine is concerned, the data is available but is not without criticism.

Several researchers have complained that the authors did not just limit themselves to evaluating the frequency of hospitalisations, but also assessed the frequency of prolonged emergency room stays.

This, they say, complicated the interpretation of data.

– When? And how much? –

Merck’s molnupiravir has already been approved in the United Kingdom where health authorities on Thursday gave their green light to its use in patients at risk of developing a serious form of the illness, such as the elderly, obese people, or those suffering from diabetes.

US and EU health authorities are also urgently reviewing the drug.

The European Medicines Agency promised on Thursday to “accelerate” proceedings, without giving a firm date.

Several countries have already ordered stocks of molnupiravir, such as the United States, with 1.7 million courses of the drug.

The US order gives an idea of the steep price of the drug.

It comes to $1.2 billion, which equates to around $700 for a five-day course.

As for Pfizer, while it has not outlined a price for paxlovid, it has promised it will be “affordable” and subject to a tiered pricing approach based on the income level of countries.

Tens of thousands of protesters braved rain and wind in Glasgow Saturday as part of worldwide demonstrations against what campaigners say is a failure of crunch UN climate talks to act fast enough to tame global warming.

Dozens of events were planned worldwide to demand cuts in fossil fuel use and immediate help for communities already affected by climate change, particularly in poorer countries.

In Glasgow, police earlier said they expected up to 50,000 people to parade through the streets. Organisers later claimed more than 100,000 had turned out.

Demonstrators marched close to the COP26 summit venue and through the centre of the Scottish city on Saturday in a colourful protest with music and dancing.

“No more coal! No more oil! Keep our carbon in the soil!” chanted protesters.

Some carried placards calling for “Climate Justice” and a “Fair COP” as they made their way to a park on the edge of the city in the afternoon.

“We need the biggest emitters to be held responsible,” Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, from the Marshall Islands, told the crowd.

“We did nothing to contribute to this crisis, and we should not have to pay the consequences.”

– Keeping up the pressure –

Glasgow is hosting delegates from nearly 200 countries for the crucial UN talks, tasked with hammering out how to meet the Paris Agreement goals of limiting temperature rises to between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius.

During the first week of the meeting, some countries have upgraded their existing pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while there have been separate deals on phasing out coal, ending foreign fossil fuel funding, and slashing methane.

But many thorny issues remain and many protesters on the streets said they were there to keep up the pressure.  

Jill Bird, 66, who had travelled to Glasgow’s march from Bristol, was among a group of people dressed in white jumpsuits with “greenwash busters” backpacks.

She said she wanted to see rich nations live up to their pledge of providing $100 billion annually to vulnerable nations that “keeps being promised and promised and promised and doesn’t actually materialise”.

– Widespread demos –

Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg said the summit had gone nowhere near far enough in a speech at Friday’s youth march in Glasgow, where she labelled the conference “a failure”.

She did not speak at Saturday’s rally, but sent a tweet in the evening saying the global protests sent “a clear signal to people in power at COP26 to protect people and planet”. 

“Our so-called ‘leaders’ aren’t leading — THIS is what leadership looks like!” she said over a photograph of crowds of demonstrators in Glasgow. 

A pre-COP26 estimate from the UN said that national climate plans, when brought together, put Earth on course to warm 2.7C this century.

With just 1.1C of warming so far, communities across the world are already facing ever more intense fire and drought, displacement and economic ruin wrought by global heating.

And a major assessment last week showed global CO2 emissions were set to rebound in 2021 to pre-pandemic levels.

Protesters took to the streets in cities across the world to demand more radical action. 

Earlier in Australia demonstrators dressed as lumps of coal and Prime Minister Scott Morrison — a vigorous mining advocate.

“No more blah, blah blah. Real climate action now,” read one sign at a protest in Sydney.

About 1,000 people gathered in London outside the Bank of England with placards reading “Less talk more action” and “No More COP outs”.

Protesters gathered outside Paris city hall carried a giant banner that said: “Climate inaction = crimes against the living.”

And in Denmark, public broadcaster DR said several thousand people turned out.

– ‘Words not enough’ –

Security had been boosted for Saturday’s march, but it had a party atmosphere and wrapped up in the late afternoon with few incidents.

“Thousands of us are marching right across the world today to demand immediate and serious action,” said activist Mikaela Loach. 

“We’re clear that warm words are not good enough — and that the next week of talks must see a serious ramping up of concrete plans.”

COP26 negotiations will pause on Sunday ahead of what is shaping up to be a frantic week of shuttle diplomacy, as ministers arrive to push through hard-fought compromises.

Countries still need to flesh out how pledges made in the Paris deal work in practice, including rules governing carbon markets, common reporting timeframes and transparency. 

Dan Blumgart, 33, was at London’s protest holding a “Mars sucks, save Earth” placard. 

“I really like the planet we live on and I want it to be, you know, able to keep it okay to live on,” he said.

burs-pg-klm/jj/bfm

Tens of thousands of protesters braved rain and wind in Glasgow Saturday as part of worldwide demonstrations against what campaigners say is a failure of crunch UN climate talks to act fast enough to tame global warming.

Dozens of events are planned worldwide to demand cuts in fossil fuel use and immediate help for communities already affected by climate change, particularly in poorer countries.

In Glasgow, police earlier said they expected up to 50,000 people to parade through the streets. Organisers later claimed more than 100,000 had turned out.

Demonstrators marched close to the COP26 summit venue and through the centre of the Scottish city on Saturday in a colourful protest with music and dancing. 

Protesters chanted “system change, not climate change”, some carrying placards calling for “Climate Justice” and a “Fair COP” as they made their way to a park on the edge of the city in the afternoon.

“We need the biggest emitters to be held responsible,” Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, from the Marshall Islands, told the crowd.

“We did nothing to contribute to this crisis, and we should not have to pay the consequences.”

– Keeping up the pressure –

Glasgow is hosting delegates from nearly 200 countries for the crucial UN talks, tasked with hammering out how to meet the Paris Agreement goals of limiting temperature rises to between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius.

During the first week of the meeting, some countries have upgraded their existing pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while there have been separate deals on phasing out coal, ending foreign fossil fuel funding, and slashing methane.

But many thorny issues remain and many protesters on the streets said they were there to keep up the pressure.  

Jill Bird, 66, who had travelled to Glasgow’s march from Bristol, was among a group of people dressed in white jumpsuits with “greenwash busters” backpacks.

She said she wanted to see rich nations live up to their pledge of providing $100 billion annually to vulnerable nations that “keeps being promised and promised and promised and doesn’t actually materialise”.

– Widespread demos –

Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg said the summit had gone nowhere near far enough in a speech at Friday’s youth march in Glasgow, where she labelled the conference “a failure”.

She did not speak at Saturday’s rally, but sent a tweet in the evening saying the global protests sent “a clear signal to people in power at COP26 to protect people and planet”. 

“Our so-called ‘leaders’ aren’t leading — THIS is what leadership looks like!” she said over a photograph of crowds of demonstrators in Glasgow. 

A pre-COP26 estimate from the UN that said national climate plans, when brought together, put Earth on course to warm 2.7C this century.

With just 1.1C of warming so far, communities across the world are already facing ever more intense fire and drought, displacement and economic ruin wrought by global heating.

And a major assessment last week showed global CO2 emissions were set to rebound in 2021 to pre-pandemic levels.

Protesters took to the streets in cities across the world to demand more radical action. 

Earlier in Australia demonstrators dressed as lumps of coal and Prime Minister Scott Morrison — a vigorous mining advocate.

“No more blah, blah blah. Real climate action now,” read one sign at a protest in Sydney.

About 1,000 people gathered in London outside the Bank of England with placards reading “Less talk more action” and “No More COP outs”.

And protesters gathered outside Paris city hall carrying a giant banner that said: “Climate inaction = crimes against the living.”

– ‘Words not enough’ –

Security had been boosted for Saturday’s march, but it had a party atmosphere and wrapped up in the late afternoon with few incidents.

“Thousands of us are marching right across the world today to demand immediate and serious action,” said activist Mikaela Loach. 

“We’re clear that warm words are not good enough — and that the next week of talks must see a serious ramping up of concrete plans.”

COP26 negotiations will pause on Sunday ahead of what is shaping up to be a frantic week of shuttle diplomacy, as ministers arrive to push through hard-fought compromises.

Countries still need to flesh out how pledges made in the Paris deal work in practice, including rules governing carbon markets, common reporting timeframes and transparency. 

Dan Blumgart, 33, was at London’s protest holding a “Mars sucks, save Earth” placard. 

“Because I really like the planet we live on and I want it to be, you know, able to keep it okay to live on,” he said.

burs-pg-klm/jj

Tens of thousands of protesters braved rain and wind in Glasgow Saturday to take part in worldwide demonstrations against what campaigners say is a failure of crunch UN climate talks to act fast enough to tame global warming.

Dozens of events are planned worldwide to demand cuts in fossil fuel use and immediate help for communities already affected by climate change, particularly in poorer countries.

In Glasgow, police earlier said they expected up to 50,000 people to parade through the streets, while organisers later claimed more than 100,000 had turned out.

Demonstrators marched close to the COP26 summit venue and through the centre of the Scottish city on Saturday in a colourful protest with music and dancing. 

Protesters chanted “system change, not climate change” and carried placards calling for “Climate Justice” and a “Fair COP” as they made their way to a park on the edge of the city in the afternoon.

“We need the biggest emitters to be held responsible,” Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, from the Marshall Islands, told the crowd.

“We did nothing to contribute to this crisis, and we should not have to pay the consequences.”

Glasgow is hosting delegates from nearly 200 countries for the crucial UN talks, tasked with hammering out how to meet the Paris Agreement goals of limiting temperature rises to between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius.

During the first week of the meeting, some countries have upgraded their existing pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while there have been separate deals on phasing out coal, ending foreign fossil fuel funding, and slashing methane.

But many thorny issues remain and many protesters on the streets said they were there to keep up the pressure.  

Jill Bird, 66, who had travelled to Glasgow’s march from Bristol, was among a group of people dressed in white jumpsuits with “greenwash busters” backpacks.

She said she wanted to see rich nations live up to their pledge of providing $100 billion annually to vulnerable nations that “keeps being promised and promised and promised and doesn’t actually materialise”.

– Widespread demos –

Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg said the summit had gone nowhere near far enough in a speech at Friday’s youth march in Glasgow, where she labelled the conference “a failure”.

A pre-COP26 estimate from the UN that said national climate plans, when brought together, put Earth on course to warm 2.7C this century.

With just 1.1C of warming so far, communities across the world are already facing ever more intense fire and drought, displacement and economic ruin wrought by global heating.

And a major assessment last week showed global CO2 emissions were set to rebound in 2021 to pre-pandemic levels.

Protesters took to the streets in cities across the world to demand more radical action. 

Earlier in Australia demonstrators dressed as lumps of coal and Prime Minister Scott Morrison — a vigorous mining advocate.

“No more blah, blah blah. Real climate action now,” read one sign at a protest in Sydney.

About 1,000 people gathered in London outside the Bank of England with placards reading “Less talk more action” and “No More COP outs”.

And protesters gathered outside Paris city hall carrying a giant banner that said: “Climate inaction = crimes against the living.”

– ‘Words not enough’ –

Security has been boosted for Saturday’s march, which had a party atmosphere and wrapped up in the late afternoon with few incidents.

“Thousands of us are marching right across the world today to demand immediate and serious action,” said activist Mikaela Loach. 

“We’re clear that warm words are not good enough — and that the next week of talks must see a serious ramping up of concrete plans.”

COP26 negotiations will pause on Sunday ahead of what is shaping up to be a frantic week of shuttle diplomacy, as ministers arrive to push through hard-fought compromises.

Countries still need to flesh out how pledges made in the Paris deal work in practice, including rules governing carbon markets, common reporting timeframes and transparency. 

Dan Blumgart, 33, was at London’s protest holding a “Mars sucks, save Earth” placard. 

“Because I really like the planet we live on and I want it to be, you know, able to keep it okay to live on,” he said.

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Thousands of climate protesters braved rain and wind in Glasgow Saturday to take part in worldwide demonstrations against what campaigners say is a failure of crunch UN talks to act fast enough to tame global warming.

Dozens of events are planned worldwide to demand cuts in fossil fuel use and immediate help for communities already affected by climate change, particularly in poorer countries.

In Glasgow, organisers and police said they ultimately expected up to 50,000 people to parade through the streets of the Scottish city.

Demonstrators began gathering on Saturday morning in a park near the COP26 summit venue, chanting: “Our world is under attack, stand up fight back!” 

“I think a lot of politicians are scared of the power of this movement,” said a 22-year-old Norwegian protester who gave her name as Jenny.

Delegates from nearly 200 countries are in Glasgow to hammer out how to meet the Paris Agreement goals of limiting temperature rises to between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius.

At the halfway stage of the COP26 negotiations, some countries have upgraded their existing pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while there have been separate deals on phasing out coal, ending foreign fossil fuel funding, and slashing methane.

– Widespread demos –

The promises followed a pre-COP26 estimate from the UN that said national climate plans, when brought together, put Earth on course to warm 2.7C this century.

With just 1.1C of warming so far, communities across the world are already facing ever more intense fire and drought, displacement and economic ruin wrought by global heating.

And a major assessment last week showed global CO2 emissions were set to rebound in 2021 to pre-pandemic levels.

Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg said the summit had gone nowhere near far enough in a speech at Friday’s youth march in Glasgow, where she labelled the conference “a failure”.

In Australia on Saturday, protesters in Sydney and Melbourne — some dressed as lumps of coal or Prime Minister Scott Morrison, a vigorous defender of the mining industry — echoed that sentiment, calling the talks “a sham” and their national leader “an absolute embarrassment”.

“No more blah, blah blah. Real climate action now,” read one sign at a protest in Sydney.

South Korean capital Seoul saw roughly 500 take to the streets demanding immediate action for communities already hit by the fallout of a heating planet.

About 1,000 people gathered in London outside the Bank of England with placards reading “Less talk more action” and “No More COP outs”.

And protesters gathered outside Paris city hall carrying a giant banner that said: “Climate inaction = crimes against the living”.

Jill Bird, 66, who had travelled to Glasgow’s march from Bristol, was among a group of people dressed in white jumpsuits with “greenwash busters” backpacks.

She said she wanted to see rich nations live up to their pledge of providing $100 billion annually to vulnerable nations that “keeps being promised and promised and promised and doesn’t actually materialise”.  

– ‘Words not enough’ –

Security has been boosted in Glasgow and many city-centre shops closed for Saturday’s march, which had a party atmosphere replete with dance troupes, drummers, bagpipers and a singing Darth Vader.

“Thousands of us are marching right across the world today to demand immediate and serious action,” said Scottish activist Mikaela Loach. 

“We’re clear that warm words are not good enough — and that the next week of talks must see a serious ramping up of concrete plans.”

COP26 negotiations will continue on Saturday before pausing on Sunday ahead of what is shaping up to be a frantic week of shuttle diplomacy, as ministers arrive to push through hard-fought compromises.

Countries still need to flesh out how pledges made in the Paris deal work in practice, including rules governing carbon markets, common reporting timeframes and transparency. 

Dan Blumgart, 33, was at London’s protest holding a “Mars sucks, save Earth” placard. 

“Because I really like the planet we live on and I want it to be, you know, able to keep it okay to live on,” he said.

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