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Agence France-Presse

Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg on Friday branded the UN climate summit in Glasgow a “failure” during a mass protest in the Scottish city demanding quicker action from leaders to address the emergency.
Thunberg said that pledges from some nations made during COP26 to accelerate their emissions cuts amounted to little more than “a two-week long celebration of business as usual and ‘blah, blah, blah’.”
“It is not a secret that COP26 is a failure,” she told the thousands of people gathered at the protest.
“This is no longer a climate conference. This is now a global greenwashing festival.”

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.
The first week of talks saw countries announce plans to phase out coal use and to end foreign fossil fuel funding, but there were few details on how they plan the mass decarbonisation scientists say is needed.
The promises followed a major assessment that showed global carbon dioxide emissions are set to rebound in 2021 to pre-pandemic levels.
“They cannot ignore the scientific consensus and they cannot ignore us,” Thunberg said. “Our leaders are not leading. This is what leadership looks like,” she said gesturing to the crowd.
When Greta Thunberg slams ‘greenwashing’ at COP26, what does she mean?
Two days of demonstrations are planned by activist groups to highlight the disconnect between the glacial pace of emissions reductions and the climate emergency already swamping countries across the world.
Onlookers to Friday’s march lined the streets and hung out of windows to watch the stream of protesters, who held banners reading “No Planet B” and “Climate Action Now”.
“I’m here because the world leaders are deciding the fate of our future and the present of people that have already been impacted by climate crisis,” said 18-year-old Valentina Ruas. “We won’t accept anything that isn’t real climate policy centred on climate justice.”
Students were out in force, with some schools allowing pupils to skip lessons to see the march and one young green warrior holding a placard that read: “Climate change is worse than homework.”


Experts say a commitment made during the high-level leaders’ summit at the start of COP26 by more than 100 nations to cut methane emissions by at least 30 per cent this decade will have a real short-term impact on global heating.
But environmental groups pointed out that governments, particularly wealthy polluters, have a habit of failing to live up to their climate promises.
“I expect this protest to remind world leaders and negotiators and politicians that young people are watching them,” said Brianna Fruean, 23, from Western Samoa.
Countries came into COP26 with national climate plans that, when brought together, put Earth on course to warm 2.7 degrees this century, according to the UN.
Why China won’t commit to COP26 pledge to slash methane emissions
With just 1.1 degrees of warming so far, communities across the world are already facing ever more intense fire and drought, displacement and economic ruin wrought by the Earth’s heating climate.
“Scientists have done what they need to do, they’ve told us about the problem. Young people have done what they need to do by calling attention to this issue,” said Natalie Tariro Chido Mangondo, a Zimbabwean climate and gender advocate.
“And it’s just up to our leaders to get their act together.”
Campaigners say they expect up to 50,000 demonstrators in the Scottish city on Saturday as part of a global round of climate protests.


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COP26

Greta Thunberg calls COP26 a ‘failure’ as youth demand action

Climate activist Greta Thunberg speaks at a Fridays for Future march in Glasgow on Friday. Photo: Reuters

People watch as Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg goes on the stage at the end of a demonstration in Glasgow, Scotland, Friday, Nov. 5, 2021 which is the host city of the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit. The protest was taking place as leaders and activists from around the world were gathering in Scotland's biggest city for the U.N. climate summit, to lay out their vision for addressing the common challenge of global warming. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

COP26: 77 countries pledge to end coal use as carbon emissions rebound to pre-pandemic levels

Steam comes out of the chimneys of a coal-fired power station in Niederaussem, Germany. Photo: AP

Environmental activists dressed as Pokemon character Pikachu call in Glasgow, Scotland, on Nov. 4, 2021, for Japan to stop using coal for power generation, as the 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference of the Parties, known as COP26, is under way. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Steam rises from cooling towers at a power plant in Beijing, China. Photo: EPA-EFE

COP26: is carbon pricing the climate change silver bullet world leaders would like you to believe?

The coal-fired power station Neurath, of German energy giant RWE, in Garzweiler, western Germany. Photo: AFP

A climate march in Brussels, Belgium, ahead of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. Photo: Reuters

An Exxon petrol station in Woodbridge, Virginia. Photo: AFP

COP26: ADB plan to phase out coal plants is ‘blah, blah, blah’, warn climate change activists as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth write open letter

A coal-fired power plant owned by Indonesia Power in Suralaya, Banten province. Photo: Reuters

epa05306938 Indonesian Greenpeace activists hang large-scale banners from grab ship unloaders as they block the loading of coal at a power plant in Cirebon, Indonesia, 15 May 2016. The protest is part of a global wave of escalated actions running from 04 to 15 May called 'Break Free,' which demands governments to keep coal, oil and gas in the ground. Indonesia is the world's second biggest exporter of coal. EPA/ADI WEDA

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The Swedish activist says some pledges made at the UN climate summit were little more than a ‘celebration of business as usual’
Two days of protests are planned to highlight the disconnect between the urgency of the climate crisis and the glacial pace of emissions reductions



The Swedish activist says some pledges made at the UN climate summit were little more than a ‘celebration of business as usual’.


Climate change

Climate change diplomacy

Greta Thunberg calls COP26 a ‘failure’ as youth demand action

The Swedish activist says some pledges made at the UN climate summit were little more than a ‘celebration of business as usual’ Two days of protests are planned to highlight the disconnect between the urgency of the climate crisis and the glacial pace of emissions reductions

The Swedish activist says some pledges made at the UN climate summit were little more than a ‘celebration of business as usual’

Two days of protests are planned to highlight the disconnect between the urgency of the climate crisis and the glacial pace of emissions reductions