Joe Biden comes under fire after travelling in motorcade of more than 20 vehicles to climate summit

Joe Biden touched down in Edinburgh and immediately came under fire after he travelled to the COP26 climate change summit in a motorcade of more than 20 vehicles.

President Joe Biden arrives at Edinburgh Airport to attend the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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The US President touched down in Edinburgh, where he is understood to be staying during the two-week conference, after making the trip from Rome in Air Force One on Monday morning.

His motorcade of at least 16 cars plus motorbike escorts was then seen travelling west along the M8 to Glasgow, where the summit is being held.

But his choice of transport has left many questioning how many carbon emissions are being released as a result of world leaders and campaigners meeting in Scotland.

Speaking on the increased carbon emissions associated with the climate summit on Monday morning, Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "I think it’s recognised that we make more progress at these events if leaders can come together and look each other in the eye than would be the case if everybody was online.

"But when you get world leaders, particularly those who need very high security for understandable reasons then there’s a lot of carbon emissions associated with that.

"So what I would say is that all of the travel required to get here, further increases the pressure on the shoulders of world leaders to make sure it’s worth it.”

It comes after reports that he used an 85-car motorcade while travelling to the Vatican City in Rome before flying to Scotland.

As well as President Biden, European leaders and India's Narendra Modi have travelled to Glasgow for the talks, although the heads of key major economies including China's Xi Jinping and Russian president Vladimir Putin will not be there.

The conference in Glasgow is seen as the moment when countries must deliver on pledges made in the accord agreed in Paris six years ago, to limit temperature rises to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to curb warming to 1.5C.

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