Greta Thunberg suggests Cop26 climate summit should be postponed

Climate activist Greta Thunberg has said she does not plan to attend the Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow and thinks it should perhaps be postponed.

The 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (Cop26) will take place at the city’s SEC from November 1 to 12, having been postponed from November 2020 due to the pandemic.

The climate talks are expected to bring together the largest gathering of heads of state ever hosted in the UK, alongside climate experts and campaigners, to agree a co-ordinated global action plan to tackle the climate emergency.

Greta Thunberg said she would love to go but “not unless everyone can take part on the same terms” and that it would be best to focus on vaccinating people.

The 18-year-old Swedish activist, who started the School Strike for Climate movement, told the BBC: “As it is now I don’t think I will be going to the Cop because this needs to happen in the right way.”

Asked whether she thinks the UK Government should delay or cancel the conference she said: “Not cancel, maybe postpone it, but of course, the best thing to do would be to get everyone vaccinated as soon as possible so that everyone could take part on the same terms.”

Thunberg later tweeted: “Of course I would love to attend the Glasgow #COP26 But not unless everyone can take part on the same terms.”

She added: “Inequality and climate injustice is already the heart of the climate crisis. If people can’t be vaccinated and travel to be represented equally that’s undemocratic and would worsen the problem. Vaccine nationalism won’t solve the pandemic. Global problems need global solutions.

“But if current trends continue and the #cop26 has to be delayed that doesn’t mean we have to delay the urgent action required.

“We don’t have to wait for conferences nor anyone or anything else to dramatically start reducing our emissions. Solidarity and action can start today.”

Cop26 has been described as the most significant international meeting on climate change since the Paris Agreement in 2015.