Robin Brant
BBC News, Beijing

China, the world’s biggest emitter, hasn’t made any major new climate pledges at this summit - why might that be?

The decades of economic growth at almost any cost in China are over.

Xi Jinping emphasises quality over quantity these days. He has to, because the economy is slowing down.

But the ruling Communist Party must continue to deliver on the key pledge that underpins its legitimacy; a wealthier, more advanced country.

China wants and needs to tackle pollution here - in the air, the water and the soil - because it's killing its people.

But the mammoth coal-burning and record steel-forging won't suddenly be curtailed.

The “infrastructure monster”, as one real estate agent in the city of Wuzhou described it to us recently, will ease off when it's ready.

Just ask the 19-year-old first-time-buyer we met. Zhong Xin doesn't think China should slow down.

“They are building a lot of apartments here but they will also plant greenery,” she says, brushing off concerns about the environment - “If they don’t build buildings the land will be wasted.”

China has pledged to hit peak carbon emissions by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2060. But it's still planning to increase the amount of coal it burns over the next five years.

Crucially, it still hasn't set any specific targets on exactly when carbon emissions will peak, at what level, and how quickly they will decrease after.

Read more: Tracking China's steel addiction in one city

We're hearing from people in the Glasgow crowd who have travelled from across the UK.

Hugo Tagholm, chief executive of the Surfers Against Sewage group, says he made the journey from Cornwall to highlight the need for a decade of "radical" environmental action.

“The ocean is front and centre of the impact of climate change but it is also part of the solution,” he says

The group's supporters will be taking part in events across the country to warn of the impact of human and plastic waste in the seas and oceans.

Damian McGuiness
In Berlin

Image source, Getty Images

Big European countries like the UK and France believe nuclear power is a key part of meeting CO2 emission goals.

But in Germany, the government decided to phase out nuclear power by 2022 after the Fukushima disaster in Japan - and a majority of Germans support the policy.

Wolfgang Ehmke has campaigned against storing nuclear waste in his region of Gorleben for more than 40 years. His campaign won the battle last year, when the government agreed to scrap plans for a long-term nuclear waste storage site there.

His NGO, Germany’s largest anti-nuclear organisation, is taking part in the protests in Glasgow under the motto “don’t nuke the climate”. Nuclear is not carbon-neutral, he argues, because of the fuel needed.

“The big unresolved question is what to do with the dangerous waste.”

Germany’s strong anti-nuclear movement started in the peace protests against atomic weapons - “My generation grew up with a strong aversion to war. People learnt from the Nazi era,” he says.

The Green Party also has its roots in the anti-nuclear demonstrations of the 1970s. Today the Greens are in coalition talks to enter government — and their anti-nuclear stance is as strong as ever.

Back to the demonstration in Glasgow and our reporters are sending back pictures from Kelvin Way, which cuts through the heart of Kelvingrove Park.

Socialist groups including the Scottish Socialist Party and International Socialist Alternative have been seen chanting and dancing on the street, before the march through the city moves off.

Organisations including WWF, the global environment campaign, among whose cohort is a person in a panda suit, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) also have a presence ahead of the march.

Greta Thunberg, the 18-year-old Swedish climate activist, has already featured prominently in Glasgow, where the COP26 summit is taking place - and she's due to address crowds at the protest later today..

But who is she and what is she campaigning for?

Thunberg became well-known after protesting outside the Swedish parliament in 2018, holding a sign saying "School Strike for Climate" to pressure the government to meet carbon emissions targets.

Her campaign inspired thousands of young people across the world to organise their own strikes. By December 2018, more than 20,000 had joined her by skipping school to protest.

Speaking yesterday at a youth march in Glasgow, Thunberg called the COP26 climate summit a "failure" and a "PR exercise". She also criticised goals for cutting emissions that cause global warming, saying: "We don't just need goals for just 2030 or 2050. We...need them for 2020 and every following month and year to come.", external

However, she has avoided getting into the detail of what action should be taken, saying "it is nothing to do with me".

You can read more about Greta Thunberg here - and you can read more about what's been achieved at COP26 so far here.

Helen Briggs
Environment correspondent in Glasgow

Image source, Getty Images

There’s lots of talk in Glasgow today about nature-based solutions – jargon for working with nature to tackle climate change, from protecting existing forests and planting new trees, to restoring peatlands, wetlands and mangrove swamps.

Forests absorb almost a third of carbon dioxide emissions each year, while peatlands – boggy wetlands with spongy dark soil – also trap huge amounts of carbon, helping to cool the climate on a global scale.

But Pete Smith, climate change expert at the University of Aberdeen, says while trees are short-hand for nature-based solutions, it’s about far more.

“We need to consider the full range of available nature-based solutions on land and in the ocean,” he says.

That means looking at ways to restore a host of different ecosystems across the planet, including saltmarshes, seagrass meadows and sand dunes.

Celia Hatton
BBC Asia Pacific Regional Editor

As the COP26 climate change summit continues in Scotland, China's leadership is trumpeting the country's dramatic boost in coal production.

Top economic planners say the increase to more than 12 million tonnes of coal a day will ensure the power supply and a warm winter for the Chinese people.

China is the world's largest carbon emitter and consumer of coal.

Beijing has pledged to limit its coal use, beginning in four years' time, in a bid to become carbon neutral by 2060, though most climate scientists say that is not fast enough.

Pressure to address environmental issues also comes from within China, as worries over air pollution regularly top citizens' lists of concerns.

You can read more about China's reliance on coal here.

Simon King
BBC weather presenter and meteorologist

Image source, Reuters

You might read that the globe has warmed by 1.2C and think that’s not much.

Besides, the weather today might be 1 or 2C warmer than yesterday and you don’t notice the difference.

However, when talking about the climate - which is weather averaged over decades - 1.2C is significant.

In recent years it has become clearer that our warming world is loading the dice for more extreme weather events to occur in a changing climate.

All of the UK’s 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 2002.

Summer heatwaves such as the one in 2018, when the maximum temperature reached nearly 36C in Kent, are likely to become 30 times more likely in the future.

Indeed only last year, the UK’s highest temperature of 38.7C was recorded in Cambridge.

In terms of rainfall, six of the 10 wettest years in the UK have occurred since 1998.

The science is clear, a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture.

But while our summer is expected to get drier overall, when it does rain, the rain will be more intense, leading to flash floods.

You can read more about what climate change will look like near you here.

Paul O'Hare
BBC Scotland News

Activists are starting to gather in Glasgow's Kelvingrove Park ahead of the biggest COP26 protest so far.

But unlike yesterday, when the youth march was blessed with fair weather, the conditions today are not so favourable.

It is wet, windy and cold - and that may have an impact on turnout.

There is already a huge police presence at the start of the three-mile route and a helicopter hovering overhead.

Starting at about 12:00 GMT, the march will snake through the west end and city centre before culminating in a rally on Glasgow Green, which will be addressed by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, among others.

Image source, EPA

Now for a bit more detail on the climate demonstrations that have already begun in Australia, as part of the so-called Global Day of Action for Climate Justice.

More than 1,000 people are protesting in major cities like Sydney and Melbourne against the Australian government's climate policies - and the strategies it has offered at COP26.

Australia - a leading global coal and gas supplier - has only pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, rather than 2030, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying its plans would not include ending Australia's fossil fuel sectors.

The Australian government has also rejected the global methane pledge proposed by the US and the EU - which more than 100 countries have signed up to.

Image source, EPA

Protesters have been seen carrying signs reading: "We need human change, not climate change" and "Code Red for Humanity".

Speaking to the Reuters News agency, Georgia, an activist in Sydney, says: "The COP26 agreements [are] happening and it's not turning out the best for Australia at the moment."

Melbourne's protest is smaller than Sydney's, with a few hundred people attending a demo featuring a giant koala bear emitting plumes of smoke, and protesters dressing as skeletons on bikes.

Image source, EPA

Around 10,000 police officers from across the UK are being deployed on each day of the COP26 summit in Glasgow, in one of one of the largest mobilisations of police ever to take place in the UK.

Police Scotland - which has trained 500 officers in the use of firearms - has called COP26 "the most complex and complicated" event ever staged in Scotland.

World leaders, politicians, delegates and senior members of the British Royal Family attended events in the first few days of the summit.

The presence of so many high-profile figures made it a huge target for protesters and other trying to make an impact - with an estimated 1,000 armed police on duty around the city.

Road closures and protests across much of the city have also caused disruption.

On Thursday, police arrested five activists as hundreds of climate change protesters marched through Glasgow.

Most of the demonstrations, however, have been peaceful. Further protests are expected in Glasgow later as part of a so-called "global day of action for climate justice".

Image source, Getty Images

As we've been reporting, protests have begun around the world to mark the so-called Global Day of Action for Climate Justice.

Right at the heart of COP26, the biggest demonstration so far is set to get under way in Glasgow from around 12:00 GMT.

Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to march from the city's Kelvingrove Park to Glasgow Green.

Once there, at around 15:00 BST, protesters will hear from a number of speakers - with 18-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg expected to close the event, as she did after yesterday's youth march.

There will be a strong police presence at today's event, but so far there has been nothing to suggest any potential flashpoints or trouble, with Police Scotland saying they were happy to approve the route.

How do things stand after week one?published at 10:38 Greenwich Mean Time 6 November 2021

10:38 GMT 6 November 2021

David Shukman
Science editor, BBC News

It’s never straightforward to do a health check on such a massive and complicated event as COP26.

But by the standards of these conferences, it counts as good news that there hasn’t yet been a spectacular row or a walkout.

In fact, officials describe a relatively positive mood so far.

Committees exploring how to boost the role of young people and educate the public have reached early agreement though final approval is still needed.

Yes, those do count as relatively easy topics and the toughest ones loom very large for next week.

The timetable for reviewing emissions cuts, raising finance for the poorest countries and the rules for checking that countries and companies keep their promises – all these lie ahead.

And that’s why veterans of COPs keep stressing that despite a more optimistic ambience, some of the big players who’ve been obstructive in the past – including Brazil, Russia and Saudi Arabia - have yet to show their hands.

Image source, Getty Images

We've heard plenty of climate-related pledges in the first week of COP26 - but politicians aren't the only ones making promises.

Five of the UK's biggest supermarkets have vowed to halve the environmental impact of a weekly food shop by the end of the decade.

Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Co-op and M&S say they will reduce carbon emissions, deforestation and the food waste and packaging they produce.

They are also promising to set science-based targets for how they will help to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial temperatures before the end of next year.

Supermarkets' efforts will be monitored by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) conservation group.

The food industry is responsible for more than a quarter of total greenhouse gas emissions and almost 60% of the global damage to biodiversity.

Each year, the industry emits 17.3bn tonnes of carbon dioxide - about 19 times more than commercial planes.

You can read more here.

Helen Briggs
Environment correspondent in Glasgow

Today, COP26's focus is on protecting nature.

The day aims to highlight the critical role of nature as part of the solution for tackling climate change.

Forty-five governments will pledge action to protect nature and shift to more sustainable ways of farming.

Farmers will be in Glasgow to talk about what they’re doing to cut their climate impact.

There’ll be more on tackling deforestation, with funding to protect rainforests in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

And scientists and ministers will discuss the drive to protect and conserve 30% of the planet’s land and ocean for nature.

There’ll be meetings to take stock of progress in this week’s negotiations to identify issues and concerns ahead of ministers stepping in next week.

More climate marches are planned, with Greta Thunberg due to speak at a rally in Glasgow.

Demonstrators, calling for governments to commit to cutting emissions, will be marching from Kelvingrove Park to Glasgow Green.

Demonstrations are also due to take place in other cities across the world, including London.

Sunday is a day off, before the conference gears up for a second week of talks.

Image source, EPA

As we just mentioned, demonstrators are expected to take part in what's being billed as a Global Day of Action for Climate Justice.

The first protests have begun in Australia with 191 demonstrations planned across the world - 106 happening in the UK.

Image source, EPA

Tens of thousands of people are expected to march through Glasgow where Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg will speak to the crowd.

Meanwhile in London there will be a march from the Bank of England to a rally in Trafalgar Square.

Welcome to our live coverage of day seven of the global climate conference in Scotland.

Today’s focus is on how nature can be protected and harnessed to help tackle climate change.

Inside the summit, scientists and ministers will discuss the drive to conserve 30% of the planet’s land and ocean for nature.

Meanwhile, around the world, demonstrators are expected to take part in a day of action, with marches in Glasgow, London and many other cities.

As she was yesterday, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is due to be among the speakers at a rally in Glasgow.