COP26: Welsh villagers and Namibian lobbyist make climate pleas

Anna Munro, Jane Lansfield and Peter Weldon have brought a letter from Cardigan Town Council

Welsh pensioner Jane Lansfield has come to COP26 in Glasgow for her grandchildren.

The softly-spoken, almost whispering, grandmother is perhaps not what you would imagine a typical Extinction Rebellion protester to look like.

But Jane entered activism after watching her community suffer a battering from floods and changing weather patterns.

For her, COP26 is about fighting for her grandchildren's futures.

While Boris Johnson, Joe Biden and Greta Thunberg are making the headlines, tens of thousands of delegates and visitors are all trying to achieve their own outcomes from the summit.

For some it's making their voices heard, for others it's about making contacts that could help their countries secure help as they adapt to climate change.

'I want the government to get its finger out'

The Welsh trio have brought a letter to deliver to Alok Sharma

Peter Weldon has cycled through wind and rain, all the way from Wales, to bring a letter to Alok Sharma.

The letter, from the mayor and town council of Cardigan, will be passed on and on until it gets into the hands of the COP president.

He told the BBC: "It says 'please make the decisions necessary to limit global heating to 1.5'. Get your finger out, basically."

He added: "The people running our country have got to be brave and make the correct decisions to make a difference, stop greenwashing and cling onto their authority."

COP26 climate summit - The basics

• Climate change is one of the world's most pressing problems. Governments must promise more ambitious cuts in warming gases if we are to prevent greater global temperature rises.

• The summit in Glasgow is where change could happen. You need to watch for the promises made by the world's biggest polluters, like the US and China, and whether poorer countries are getting the support they need.

• All our lives will change. Decisions made here could impact our jobs, how we heat our homes, what we eat and how we travel.

Anna Munro is also here to make the case for communities like Cardigan. "We have had some serious flooding," she said.

"It has badly, badly affected a lot of people in Cardigan and in the local Welsh area and also we have lots of farmers who are already worried about crop failures. Everybody is already starting to see the signs of climate catastrophe."

Peter and Anna have joined Jane in the ranks of XR to try to convince leaders that profit should no longer come before people and planet.

Jane said: "Profit is a mirage if you can't live in the future and give your children and grandchildren what they deserve - a world which is habitable, which can produce reliable crops for them to eat, for them to breathe clean air. Anything else is a nonsense.

"I just feel this really matters and it has to be now and that's why I am here to help them to witness that, " said Jane. "Because I don't want to look my grandchildren in the eye and say I haven't tried."

'I am expected to leave Glasgow with funding'

Alfeus Vatilifa Shekunyenge says Namibia wants financial backing from COP26

The stakes are high for delegates attending from developing countries.

Many are expected to return from COP26 with tangible results.

Alfeus Vatilifa Shekunyenge is in Scotland on behalf of the Namibian government. He is hoping to return with some real money. He feels the pressure.

"We are hoping to meet with different climate financing institutions hoping to secure some funds to go back home and implement our climate related activities," he says.

"Climate change is affecting us very badly - Namibia is already a dry country. We have unpredictable climate variability and the majority of people depend on climate sensitive sectors for their livelihood. We have experienced a lot of droughts and flooding and outbreaks of diseases so climate change is already very real for us.

"I hope that we get solutions here, that the developed countries pledge more money towards climate financing and we get financial and technical assistance to implement the activities we need to mitigate climate change."

'Everyone at home is looking to us to get a good outcome'

Kenyan Brian Mounde Ondieki wants leaders of developed countries to keep their promises to fund less wealthy nations affected by climate change.

Brian Mounde Ondieki feels the weight of his country on his shoulders as COP26 begins in earnest.

He is a climate change officer in the ministry of environment and forestry in Nairobi, Kenya.

He says he feels under pressure to bring home a good result from Glasgow for his country.

He says: "Yes, I feel like everyone back in my country is looking upon us to make sure we get a good outcome out of this COP26. I cannot think about failing. I am putting my hopes high."

Mr Ondieke is here to follow the mitigation agenda.

He tells the BBC: "I'm hoping that we will get a good outcome - the goal towards net zero and a good conclusion in going to achieving 1.5C

"The challenges we face in Kenya are that the developed countries have not yet achieved what they promised. It is very frustrating.

"If I could meet President Biden today I would urge him to ensure that the promise that was made to achieve the goal of $100bn by 2020, that this is achieved, so that developing countries can have the funding to make adaptations."

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.

• Life where it's too hot to work, too hot to sleep

• Why the COP26 climate summit is important

• Will the UK meet its climate targets?

• Simple guide to climate change

• What will climate change look like for you?