Speaking just now at the conference, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes five major commitments - "elixirs", as he calls them - from his country.

The blockbuster of the five is a vow to achieve the target of net zero emissions by 2070.

India had previously failed to announce a net zero target like other major polluters.

The fact that it has now done so is notable. But many will see the date of 2070 as a major disappointment because one of the key goals of this summit is for all countries to commit to net zero by 2050. China has committed to net zero by 2060.

China is the world's largest emitter - and India is the fourth largest.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now speaking at the conference.

He says India has "spared no efforts in fulfilling its duty" to combating climate change.

India is the world's fourth biggest emitter of carbon dioxide after China, the US and the EU.

In 2019 India was responsible for 2,597 megatonnes of CO2. But with India having a huge population, its rate of emissions per capita is significantly lower than other economies near the top of that list.

India emitted 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per head of population in 2019 - by contrast the figures for the US and Russia were 15.5 and 12.5 tonnes respectively.

China’s Xi walks climate tightropepublished at 16:39 Greenwich Mean Time 1 November 2021

16:39 GMT 1 November 2021

John Sudworth
China Correspondent, Beijing

Image source, Reuters

President Xi Jinping isn’t in Glasgow.

Of course, there’s no scrutiny in the Communist Party-controlled media of his decision not to attend, no critical editorials, and no public debate.

In contrast to the West, where much of the slow progress towards reducing carbon emissions has been driven by political activism, in China - like all things - how much action to take on climate change is not something for the people, but for the country’s leaders to decide.

Wannabe Greta Thunbergs, external are suppressed, not celebrated.

The Communist Party is, however, not deaf to concerns on climate. It shifted polluting industries away from Beijing and other cities after mass anger over the toxic, soup-thick air had begun to look like a potential threat to its hold on power.

It knows that rising sea levels threaten its coastal megacities and extreme weather could undermine its food security. It’s investing heavily in renewables.

Image source, Reuters

On the other hand, the party is hostage to deep, vested interests and nervous about the job losses and social instability that would come with an end to its addiction to coal. Plans for 43 new coal-fired power stations were announced in the first half of this year alone.

All the while, Xi has sought to position himself as a global leader on the environment.

But recently, those hoping he might be ready to agree to much tougher targets were brought back down to earth. In September, his Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, made it clear to US Climate Envoy John Kerry that co-operation on carbon emissions was dependent on whether the US stopped pressuring China on issues like Xinjiang and Hong Kong, external.

In the end, Xi’s legacy has always been more about one party than one planet.

While she may not be speaking to the COP26 conference itself, Greta Thunberg is in Glasgow.

Earlier today, as world leaders stood up and talked about their climate pledges, the 18-year-old was protesting in the city's Govan Festival Park.

Speaking to the crowd she said politicians were not taking the climate crisis seriously enough.

She went on to lead chants of "What do we want? Climate justice. When do we want it? Now!" as well as declaring "No more blah, blah, blah!"

Reality Check

In a BBC interview, the UK's prime minister was repeatedly pressed about a controversial proposed coal mine in Cumbria.

"I'm not in favour of more coal," he said eventually. "But it is not a decision for me, it is a decision for the planning authorities."

So, who makes that decision?

A four-week long public inquiry into the project concluded a month ago.

An independent planning inspector will prepare a report and recommendation for the government to consider. This is expected in the coming months.

A government minister will then decide whether to grant or deny planning permission.

But, given the current sensitivity over coal mines, it would be hard to imagine a situation where this decision would be made without the prime minister being on board.

You can read more about the Cumbria coal mine and why it is controversial here.

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau uses the example of a deadly wildfire in his country to illustrate the challenges the world is facing.

"In Canada there was a town called Lytton," he says. "I say was because on 30 June it burned to the ground. The day before the temperature had hit 49.6C, the hottest ever recorded in our country.

"Canada is warming on average twice as quickly as the rest of the world and in our north, it's three times quicker. The science is clear - we must do more and faster."

He says Canadians have shown support for action on climate change, such as pollution pricing, in the country's past two elections, and calls on other countries to do the same.

"Just as globally we've agreed to a minimum corporate tax, we must work together to ensure it is no longer free to pollute anywhere in the world."

But Trudeau adds: "What's even better than pricing emissions is ensuring they don't happen in the first place."

He ends: "What happened in Lytton can, and has, and will, happen anywhere. How many more signs do we need? This is our time to step up and step up together."

Image source, Getty Images

Climate is the average weather in a place over many years. Climate change is a shift in those average conditions.

The rapid climate change we are now seeing is caused by humans using oil, gas and coal for their homes, factories and transport.

When these fossil fuels burn, they release greenhouse gases - mostly carbon dioxide (CO2). These gases trap the Sun's heat and cause the planet's temperature to rise.

The world is now about 1.2C warmer than it was in the 19th Century - and the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has risen by 50%.

Temperature rises must slow down if we want to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, scientists say. They say global warming needs to be kept to 1.5C by 2100.

If nothing is done, scientists think global warming could exceed 4C, leading to devastating heatwaves, millions losing their homes to rising sea levels and irreversible loss of plant and animal species.

Read more here.

Image source, PA Media

Environmental charity Greenpeace said on Sunday it was ready to defy Glasgow port authorities to sail its protest ship the Rainbow Warrior up the Clyde to the COP26 summit.

The charity said it was important that global climate campaigners from hard-hit nations on board were able to attend and be heard.

But now Greenpeace say they have official permission, with Police Scotland - who are in charge of security at the COP26 site - giving the voyage the green light.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

In case you missed it earlier, here is a clip from Sir David Attenborough's powerful and passionate speech to world leaders.

Set to the backdrop of images showing the impact of climate change the 95-year-old naturalist told the conference: "The world is looking to you."

He received a rapturous ovation from many of those in the room.

Matt McGrath
Environment correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

President Biden’s speech was short on details but he outlined a couple of things of note.

Biden said he was releasing the US long-term climate strategy: a vision of achieving net zero by 2050.

He also announced the first ever US contribution to the Adaptation Fund, designed to help developing countries cope with the impacts of climate change. No dollar amount was given.

"This is the challenge of our lifetimes," the US president said.

And as our North America editor Jon Sopel has noted, legislation Biden referenced in his speech has yet to pass the US Congress.

Matt McGrath has been covering climate change for the past 15 years, reporting from 10 COPs along the way.

As has been alluded to by Boris Johnson, Prince Charles and others, it is the children of today and those born in the future who will see the impact of decisions made (or not made) at COP26.

In this video, children from around the world share their messages for world leaders.

In an earlier post we told you of the address by a 24-year-old indigenous climate activist from the Brazilian Amazon.

Her name is Txai Surui and this is what she told the delegates in her moving speech.

This is a decisive decade in which we have an opportunity to prove ourselves, US President Joe Biden says in his address.

Climate change is not hypothetical but is destroying people's lives and doing so every day, he says.

The president says the US has experienced the problems brought by climate change in recent years and "none of us can escape the worst of what's yet to come if we fail to seize this moment".

He says we can create an environment that "raises the standard of living around the world" and says it is a moral and economic imperative to do so.

US President Joe Biden is now speaking - he says COP26 in Glasgow should be the "kick off" of a decade of ambition in terms of tackling climate change.

He points towards natural disasters across the US and other regions of the world in the past year.

"None of us can escape the worst that is yet to come if we fail to seize this moment," he says.

He has a big job on his hands. Only China emits more carbon dioxide than the US. Data for 2019 shows the US emitted 5,107 megatonnes of CO2 - 15.5 tonnes per head of population.

And no country in the world has been responsible for more emissions than the United States over the course of history. Statistics gathered by Our World in Data show that since 1750 the US has emitted 410.2bn tonnes of CO2. That's almost twice as much as China, which comes second.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is delivering a statement on her country's climate change efforts.

She says we can ensure that our industries and businesses can develop the best technologies and ways to achieve climate neutrality.

Merkel, who will soon step down as chancellor, says there must be a price on CO2 emissions.

Taken together, the EU is the third largest emitter of CO2 in the world - behind only China and the US - and Germany emits the most individually of all the 27 EU nations.

And, according to Our World in Data, only three countries have emitted more CO2 than Germany in history - the US, China and Russia.

Helen Briggs
Environment Correspondent in Glasgow

The familiar mantra of "coal, cars, cash and trees" got a mention in Boris Johnson's speech to world leaders earlier, but it was the words aimed at young climate activists that stood out.

The UK prime minister said the average age of the conclave of leaders in the room was over 60, and acknowledged that the younger generation would be their harshest critics.

“They will judge us with a bitterness and resentment that eclipses that of any of the climate activists today. And they will be right,” he said.

Meanwhile, young activists are gathering in central Glasgow to demand action from leaders at the summit.

Image source, PA Media

As the world warms, the UK is likely to have hotter, drier summers and warmer, wetter winters, according to the Met Office.

Extreme weather events such as heatwaves and heavy downpours could become more frequent and more intense.

To some, warming weather may not seem like such a big deal but even the smallest incremental changes in climate can have far-reaching effects.

Temperatures above 30C for two or more days can trigger a public health warning. Fluctuations in weather can also have a huge impact on agriculture and the food that it produces.

To find out how high temperatures might climb in your area, or how much rain could fall, enter your postcode into our dedicated tool, which we've developed with the Met Office.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a former journalist, is known for his colourful language and jokey references, often citing the mayor in the film Jaws as his hero.

For this summit, he turned to the James Bond movies for inspiration, comparing the delegates to 007 strapped to a "doomsday device" counting down to end human life as we know it.

But he said the tragedy is this is not a movie, and the doomsday device of climate change through carbon emissions is real.

"Humanity has long since run down the clock on climate change. It's one minute to midnight on that doomsday clock and we need to act now," he said.

We heard earlier from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson - but with COP26 being held in Glasgow, Scotland's first minister has also been meeting guests and delegates.

Nicola Sturgeon caught up with Greta Thunberg - saying the voices of young people "must be heard loudly and clearly".

She also chatted to activist Vanessa Nakate in the conference Blue Zone about climate issues.

Swedish campaigner Thunberg has previously been critical of the Scottish government's climate policy, saying that the country was "not a leader on climate change" as Sturgeon had previously stated.

We know that human activity has had an impact on our planet's climate.

Our industrial development - burning fossil fuels which expel gases like carbon dioxide - has led to global average temperature increasing because of a phenomenon known as the greenhouse effect.

Scientists tell us that keeping the rise below 1.5C - compared with pre-industrial times - will avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change but we're already at least 1.1C warmer so radical action is needed.

In 2015, world leaders agreed in Paris to keep global temperatures "well below" 2C above pre-industrial times and "pursuing efforts" to limit them even more, to 1.5C.

But we are way off track from achieving that. On current plans, the world is expected to breach the 1.5C ceiling within decades and to hit 2.7C-3C of warming by the end of the century.

Scientists say there simply isn’t time for inaction if 1.5C is to be achieved, while some believe we’ve already left it too late.