Boris Johnson at the Climate Summit: There is no justification for procrastination

From US President Biden to the President of the Maldives, heads of state and government from all over the world are coming to Scotland today and tomorrow. Most world leaders arrive tonight. They will discuss global warming at the major global climate conference in Glasgow. Their main task is to accelerate the approach to combating further climate change.

Although the summit has officially opened today, tomorrow is the day when all the great leaders will give a speech. First, they will be welcomed by Britain’s Crown Prince Charles, after his 95-year-old mother, Queen Elizabeth, was absent due to health reasons. The main setback is that Chinese President Xi and Russian President Putin will not be there either. China is the country with the highest number of emissions.

Indian Prime Minister Modi will be present. India also has a rapidly growing carbon footprint, and is likely to face new pressures at the top to cut its emissions. European Union heads of government, such as outgoing Prime Minister Rutte, will also be present.

blue and green

The site where the Glasgow Climate Summit will be held is divided into two completely separate areas: a blue and a green. Negotiations take place in blue, the rest in green. The rest is a large meeting place that mainly houses scientists, NGOs, companies and climate activists from all over the world. It is expected that the number of people will be more than 25,000 people in total.

The Blue Zone is an official UN zone during the Summit. As at any climate summit, armed UN staff will provide strict security measures for the meeting. The 3,000 seat Scottish Exhibition Center is located in this area. The assembled heads of state and government from nearly 120 countries gather here.

Not only is the security strong, the rules regarding the COVID-19 virus are strict as well. With this, the United Nations hopes to prevent such a large meeting with people from all countries of the world leading to more infections. The vaccine alone is not enough. Participants are constantly being tested, there are strict rules to quarantine people who have tested positive for the virus, and everyone is expected to wear a face mask at all times.