COP26 RECAP: Five arrests made after Extinction Rebellion protests | Prince of Wales meets Leonardo DiCaprio | Nessie arrested
Scotland was awarded the Climate Action Network's 'Ray of the Day' award, after Nicola Sturgeon committed £1 million to help developing countries affected by climate change.
Yesterday Boris Johnson claimed he is “cautiously optimistic” over progress made at COP26 as he warned world leaders they must not think the job is done.
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COP26 RECAP: Extinction Rebellion protests underway in Glasgow | Joe Biden leaves Scotland | Nessie arrested
Independent Scotland's oil plans 'do not match Sturgeon's rhetoric' say Greens
Continuing to drill for new oil and gas in the North Sea if Scotland becomes independent does not “echo” the rhetoric from Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish Greens have said.
The comments from the SNP’s coalition partners come after Scotland’s net zero secretary Michael Matheson said the country would continue to “require an access” to oil and gas if it became independent, justifying the continuation of new oilfields.
Last week, the First Minister said continued unlimited extraction of oil and gas would be “fundamentally wrong”.
Boris Johnson updated the House of Commons on the recent G20 leaders’ summit and COP26
The Prime Minister claimed “this is the moment when we must turn into actions”, as if the world fails, then the 2015 Paris Agreement will have failed and “every summit going back to Rio de Janeiro in 1992 will have failed, because we will have allowed our shared aim of 1.5C to escape our grasp”.
He added: “In the end, it is a question of will.
“We have the technologies to do what it is necessary. All that remains in question is our result. The G20 summit convened by our Italian friends and Cop26 partners provided encouraging evidence that the political will exists, which is vital for the simple reason that the G20 accounts for 80% of the world economy and 75 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions.
“Britain was the first G20 nation to promise in law to wipe out our contributions to climate change by achieving net zero, and as recently as 2019 only one other member had made a comparable pledge.
“Today, 18 countries in the G20 have made specific commitments to reach net zero and in the Rome Declaration last Sunday every member acknowledged and I quote ‘the key relevance of achieving global net zero greenhouse gas emissions or carbon neutrality by 2050’.”
Mark Carney hails landmark COP26 finance alliance but green groups warn of loopholes
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s COP26 fiance advisor has hauled a landmark finance agreement which will see leading firms sign up to provide £95 billion towards hitting net zero emission targets by 2050.
Mark Carney, the UN’s special envoy on climate action and finance, said the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) deal demonstrated how the financial sector was “no longer a mirror that reflects a world that’s not doing enough.”
However, environmental groups warned that there are too many loopholes in the ambitious plan, and no legal obligation on the part of financial institutions to steer clear from investing in carbon-heavy activities.
Boris Johnson challenges on plans cut air passenger duty for short-haul domestic flights
Labour MP Janet Daby (Lewisham East) asked: “Does the Prime Minister believe like I do that it is important to encourage more people to use rail instead of other carbon-intensive transport methods and if so why is he cutting duty on domestic flights? And will he now rethink this decision?”
Boris Johnson replied: “There is a very clear climate reason for putting up duty on long-haul because that accounts for 96 per cent of the emissions, and in the case of our own United Kingdom with its far flung islands represented by some distinguished members on the benches opposite, it is a useful thing to remove barriers to movement.”
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford could be heard shouting across the chamber in response that the Highlands and Islands are already exempt from air passenger duty.
Glasgow’s striking cleansing staff supported by COP26 activists
A trade unionist leading the Glasgow cleansing service strikes has said investing in the service is an environmental issue as climate activists in the city for Cop26 joined striking workers on the picket line.
Climate activists and delegates, as well as international trade union representatives, joined the city’s striking cleansing workers at the western depot in Kelvinhaugh Street on Wednesday.
Chris Mitchell, GMB convenor for refuse and cleansing, welcomed their support and said that making sure services were funded properly was an environmental issue.
“It is an environmental issue, cleansing, we deal in recycling obviously and food waste,” he said.
The climate activists and international trade unionists stood shoulder to shoulder with them on the picket line in support of the workers’ calls for value and investment so they can tackle Glasgow’s waste crisis and deliver cleaner, greener communities.
Mr Mitchell claimed it was taking “months, if not years” to replace workers and said the situation in the city was becoming an “environmental catastrophe”.
Activists have occupied and reopened a former homeless shelter in Tradeston, in order to help house climate campaigners who have been forced to sleep rough due to a COP26 accommodation shortage.
Two people have been arrested at an Extinction Rebellion protest in Glasgow City Centre, after a number of officers were sprayed with paint.
Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie said: “Two arrests have been made in relation to this so far and cans of spray paint have been seized”.
“Assaults on officers, who put their safety at risk every day to keep the public safe and have adopted a facilitative and rights-based approach to protest, is totally unacceptable”.
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