COP26 live updates: Tens of thousands expected at climate justice march

A afloat hr earlier the biggest protestation of COP26 was slated to start, hundreds of radical were already gathered successful Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Park — unfurling banners, handing retired signs, practicing chants successful respective languages.

“Our climate! Not their profit!” was the telephone from a radical advocating the “International Socialist Alternative.”

“Hey hey, ho ho, fossil fuels person got to go!” shouted different radical of teens.

“What bash we want? Climate justice! When bash we privation it? Now!”

In the background, a bagpipe wailed.

It was mediocre protestation weather: cold, with a characteristically British drizzle and upwind that whipped umbrellas wrong out.

But Beverly Longid, 51, who had flown 16 hours from the lukewarm Philippines for the conference, was unbothered by the damp and gray.

“I deliberation rainfall oregon shine, acold oregon hot, we person to spell retired successful the streets,” she said.

Longid is simply a subordinate of the Indigenous Igorot community. She said she has seen clime alteration change cultivation cycles, displacement the migration patterns of birds, and deplete her community’s earthy springs. Her beingness successful Glasgow, she said, “is astir defence of land. It’s astir defending ways of life.”

But she has been disappointed by the constricted fig of civilian nine observers allowed astatine negotiations — thing COP organizers accidental is simply a indispensable covid precaution. And she is frustrated by the deficiency of advancement connected issues affecting hard-hit Indigenous communities similar hers, specified arsenic compensation for nonaccomplishment and harm from clime impacts.

“This is what? COP26? And we are inactive negotiating basal things,” she said.

That is what makes demonstrations similar this 1 truthful important, she said. “We bash COP, we negociate with states. But the bigger powerfulness relies connected radical protesting.”

COP26 is present astatine its halfway point, with the planetary clime acme moving into its 2nd week. And, arsenic with astir days of the conference, Saturday comes with a theme: nature.

“Nature is successful a authorities of collapse, and subject shows that we look a surging clime situation and an unprecedented biodiversity crisis,” said Leah Gerber, manager of the Center for Biodiversity Outcomes astatine Arizona State University. She points to a 2019 United Nations study that recovered that 1 cardinal taxon are threatened with extinction.

In the COP26 context, though, quality has a somewhat much constrictive meaning. “The quality time astatine COP is truly focusing specifically connected forest, onshore usage change, agriculture,” said Morgan Gillespy, manager of the Food and Land Use Coalition astatine World Resources Institute. “There are immoderate truly large challenges.”

“We request investments successful situation restoration, clime adaptation, situation connectivity programs and wildlife extortion laws,” Gerber said. “COP tin assistance pb the mode by providing absorption connected this solution.”

Police Scotland is expecting 50,000 people astatine Saturday’s protests.

“We volition beryllium determination to support the information of the nationalist and participants and to support the rights of radical who privation to peacefully protestation oregon to counter-protest,” Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie said successful a statement. “These rights are ever balanced against the rights of the wider community.”

Friday’s pupil protests were peaceful and household friendly, with dogs tagging on and kids holding crayoned signs. Ritchie said constabulary “enjoyed engaging with young people” and were mostly capable to enactment successful the background.

For the full archetypal week of the summit, helium said, “there person been less than 20 arrests made, astir for upset benignant offenses.”

But Saturday’s protests could beryllium different. Not lone are much radical expected, raising imaginable issues astir assemblage control, but immoderate of the groups progressive are known for provocative demonstrations. Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion, successful particular. A mates Extinction Rebellion protesters were arrested connected Wednesday for spraying constabulary officers with paint. Activist radical Stay Grounded is besides readying disruptions astatine British airports connected Saturday.

For the objection successful Glasgow, Richie urged: “If you’re going to a march, delight enactment responsibly, beryllium respectful successful your actions.”

Young radical took to the streets extracurricular the planetary clime acme connected Friday to dependable their impatience with satellite leaders. We asked these kids however they defined clime change. Here’s what they said.

Masses of young radical took to the streets extracurricular the planetary clime acme connected Friday to dependable their impatience, vexation and adjacent disdain for the older procreation of leaders and emitters who acceptable the satellite connected a trajectory of catastrophic warming — and don’t person the courageousness to prevention the satellite now.

Swedish teen activistic Greta Thunberg led the charge, successful a “Fridays for Future” pupil objection of young adults and children who came retired with their parents. There was a family-friendly atmosphere, with pets on for the march and protestation signs lettered successful crayons. Organizers said 25,000 radical attended.

The time presented a almighty world check: Kids, representing the future, were connected the march, portion the aged defender — including erstwhile vice president Al Gore, 73, and U.S. clime envoy John F. Kerry, 77 — were wrong the hallway with negotiators, expressing guarded optimism that much advancement was being made than thought imaginable conscionable a fewer weeks ago.

In opposition to the hopeful attitudes expressed by planetary leaders that advancement was being made, Thunberg had nary benignant words for COP26, decrying it arsenic “a planetary northbound greenwash festival.”

“It is not a concealed that COP26 is simply a failure,” Thunberg told the assemblage astatine George Square. “It should beryllium evident that we cannot lick a situation with the aforesaid methods that got america into it successful the archetypal place.”