The Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow has begun and world leaders have got off to a good start after agreeing key commitments to curb deforestation and methane emissions.
Previous promises to keep global temperature rise below 2 ° C by the end of the century are already on track, according to analysts, but more needs to be done if the terms of the 2015 Paris Agreement are to be met and a disaster averted.
Locals had to make many sacrifices to do justice to the 12-day event, during which hundreds of delegates, diplomats and activists came to their beautiful city to demand meaningful measures to avert the existential threat posed by the environmental crisis.
But they’ve already been rewarded with some truly surreal spectacles, from the unlikely prospect of US President Joe Biden’s security guards heading to Chippy for a fish meal to Greta Thunberg cursing in the park.
Here’s a quick rundown of the A-listers you might come across if you take a sip in a dark corner of the local watering hole.
Leonardo Dic -rio
Known for his roles on Titanic, Inception, The Wolf of Wall Street and The Revenant, the Hollywood actor is a passionate environmentalist and was widely expected to make an -pearance in the hopes of greats like Boris Johnson, Narendra Convince Modi and Jair Bolsonaro to strike a landmark deal to secure the future of the planet.
He duly did so when he showed up at The Engine Works on Lochburn Road in Maryhill on Monday evening and received a stunned reaction from Glasgow drinkers.
Greta Thunberg
A less surprising participant, but certainly the guest who got wholeheartedly into the spirit of the matter, the Swedish teenager came to Glasgow Central on Saturday to greet a heroine.
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She has only made herself all the more popular by meeting other activists in Govan’s Festival Park to mock politicians and chant: “You can stick the climate crisis up your ass!”
Sir David Attenborough
The revered documentary filmmaker and naturalist, 95, was a speaker on the opening day of Cop26 and urged visiting dignitaries to “turn tragedy into triumph”.
“I’ve seen a terrible decline in my life. You should witness a wonderful recovery in yours, ”he said.
The veteran was rewarded for his efforts by Mr Johnson, who sat next to him without bothering to wear a Covid face mask, thoughtlessly putting the life of one of Britain’s greatest national treasures at risk.
Maisie Williams
A more fitting tribute to Sir David came from the Game of Thrones actress who unveiled her latest film, The Green Planet, at the conference.
“Watching Sir David Attenborough sparked my passion for the environment,” she said.
“His films showed me the complex networks of our ecosystem. How extraordinary life on earth is and yet how fragile. “
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
Like Greta, William and Kate came to Glasgow Central by train and moved from there on Monday afternoon to an event at the Clydeside Distillery in Dennistoun.
Prince William grimaces when his wife offers him a mug with dead larvae at Cop26
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As avid environmentalist as his late grandfather and father, the Prince recently launched the Earthshot Prize with Sir David and will take on additional duties from his grandmother as the Queen was advised by her doctors to suspend the summit on medical grounds .
Ellie Goulding
Known for her environmental activism, the British pop star, a UN Foundation goodwill ambassador, chose to -pear on Cop26 to share a rare photo of her young son Arthur on Instagram, writing, “Our future generations should Not having to inherit a broken planet because we didn’t take the opportunity to fix it when we could! LET’S GO!!!”
Idris Elba |
The Wire and Luther star, along with his wife Sabrina, -peared in their roles as the International Fund for Agricultural Development Ambassador to warn that climate change is hitting the world’s food supplies and that African countries must be at the forefront of the crisis Part of the solution.
Matt Damon
Damon, another Hollywood star who starred in The Departed alongside DiC -rio, won’t -pear in person at the event but instead will call on Zoom to play his part in a marginal New York Times discussion about plumbing and, according to The Glasgow Times Access to clean water.
Other celebrities like Mark Ruffalo, Russell Crowe and Stephen Fry have shown their support for Cop26 initiatives on social media but are not participating – and at the end of the day, perh -s the really green thing is not to have a huge carbon footprint from unnecessary air travel achieve.
Nathan Evans
You know, the “Wellerman” guy! Shanty Tok? It’s only been six months!
Either way, the Lanarkshire folk singer is attending a charity football game that coincides with the summit, according to The Daily Record.
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