COP26: The teenage cycling from Devon to Glasgow in bid to help the planet

  • Watch Richard Lawrence's report


A teenager has vowed to cycle from her home in Devon to Glasgow to get the attention of world leaders gathering for a climate conference.

Jessie Stevens, from Newton Abbot, is cycling from her home in Newton Abbot to Glasgow for COP26.

The 16-year-old has already set off on the 570-mile journey - which she will do entirely by bike.

Jessie was unable to afford the train fare and refused to fly - but now she is inviting members of the public to join her on her journey.

She has called her mission 'People Pedal Power' and hopes to attract many followers along the way.

Jessie is confident she will make it all the way to Glasgow.

She told ITV News: "I want to raise awareness for the lack of sustainable travel infrastructure in the UK and also the need for better decision making and collective action in regards to the climate crisis."

She has been training on Dartmoor and is hoping to have some fun on the way, as well as raising awareness.

"There'll be lots of hills, but hopefully not too many," she said.

"Hopefully we'll find lots of joy in riding together and meeting new people and learning from each other and bringing lots of diverse voices to the climate crisis and topics around it."

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.

Back to top

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.

Back to top