COP26: Hopes of Glasgow climate agreement on Saturday
- Published
The COP26 conference ended at 18:00 on Friday but negotiators have stayed on to hammer out a deal
Alok Sharma is hopeful a climate agreement can be reached at Glasgow's COP26 on Saturday.
The summit president said that a revised text would be released by about 08:00 with the aim to finish negotiations by "Saturday pm".
Negotiators talked through the night on Thursday with a new draft deal produced on Friday morning
Mr Sharma called on countries for a "final injection of that can-do spirit" to get a deal over the line.
The climate talks had been due to end at 18:00.
'Don't fail'
Nicola Sturgeon said on Friday evening that she was "cautiously optimistic" about the outcome and that there were signs a deal was "inching forward" in the right direction as negotiations moved beyond the deadline.
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She told COP26 leaders "don't fail" and said she wanted negotiators to be able to "look the next generation in the eye" with an agreement that would increase global temperatures by no more than 1.5C and urged them not to leave until a good deal had been achieved.
The first minister said there had been "big concessions", including from the United States on adaptation funding for developing countries.
She told BBC Scotland the final agreement would depend on the political will, determination and leadership that is shown in the hours ahead.
On the last scheduled day of the 13-day summit, hundreds of delegates walked out of COP26 to join a protest outside the UN blue zone.
Hundreds of delegates walked out of the COP26 venue
Activists took to the stage to express frustration at a lack of results.
Members of environmental groups and trade unions were among those who sang "power to the people" as they left the arena to join hundreds of protesters in the street outside the blue zone.
The latest draft agreement has watered-down commitments to end the use of coal and other fossil fuels.
While the language around fossil fuels has been softened, the inclusion of the commitment in a final deal would be seen as a landmark moment.
Protests, however, took place throughout the day with campaigners claiming the summit was falling far short of what is required.
Following a "People's Plenary" session in one of the main halls organised by the Cop26 Coalition, activists from around the world marched through the venue with a group of indigenous activists leading the procession.
They carried banners and red ribbons to represent the red lines crossed by negotiators.
Hundreds attended the protest in the streets outside the venue
At a rally next to the COP26 venue, campaigners gathered for a street disco which turned sombre as speakers who came from inside the blue zone addressed the crowd.
One of the speakers, a 15-year-old from Chad, told how Lake Chad has dried up by 95% since the 1950s.
But despite being accredited for the summit the teenager said she has been excluded from key meetings.
She added: "No one is listening. No one is doing anything."
Another speaker alluded to the weather and praised those who have braved the wet conditions.
She told the audience: "I hope you leave drenched in hope."
Extinction Rebellion activist Sarah (left) said she believed that COP had failed
Sarah, 29, an Extinction Rebellion activist from Glasgow, was helping to hold up sign outside the UN blue zone which read: "A Giant COP Up".
She told the BBC: "We are here today because COP has failed.
"COP has essentially been a giant trade show in which the fossil fuel executives have a bigger presence than delegates from countries most affected by climate change.
"It has shown that leaders, such as our own government, are content to let people suffer and let people die rather than take the action that is required."
Sarah said solutions to the climate crisis lie outside the barricaded SEC and on the streets, where some of the most affected groups had gathered to make their voice heard.
At the scene with BBC Scotland reporter Paul O'Hare
Two people were led away after trying to climb the venue fence
The atmosphere outside the UN blue zone was good natured, with activists even taking part in a mass Macarena dance.
Around midday they were joined by delegates who filed out of the Scottish Event Campus.
The rally that followed featured contributions from a diverse range of international speakers and a common theme - politicians are not doing enough to address the climate crisis.
The event was on a much smaller scale than the colourful protests which snaked through the city last Friday and Saturday.
But shortly after 14:15, as I was taking pictures of the distinctive Extinction Rebellion red dancers, I heard a commotion to my left.
I looked round to see a man attempting to scale the barrier.
He was immediately grabbed by three police officers and pinned to the ground.
Seconds later, a few yards away, another protestor took advantage of the chaos and also tried to climb over the fence. He got his right leg over it before he was also hauled onto the road.
Dr Caroline Palmer and husband Malcolm Redford took a train from Lancashire to make their voices heard
Dr Caroline Palmer travelled to Glasgow for the day from Colne, Lancashire, with her husband Malcolm Redford.
The retired GP, 67, said: "I have got grandchildren and I feel very worried about what life is going to be like for them. It is our duty to do what we can to hold our government to account.
"They keep making promises but what we need is action. It's getting critical now."
Mr Redford, 68, wants to see an end to the extraction of fossil fuels and more affordable electric cars.
The former teacher said: "We need to make real choices to keep 1.5 alive otherwise we have lost."
Nayara Castiglioni Amaral is among the largest delegation of Brazilian activists to ever attend a COP
Nayara Castiglioni Amaral has been in Scotland for the last fortnight as part of a delegation from a Brazilian youth organisation.
Carrying a cardboard cut-out of the country's environment minister she expressed concern about the impact of her government's policy on indigenous communities.
The 29-year-old said: "We need more ambitious goals and we need to protect our tribal people as they take care of our environment."
Nayara said one of the highlights of her trip was last Saturday's march which organisers say attracted 100,000 people.
She added: "It was one of the biggest protests that we have ever seen and it was beautiful. It was really powerful to be there."
People had gathered since the morning at the Finnieston Street protest
- Published13 November 2021
- Published12 November 2021
