Call for action not words as Channel Islands leaders head to COP26 climate summit in Glasgow

PA Images - COP26 stage
Representatives from the Channel Islands say they are looking forward to actively participating in the process. Credit: PA Images

Climate change activists are calling for action, not words, as Channel Islands leaders head to the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow.

Topics on the agenda include recycling, sustainable transport and tackling de-forestation.

The conference aims to bring world leaders together to put the 2015 Paris climate agreement into action.

The UN Climate Change Conference will take place over the next two weeks in Glasgow. Credit: PA Images

Local climate change activists are urging politicians to use this global conference to implement change.

Climate change campaigners gathered in Jersey's Royal Square to call for tougher action ahead of the COP-26 climate summit. Credit: ITV Channel TV


Representatives from the Channel Islands say they are looking forward to actively participating in the process.



Credit: ITV Channel TV

Children in Jersey have been discussing what they can do to help look after the environment.

The summit is set to continue for the next two weeks.

The COP27 climate conference - what you need to know

What is COP27? When and where will it be?

Each year, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meets at what is called the Conference of the Parties (abbreviated as COP) to discuss the world's progress on climate change and how to tackle it.

COP27 is the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties summit which will be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from November 6-18.

Who is going?

Leaders of the 197 countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - a treaty that came into force in 1994 - are invited to the summit.

These are some of the world leaders that will be attending COP27:

  • UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is attending the conference, after initially saying he wouldn't as he was too busy focusing on the economy within his first weeks in office.

  • US President Joe Biden and his experienced climate envoy, John Kerry, will appear at the talks.

  • France President Emmanuel Macron will also be among the heads of state from around the world staying in Egypt.

King Charles III will not be attending COP27, despite being a staunch advocate for the environment. The decision was made jointly by Buckingham Palace and former prime minister Liz Truss.

Elsewhere, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will not attend the talks just as they decided to do for COP26.

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What is it hoping to achieve?

1. Ensure full implementation of the Paris Agreement and putting negotiations into concrete actions - included within this is the target of limiting global warming to well below 2C.

2. Cementing progress on the critical workstreams of mitigation, adaptation, finance and loss and damage, while stepping up finance notably to tackle the impacts of climate change.

3. Enhancing the delivery of the principles of transparency and accountability throughout the UN Climate Change process.

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