Summary

  • On day six of the climate summit, the focus turned to youth and public engagement

  • Climate activists Greta Thunberg and Vanessa Nakate spoke to protesters, after marching through the streets of Glasgow

  • Thunberg described COP26 as a "failure" and a "PR exercise", full of more "blah blah blah", while Nakate urged young people to "hold leaders to account"

  • We were joined for Friday's live coverage by special guests, BBC Young Reporters Maisie, Nel and Donald

  • They helped us hear directly from young people affected by climate change around the world, as well as youth activists and campaigners

  • COP26's overall goal is to keep the world on track for 1.5C of warming, which scientists say will help us avoid the worst impacts

  1. That's all from us...published at 17:27 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2021

    Greta ThunbergImage source, PA Media

    It's been another busy day in Glasgow, with the sixth day of COP26 coming to a close. Here's a recap of what happened today:

    • Thousands of climate activists marched through Glasgow. The event was organised by Fridays for Future Scotland, a group founded by young people inspired by the activism of Greta Thunberg
    • The Swedish teenager addressed the crowd, calling COP26 a "failure" and a "PR exercise", saying: "We are tired of [leaders'] blah, blah, blah"
    • Ugandan activist Vanessa Nakate also spoke to protesters, saying her country is witnessing the impacts of the climate crisis first hand. "People are dying, children are dropping out of school, people's farms are being destroyed," she says
    • But US climate envoy John Kerry says "genuine progress" is being made at COP26
    • And earlier, UK Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi set out a series of measures aimed at further embedding climate change in the English schools curriculum

    We're pausing our live coverage now, but we'll be back tomorrow morning. Until then...

  2. What's happening tomorrow?published at 17:20 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2021

    Saturday's COP26 theme will be nature - underlying the importance of the natural world and sustainable land use.

    As the first week of the conference comes to an end, millions of people around the world are expected to take part in a Global Day of Action for Climate Justice.

    About 200 demonstrations are expected around the world - including another march in Glasgow and another event in London leaving from the Bank of England and onto a rally in Trafalgar Square.

    In Glasgow, climate actvist Greta Thunberg is also expected to give another speech.

    Read more: Who is Greta Thunberg and what are her aims?

  3. Analysis

    How do things stand after week one?published at 17:14 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2021

    David Shukman
    Science editor, BBC News

    Maybe it’s because the conference crowds have thinned and the security queues are shorter but the mood does seem a fraction brighter at the end of this first week.

    Perhaps the flurry of promises on everything from methane to coal and forests to finance shows momentum is possible.

    Or it’s India, a giant of the developing world that’s long resisted climate targets, signalling that it’s coming on board.

    But it’s wise to be cautious. Promises are not the same as delivery. And US envoy John Kerry is emphatic that we’re still at the stage of “job not done”.

    The pledges made so far should lead to a less scary rise in the projected temperature.

    But that depends on them being implemented - and given the low levels of trust, will everyone do what they say they will?

    There’s another week of hard negotiating to go.

  4. 'What people power looks like'published at 17:07 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2021

    After concluding her speech following today's march in Glasgow, climate activist Greta Thunberg tweets...

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  5. World at political tipping point in climate crisis - Gorepublished at 17:00 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2021

    Al Gore speaks at a news conference during the COP26 summit in GlasgowImage source, Reuters

    Former US vice president Al Gore has just finished giving a speech at the global legislators summit at the Scottish parliament.

    He told delegates the world is at a "long-awaited political tipping point" in the fight against climate change.

    Gore, who served two terms as vice president under Bill Clinton, said "impressive" pledges for action have been made in Glasgow.

    But he warned the climate crisis is getting worse "faster than we are yet implementing solutions", insisting that more political will is needed to tackle the problem.

    He added it is crucial more countries and organisations are held to account on net-zero pledges.

    With increasingly strong voices demanding governments do more, the job of legislators is to "translate the popular will into effective solutions for the climate crisis", he said.

    Quote Message

    We must put the period of delay and distraction and expedience in the past, recognise that we have entered a period of consequences and make it a period of solutions."

  6. Delhi and Beijing among cities shrouded in smogpublished at 16:45 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2021

    Reality Check

    While politicians at COP26 discuss saving the planet, many cities around the world have been suffering particularly badly from air pollution in the last few days.

    India's capital, Delhi, has seen peak pollution levels following the festival of Diwali, during which the use of millions of fireworks fills the air with harmful particles.

    In addition to the fireworks, the industrial use of coal and the burning of crop stubble across the region has contributed to extreme concentrations of small and harmful particles known as PM2.5.

    Fog shrouding a major highway to GhaziabadImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Smog envelopes a highway in the Delhi area

    Delhi, as well as the Chinese capital, Beijing, currently top the rankings for the cities with the worst air quality, according to the IQAir index, which monitors air pollution in real time., external

    In Beijing. PM2.5 levels are 17 times higher than WHO guidelines, and the elderly, children and the sick are being advised to stay inside.

    Beijing’s air pollution is mainly caused by the burning of coal to produce electricity.

    As the world’s biggest consumer and producer of coal, the country is heavily reliant on it, although President Xi Jinping has promised to “phase down” coal use from 2026.

    Bar chart showing worst three cities for air pollution

    Another country facing serious air pollution is Kyrgyzstan, whose capital Bishkek is sometimes enveloped in hazardous smog in winter.

    Officials have blamed pollution in the capital on the use of coal by nearby power plants.

    At the COP26 summit, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov pledged to achieve a “carbon-free green development platform” by 2050, moving away from coal to hydropower.

  7. 'Young people can make our leaders accountable'published at 16:35 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2021

    Ineza Umuhoza Grace

    Earlier, we heard from Ineza Umuhoza Grace, a Rwandan advocate who has been at COP26 this week. She told BBC Young Reporters Maisie and Nel about how she decided to fight for communities affected by climate change in her country.

    This is her message to other young people:

    Quote Message

    Don’t be afraid to show your colours in terms of achieving climate justice because everyone, everywhere has a voice - and everyone, everywhere has an ability to believe in change.

    Quote Message

    We should be messengers to our elders, and tell them that we all have one planet... we are all interconnected. We can only survive if we work together.

    Quote Message

    Young people can make our leaders accountable.

  8. We are in a disaster that is happening every day - Nakatepublished at 16:25 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2021

    Vanessa NakateImage source, Reuters

    We've also heard Ugandan activist Vanessa Nakate address the thousands of climate protestors gathered in Glasgow’s George Square.

    The 24-year-old from Kampala, inspired by Greta Thunberg, began her own strike in January 2019 in front of the Ugandan parliament building.

    She says her country is witnessing the impacts of the climate crisis first hand. "People are dying, children are dropping out of school, people’s farms are being destroyed," she says.

    "We are in a crisis, we are in a disaster that is happening every day."

    Africa is suffering the worst impacts of climate change, Vanessa says, even though historically the continent is only responsible for 3% of global emissions.

    She ends on an upbeat note with a vision of what the future could be like - "the farms can blossom again...the pain and suffering is gone," - but urges the crowd to "continue to hold leaders to account".

  9. We don't need any more empty promises - Thunbergpublished at 16:20 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2021

    Greta ThunbergImage source, PA Media

    "We don't need any more empty promises," the teenage campaigner says to cheers from the crowd.

    Greta says they do not want "commitments that are full of loopholes" and ones that "ignore historical emissions and climate justice".

    "And that's all we are getting."

    Leaders "cannot ignore the scientific consensus" the people, or their own children, she says.

    "We are tired of their blah, blah, blah. Our leaders are not leading."

    Before concluding her speech, Greta thanks everyone for attending the march, and says she hopes to see them at tomorrow's march too.

    Quote Message

    They have had 26 COPs, they have had decades of blah, blah, blah - and where has that got us?

  10. COP26 is a two-week celebration of blah, blah, blah - Thunbergpublished at 16:15 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2021

    Greta ThunbergImage source, Reuters

    "The leaders are doing nothing," Greta tells the crowd.

    "It seems like their main goal is to continue to fight for the status quo."

    She goes on to say COP26 has been named "the most exclusionary COP ever". She calls it a "global greenwash festival", a "failure" and a "PR exercise".

    "A two-week long celebration of business as usual and blah, blah, blah," she says, repeating a phrase heard in a previous speech.

    She says the people in the most affected areas "still remain unheard".

  11. Greta Thunberg takes the stage at protestpublished at 16:10 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2021
    Breaking

    Greta ThunbergImage source, Reuters

    It's now time for the speaker the crowd have been waiting for - as campaigner Greta Thunberg takes to the stage in Glasgow.

    The Swedish teenager begins by saying COP26 "is a failure".

    "We cannot solve a crisis with the same methods that got us into this in the first place," she says.

    "What will it take for the people in power to wake up?"

  12. In pictures: Speeches and crowds at protestpublished at 16:08 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2021

    Indigenous people chant as they attend the Fridays for Future marchImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    The protest in Glasgow has been hearing from activists from around the world

    Climate protestors in George Square
    Image caption,

    The city's George Square is packed with climate activists

    Demonstrators in George SquareImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Activists of all ages are at the protest

    ProtestImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Penty of handmade placards can be spotted in the crowd

    Climate protesters in George Square dressed in masks of world leaders
    Image caption,

    Some protesters were dressed in masks of world leaders

    Climate protestors in George Square
    Image caption,

    Thousands of people are in the crowd

  13. Is it Greta time yet?published at 15:59 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2021

    Paul O'Hare
    BBC Scotland News

    Climate activist attend a rally at George Square

    The moment many in this large crowd in George Square have been waiting for is not far away now...it's almost time for Greta Thunberg to address this Fridays for Future rally.

    Before it got under way it was clear the 18-year-old Swedish climate campaigner was the star attraction.

    In a bid to warm up the Glasgow crowd, the MC shouted: “What do we want?” They replied: “Greta!”

    The MC joked: “You're supposed to say 'climate justice'.”

    Greta Thunberg waits in a group near the main stage in George Square
    Image caption,

    Greta Thunberg (blue hat) waits in a group near the main stage in George Square

  14. 'I’m the type of person that doesn’t like to give up'published at 15:53 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2021

    Nel Richards
    BBC Young Reporter

    Speaking with activist Ineza Umuhoza Grace was a pleasure. The true facts and impacts of climate change on her family in Rwanda were very clear and she taught me that we need to fight this crisis together. Her courage was inspirational and she is a true advocate for young people.

    I asked her: If you ever feel disheartened by the challenge ahead, what are your tips for staying positive and motivated?

    Quote Message

    “I like to challenge my personality first, I’m the type of person that doesn’t like to give up, I like to focus on what I can do.

    Quote Message

    I’m too positive for negativity but sometimes I need to be realistic and not to be scared to share my voice.

  15. Introducing Rwandan activist Ineza Umuhoza Gracepublished at 15:48 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2021

    Ineza Umuhoza Grace
    Image caption,

    Ineza is an inspirational campaigner but a bad selfie taker...

    Ineza Umuhoza Grace, 25, is a environmental advocate from Rwanda who has been at COP26 events this week campaigning for greater financial support for communities already experiencing damage because of climate change.

    She's been speaking to BBC Young Reporters Maisie Goodwin and Nel Richards in between a packed schedule at the conference centre. They started by asking what affects of climate change she had personally experienced:

    Quote Message

    I was exposed to climate change from a very young age - five or six - because I have the memory of floods in my house and my bedroom was like a lake.

    Quote Message

    When I finished my secondary school classes, I wanted to study to become a pilot or a mechanical engineer because I was good in science. Then when I watched the news, I had the information that in one particular area in my country, a rural area, women and children were being forced to move because of erosion and flooding. When I saw the news, it reminded me of how hopeless I felt. Then I wanted to study environmental engineering because I wanted to learn how to contribute to my community.

    Quote Message

    In 2020 our country lost 4,000 hectares of crops, due to flooding and intense rainfall. This especially affects women and children - when they are forced to move their crop fields this is very problematic. We also see a lot of damage to schools and homes.”

    Next up, Mail and Nel asked her about how she stays motivated and positive.

  16. What's your diet's carbon footprint?published at 15:40 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2021

    While COP26 is focsued on how governments can avoid the worst impacts of climate change, there are many ways in which we as individuals can do our bit for the planet.

    One of the ways we can reduce our carbon footprint is through what we eat.

    Switching to a plant-based diet can help fight climate change, according to a major report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which says the West's high consumption of meat and dairy is fuelling global warming.

    If you’re eating beef three to five times a week, over an entire year your consumption is contributing 1,611kg to your annual greenhouse gas emissions. That's the equivalent of driving a regular petrol car 4,112 miles (6,618km), or taking five return flights from London to Malaga.

    Graphic showing the carbon footprint of lots of food - including meats, chocolate and dairy. With Beef by far being the most harmful
  17. 'There are very few young people in decision making roles'published at 15:34 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2021

    James Miller

    Hello – it’s Nel Richards and Maisie Goodwin here, two of the BBC’s Young Reporters.

    We’ve been speaking to James Miller, who is attending COP26 today as a delegate with Unicef.

    “Young people have contributed least to the climate crisis but they are the ones who will be most impacted by it,” he tells us.

    “More than half of the world's children are at extreme risk of climate related impacts - that's over a billion children.“

    The 19-year-old is calling for young people’s voices to be represented more in negotiations.

    He says he is pleased to see so many young people at COP today but they should be handed more power.

    “There are a very few young people that are in those decision making roles, there are a few delegates representing countries who are under the UN’s definition of ‘young’.”

  18. Why are there brightly-coloured face masks at COP?published at 15:27 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2021

    Helen Briggs
    BBC Environment Correspondent in Glasgow

    A woman wears a yellow face mask at COP26 looks at her phoneImage source, IISD

    Inside COP's inner Blue Zone, face masks are everywhere.

    Most wear regular white ones, but brightly-coloured masks are popping up around the conference centre - in shades of yellow, orange and green.

    Why? They’re being worn to highlight that gender justice and human rights are central to climate action.

    "We demand nothing less," says Mara Dolan, a member of the Women & Gender Constituency, a network of feminist activists at COP.

    Another member, Gina Cortes, says there are "deep inequities and deep injustices" at this COP, with some observers, especially from the global south, missing from the conference due to travel restrictions

    A woman in a yellow face mask at COP26 looks at her phoneImage source, ENB
  19. What is Climate Justice?published at 15:09 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2021

    Chris Morris
    BBC Reality Check

    Media caption,

    What is Climate Justice?

    With many of today's protesters in Glasgow calling for "climate justice", what exactly does the term mean?

    Many of the countries worst affected by climate change have contributed least to the emissions that cause it.

    So where should the burden lie in taking action to counter it?

    Check out this video as Reality Check's Chris Morris examines some of the big questions.

  20. Protest crowd hears speeches from activists from around the globepublished at 15:00 Greenwich Mean Time 5 November 2021

    Crowds of people in George Square, GlasgowImage source, PA Media

    Activists from across the world are taking to the stage in George Square, Glasgow, to address the thousands of climate protesters that have gathered there.

    So far, we've had speakers from Colombia, Papa New Guinea, Uganda, Pakistan and the UK.

    Fridays for Future activist Dylan Hamilton, 17, is introducing people to the stage - and he's been preparing for this moment for more than two years. Watch how below: