The world’s largest businesses will meet with politicians and activists at the end of October in what’s being called a last chance to deal with the climate change crisis.
ADVERTISEMENTThe pressure is on for global leaders to make positive steps towards combating climate change, as the UK gets ready to host COP26 in Glasgow on 31 October 2021 for twelve days finishing 12 November.
The summit hopes to fast-track the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and make significant strides forward. This includes achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and keeping global temperature rises to well below 2 degrees, preferable to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Who will be there?
The former business secretary Alok Sharma is the president and the event is in partnership with Italy.
It'll have the largest attendance of high-profile international leaders from around the world as well as famous environmental activists Greta Thunberg and Sir David Attenborough and tens of thousands of negotiators, government officials, and business leaders.
What do industries and environmentalists say?
Euronews spoke to Bertrand Piccard, Chairman Solar Impulse Foundation and he has this advice for the leaders ahead of the summit.
"They have to understand that the more national contributions they can give, the more actions they can implement, the more profitable their economy will become."
"If we stay in the past it’s going to be a failure. If we can show the advantage that each country can gain in fighting climate change and protecting the environment, COP26 can be a huge success," Piccard added.
Hitachi is one of the principal partners of COP26. Hitachi European Chairman Alistair Dormer, told Euronews he'd like to see something more tangible.
"I’d really like to see some more detail, concrete objectives, milestones, and enablers that really engage industry so that we can all work together and achieve this," said Dormer.
Creating a green economy also means job opportunities.
Ryan Morrison, Friends of the Earth Scotland said the green economy is moving in the right direction as the phasing out of fossil fuels provides new businesses.
“Our own research has shown that there are three times as many jobs in those green industries, as are currently at risk in oil and gas.”
Ricky Wilson, singer, and artist Kaiser Chiefs told Euronews that people do want change.
"Working with the kids you realise there is quite a lot of hope for the future 'cos you know you see loads of programs and its doom and gloom, it’s to try and frighten us and frighten us to make a new change but change is coming from wanting to do it for ourselves."
Climate entrepreneur, Des Caren, 94-years-old of Caren Meicnic Teo, believes young people are more powerful than they think they are.
"So people have all power in their hand if they would just get up, get agile about it," said Caren.
"We either have the responsibility to preserve and hand on and enhance or at least preserve the inheritance of a wonderful world that we’ve inherited."
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