The two-week "COP26" climate summit kicked off in Glasgow, Scotland, in which world leaders are discussing ways to reduce carbon emissions and reduce global warming.

In his opening speech, Alok Sharma, President of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, emphasized the dire climate situation at present, adding that the conference is a concrete opportunity to control the increase in global temperature to no more than 1.5 degrees.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said at the conclusion of the G-20 summit that "if the Glasgow conference fails, everything will fail."

Johnson called on the countries of the world to get rid of coal, accelerate the transition to electric cars, and provide the necessary financial support for developing countries to confront the effects of climate change.

Presence and absence

After the official opening on Sunday, the conference will start on Monday and Tuesday with the summit of heads of state and government.

More than 120 state and government leaders are expected to participate, including: American Joe Biden, French Emmanuel Macron, Indian Narendra Modi, and Australian Scott Morrison, a great advocate of coal, as his country is the world's largest exporter.

But key players are also absent, such as Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has not left his country since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Brazilian Jair Bolsonaro.

Summit Goals: Securing Global Net Zero Emissions by Mid-Century (Anatolia)

Conference Objectives

The summit will bring together parties (states, UN organizations, and climate institutions) to accelerate action to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Among its goals is to secure global net zero emissions by mid-century, and to control the increase in global temperature so that it does not exceed 1.5 degrees, compared to the 3.5 degrees expected in light of current emissions.

Countries will be required to push forward with ambitious 2030 emissions reduction targets, aligned with reaching net zero by mid-century.

To achieve the extended goals, countries will need, according to the United Nations, to accelerate the phase-out of coal, reduce deforestation, accelerate the transition to electric vehicles, and encourage investment in renewable energy sources.

The convening of the conference comes after it was postponed for a whole year due to the restrictions of the Corona epidemic, amid strict measures to prevent the virus.