Thursday, September 30, 2021

 

COP26: world leaders gather in Glasgow, with Xi to deliver address in writing

  • British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expected to tell climate conference that ‘it’s one minute to midnight and we need to act now’
  • Chinese president has not left the country since the pandemic began and will be the only leader to address the summit in a written statement

President Xi Jinping’s address to world leaders at the G20 summit on Sunday is shown on a screen at a Beijing shopping centre. The meeting was a prelude to COP26 in Glasgow. Photo: Reuters
President Xi Jinping’s address to world leaders at the G20 summit on Sunday is shown on a screen at a Beijing shopping centre. The meeting was a prelude to COP26 in Glasgow. Photo: Reuters

World leaders are gathering in the Scottish city of Glasgow for a UN conference trying to find ways to avert the climate crisis, but a lack of trust among nations is expected to make the negotiations more challenging.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will welcome more than 120 leaders at Monday’s opening session and is expected to tell them that “humanity has long since run down the clock on climate change. It’s one minute to midnight and we need to act now”, according to partial remarks released by his office late on Sunday.

Among the leaders attending in person are US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from India.