COP26: Nicola Sturgeon sings praises of UN climate chief for 'stark reality' warning
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) executive secretary told the formal opening of the UN climate summit in Glasgow on Sunday: “We stand at a pivotal point in history.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“We either choose to achieve rapid and large-scale reductions of emissions to keep the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C – or we accept that humanity faces a bleak future on this planet.”
Scotland’s First Minister tweeted her remarks, saying she “couldn’t agree more”.
She said Ms Espinosa was “setting out the stark reality for world leaders gathering in Glasgow for #Cop26 – act now with the urgency and ambition required to limit global warming to 1.5C, or accept a bleak future for life on our planet”.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe international climate change conference began formally on Sunday, with around 120 heads of state expected to attend the two-day summit of world leaders starting on Monday.
The First Minister met Malawian president Lazarus Chakwera and his foreign minister Eisenhower Mkaka at her formal residence Bute House in Edinburgh on Sunday.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdShe said it was a “pleasure” meet them, posting on Twitter they discussed “our friendship and shared priorities ahead of Cop26”.
Ms Sturgeon said Malawi has one of the closest and longest-standing bilateral relationships with Scotland.
Earlier, she met Vietnamese prime minister Pham Minh Chinh at Bute House to discuss the Cop26 programme, wind power and hydrogen.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdCommenting as world leaders arrived in Glasgow, the First Minister said: “Scotland is welcoming the world to what may be the most important international conference of this century.
“Once world leaders are all in the same room, they must seize the moment and agree the necessary steps to prevent catastrophic temperature rises – and when they leave Glasgow, they must return home carrying a message of hope for humanity’s future.
“Scotland may not be at the top table of these negotiations, but I and the Scottish Government will be doing absolutely everything we can to help make this conference a success.”
A message from the Editor:
Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.
If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.