Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Thursday, Jul 16, 2026

In Pictures: The world gathers for the COP26 climate summit

In Pictures: The world gathers for the COP26 climate summit

World leaders, campaign groups and protesters have descended on Glasgow for the COP26 climate change conference.

Here are some of the best images and key moments from the crucial climate summit so far.

Ahead of the conference First Minister Nicola Sturgeon met indigenous delegates at a ceremonial gathering at the Tramway in Glasgow.

One of the main aims of the conference is to limit a rise in future global warming to a ceiling of 1.5C.

As delegates gathered, campaigners arrived. Greenpeace's flagship Rainbow Warrior sailed up the Clyde, here passing under the Erskine Bridge.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived by train and joined protesters at Festival Park near the Clyde to send her message of "no more blah, blah, blah".

While on the streets the message was put across in a more Scottish accent.

The slogans were being driven home as Scotland was enjoying a more traditional guising, in the wake of the lockdown restrictions of the Covid pandemic.

Back on the conference trail, and US President Joe Biden's journey to Glasgow drew a lot of attention on the M8 as his motorcade travelled from his accommodation in Edinburgh.

Meanwhile, much was made about the non-attendance of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Queen addressed world leaders and other senior royals at a reception at Glagsow's Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, with a message to "rise above politics and achieve true statesmanship.

At the conference venue and around the city security has been extremely tight, with thousands of officers drafted in from around the UK.

Inside, all eyes have been on world leaders, to see what agenda can be agreed as deals are set out on emissions, investment and global climate targets.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlined one such pledge along with the United States to slash emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane.

Keeping up the pressure are groups like Extinction Rebellion, who have also been targeting green investment and financial insitistutions.

As talks continued, there was some disappointment as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi only committed to a net zero target for his country by the year 2070.

Activists outside the summit drove home their message that COP26 needed to be a time for action and not "climate games".

Someone else to get her message across was Earthshot Prize finalist Vinisha Umashankar, a schoolgirl from India who has created a solar-powered ironing cart. She took the opportunity to tell world leaders her generation "will live to see the consequences" of their actions at COP26.

Delegates representing indigenous peoples around the world and the global south have been working to make their voices heard among the speeches of world leaders.

And one campaign group seeking to amplify those voices had their inflatable "debt monster" - in the shape of Nessie - seized by police as they sought to launch it on the River Clyde.

More voices were raised by the Glasgow Youth Choir at St Lukes Church in the city, bringing their message to the conference.

Adding a bit of celebrity glitz was Leonardo DiCaprio, who attended the conference and also met Prince Charles and Stella McCartney at a fashion installation by the designer, at the Kelvingrove.

The world leaders summit has finished but the work of the negotiators from countries around the globe will continue as COP26 runs its course.

Security around the event remains as tight as ever, with talks continuing through until 12 November.

And the work of campaigners and protesters is also continuing on the streets and at venues surrounding the conference.

The use of coal around the world is a key issue, and these Pikachus joined activists from the No Coal Japan coalition

Youth climate activist Kato Ewekia Taomia, from Tuvalu, addressed delegates in the hall. Tuvalu is one of the nations particularly under threat from rising sea levels.

The seas are also the focus for Ocean Rebellion, who have been drawing attention to the climate's impact on the world's marine life.

Tongan activist Uili Lousi stands alongside "Flare Oceania 2021", created by artist John Gerrard, a real-time moving image showing a simulation of the seas around Tonga with the flag/flare embedded in it.

As the weekend approaches, larger mass protests are being held, with the Fridays For Future Scotland Climate Strike on Friday and the Global Day for Climate Justice march on Saturday.

Placards were in full effect on the Climate Strike march, which took place through the centre of the city.

The young activists march gathered in Kelvingrove Park in the west of the city.

Thousands took to the streets to call for world leaders to take more urgent action on the climate.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Thomas Tuchel Faces Fierce Backlash After Tactical Retreat Costs England World Cup Final Berth
A Quiet Bastille Day: France Grapples with World Cup Heartbreak and Leftover Fireworks
Spain in Ecstasy: "We Feel Unbeatable, We Taught the Whole World a Lesson"
Harvard Astrophysicist to Lead U.S. Scientific Advisory on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
Emergency Sirens Activated Across Bahrain as Interior Ministry Issues Shelter Directives
World Cup Visitors Turn American Big-Box Stores Into Souvenir Stops
Netflix Weighs Always-On Channels, Bundles and Short-Form Video
The AI Invoice Shock: Layoffs Didn't Save Managers Money — They Cost Them More
Concern: Sexually Transmitted Bacterium Among Men Develops Antibiotic Resistance
Passenger Partially Pulled Out of Ryanair Jet After Cabin Window Fails Mid-Flight
Severe Heatwave Drives Dangerous Ground-Level Ozone Pollution Across Two Thirds of European Union
The Physical and Electronic Barriers Disrupting Domestic Wireless Networks
France and Morocco Open World Cup Quarter-Finals as Collina Defends Refereeing
Tech Pulse: The Future of AI and Screen Culture
Global News Briefing: Escalating Geopolitical Tensions and Corporate Shakeups
Global News Brief: Escalating Conflicts, Public Health Crises, and World Cup Drama
Europe's Growing Struggle with Extreme Heat and Air Conditioning
Anthropic Reengineers Agentic Architecture to Shift Autonomous Workplace Automation to the Cloud
Logic Flaw in Windows 11 Permission Architecture Silently Consumes Hundreds of Gigabytes of Local Storage
Apple Advances Late-Stage Operating Systems with Fourth Beta Deployments
Global Crisis Alert: Escalating Middle East Tensions and UK Political Upheaval
Japanese Technology Firm Fujitsu Launches Advanced Artificial Intelligence Tool for Corporate Disclosures
South Africa Officially Launches Nationwide Campaign for Highly Contested Local Government Elections
United Kingdom Commits Additional Funding for Unexploded Ordnance Clearance in Laos
Singapore Announces Stringent New Greenhouse Gas Regulations for Commercial Cooling Systems
Cambodia and Thailand Hold High-Level Border Security Talks at United Nations Headquarters
Myanmar Military Government and China Sign Major Agreement to Upgrade Media and Cultural Cooperation
Knife Attack at Swiss Train Station Leaves Three Injured in Suspected Act of Domestic Terrorism
Transnational Extortion Gang Threatens Canadian Police With Army of One Thousand Armed Operatives
Australia Imposes Forty-Two-Day Quarantine on Cruise Ship Passengers Following Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak
International Monetary Fund Unlocks Seven Hundred Million United States Dollars for Sri Lanka Following Economic Reforms
Australia Launches Record One Point Four Billion Dollar Lawsuit Against Chemical Giant 3M Over Contamination
China and Canada Foreign Ministers Meet in Ottawa in Effort to Stabilize Strained Diplomatic Ties
Indonesia Demands Urgent United Nations Security Council Reform Amid Escalating Global Conflicts
Extreme Weather Patterns Trigger Severe Drought in Madagascar and Destructive Flooding in East Africa
Indian State of Karnataka Faces Political Upheaval as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Abruptly Resigns
Philippines and Japan Reaffirm Defense Ties as Crucial for Indo-Pacific Regional Stability
Norway Joins French Nuclear Deterrence Initiative in Major Shift for European Security Architecture
Global Critical Mineral Alliances Expand as Western Nations Move to Counter Chinese Supply Dominance
United States Imposes Fifty Percent Tariffs on Mexican Steel and Aluminum Ahead of Trade Pact Review
European Union and China Head Toward Major Trade Conflict Over Clean Technology Exports
United States Economic Growth Severely Downgraded to One Point Six Percent as Stagflation Fears Mount
World Health Organization Warns Central African Ebola Epidemic is Outpacing Containment Efforts
United States Treasury Department Conditions Sanctions Relief on Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz
Iranian Air Defenses Intercept and Destroy United States Military Drone Over Bushehr Province
Iranian Armed Forces Launch Ballistic Missiles Toward Unspecified Targets Prompting Regional Condemnation
United Nations Secretary-General Warns Global Order Facing Highest Level of Conflict Since 1945
Israel Issues Sweeping Evacuation Orders in Southern Lebanon Amid Intensified Hezbollah Conflict
Russia Announces Systemic Military Strikes Targeting Ukrainian Defense and Energy Infrastructure
United States and Iranian Negotiators Reach Draft Agreement to Extend Ceasefire and Resume Nuclear Talks
×