The COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, UK, starting 31 October, has been billed as a 鈥�turning point for humanity鈥�, as the world wrestles to get climate change under control. Some big names will be in attendance at the two-week summit, and 快猫短视频 has put together a guide on who to look out for.
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Alok Sharma, COP26 president
The man tasked with shepherding an ambitious consensus from the 197 parties meeting at COP26. Dubbed 鈥渘o drama Sharma鈥� by some, he is more technocrat than radical environmentalist. 鈥淚鈥檓 a normal person, right, I鈥檓 not someone who鈥檚 some great climate warrior coming into this,鈥� he told 快猫短视频 recently.
He may not be flashy, but he is across the detail of the key issues at stake in Glasgow and acutely aware of potential sensitive topics, such as trust between richer and poorer countries. Sharma is respected and has built relationships with governments around the world by travelling to meet officials and heads of state, including Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India and a key player at the summit.
Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary at UN Climate Change
Before taking the reins five years ago at the UN agency charged with coordinating global action on climate change, Espinosa was a diplomat and the former foreign minister of Mexico. Her job is to work in tandem with Sharma to forge a strong outcome at COP26. Her style is to be circumspect but upbeat. 鈥淥ne thing we cannot do is give up,鈥� she told 快猫短视频 after a new analysis showed countries were wildly off track one of the Paris Agreement鈥檚 key temperature goals.
Greta Thunberg, climate activist
The Swedish climate campaigner hasn鈥檛 officially confirmed whether she will attend the summit, but whether she is there in person or tweeting her views remotely, her presence will be felt. She expects Glasgow to just be from leaders 鈥� words but no action 鈥� and for
She is calling on people in civil society, who will be present in force at COP26, to keep the pressure up. The summit鈥檚 outcome will almost certainly fall short of , as it won鈥檛 deliver promises of emissions cuts needed to avoid catastrophic warming.
John Kerry, US special presidential envoy for climate
US president Joe Biden鈥檚 right-hand man on climate, and a veteran of the summits that came before COP26, Kerry has forged a strong partnership with Sharma. He will be both a prominent public voice at the conference and an important player in private, urging other countries to reach a bold agreement.
As well as knowing the key personnel and issues inside out, he has a knack for personal, emotive measures, .
Xie Zhenhua, China鈥檚 chief climate negotiator
The famously tough top climate negotiator for the world鈥檚 biggest carbon emitter stepped down from his role , only to be .
Xie and Kerry are known to have a good relationship, which may help at a time when US-China relations are strained on trade, human rights and the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. The Chinese government that those other tensions risk the 鈥渙asis鈥� of climate cooperation becoming 鈥渄esertified鈥�.
Prince William, Prince Charles and David Attenborough
UK royalty and naturalist David Attenborough (pictured in bottom row of main image above), a friend of the royal family and COP26鈥檚 鈥減eople鈥檚 advocate鈥�, will bring some colour to the opening of the summit in Glasgow. Attenborough doesn鈥檛 just have a gift for rhetoric and delivery, but is also closely across the detail on climate change.
The Queen, who was originally planning to attend the conference, will not attend .
Simon Stiell, climate minister of Grenada
Climate change is 鈥渉ere with us now in Grenada鈥�, , who represents not just Grenada but works with a wider alliance of countries seeking a strong outcome at COP26, known as the High Ambition Coalition.
He has also spoken for the Alliance of Small Island States, a group of countries threatened by rising sea levels. Stiell was recently appointed by Sharma to hold consultations on how the Glasgow summit keeps the Paris Agreement鈥檚 1.5掳C climate target 鈥渨ithin reach鈥� 鈥� in other words, how to make the outcome ambitious.
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