My Day at COP26: 'It's like a never-ending airport terminal'
- Published
Science journalist, Helen Briggs, is at COP26 to report for the BBC. In the latest in a series of first-person accounts, she describes what life is like behind the scenes at the Glasgow summit.
Week two, and there's a familiar rhythm to the day. Wake, check the news, do a Covid test, check the news again. Then a walk beside the majestic River Clyde as joggers and cyclists dodge the stream of suited-and-booted delegates making their way to COP.
Police patrol outside the iron gates but, once I'm through security, I'm in the "Blue Zone" where the key negotiations between world leaders are taking place. This is United Nations - not Scottish - territory for this fortnight only.
Imagine a never-ending airport terminal with blue-carpeted corridors, lines of comfy chairs and restaurants. Countless languages fill the air, and officials in sleek suits and bright saris, men in feathered headdresses, and women with flowers in their hair dash back and forth, while teams huddle in negotiations behind the closed doors.
In the Press Centre, journalists sit at socially-distanced desks, existing on a diet of carbon-counted sarnies and Irn-Bru
Each day at COP there's a particular theme - today is Gender Day. COP President Alok Sharma has announced £165m of UK funding to tackle the inequalities that make women and girls more vulnerable to climate change, and there's a buzz around the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, being here to talk about the hardship faced by women and indigenous communities living on the frontlines of this crisis.
I spend much of my day in the Press Centre where hundreds of journalists sit at socially-distanced desks, existing on a diet of carbon-counted sarnies and Irn-Bru. I'll be checking out stories, conducting interviews and filing copy. The air is charged with adrenaline, but through the windows there's a calming glimpse of the river beyond. Now and again, there's the sound of a helicopter hovering overhead. Information flows in and out at a mind-boggling speed, with journalists constantly coming and going to events and briefings.
It's exhilarating and sometimes exhausting. But the finishing line is in sight. By the weekend negotiators from some 200 countries are aiming to reach an agreement on how to make sure all nations are sticking to their climate promises.
My Day at COP26:
The historic Paris Agreement, signed in 2016 - when world leaders agreed to keep a lid on rising temperatures - is at the front of everyone's minds. But some think there's unlikely to be such a significant breakthrough here.
As one minister told me, COP26 is about putting flesh on the bones of the Paris Accords. But who will put their hands in their pockets to help the poorest countries deal with the ravages of climate change? And how will the world police the promises countries have made to stop clearing forests or burning coal? There are so many questions still to be answered.
Long after the sun has sunk over the Clyde, I head back to my hotel for a debrief with colleagues. We discuss what's on the agenda for tomorrow. But while my job is over for the day, I'm mindful the official negotiations will likely continue well into the night. And who knows what Thursday might bring?
As told to Sarah McDermott
The COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow is seen as crucial if climate change is to be brought under control. Almost 200 countries are being asked for their plans to cut emissions, and it could lead to major changes to our everyday lives.
