World leaders meet for 'last best chance' COP26 climate talks in Glasgow

By Eliza Mackintosh, Angela Dewan, Aditi Sangal, Meg Wagner, Melissa Macaya and Melissa Mahtani, CNN

Updated 5:24 p.m. ET, November 1, 2021
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7:59 a.m. ET, November 1, 2021

Ursula von der Leyen to CNN's Amanpour: China needs to "step up and show what they're going to do"

From CNN’s Cecelia Armstrong and Emmet Lyons

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has told CNN that China needs to demonstrate a clear climate plan if they are to be a global leader. 

Speaking to Christiane Amanpour from the COP26 summit in Glasgow, von der Leyen said that it is “very important that they [China] step up and show what they are going to do.” 

“If we look at China, I think we should remind them that they have the ambition of global leadership. That should match with global climate leadership,” von der Leyen said. 

Neither Chinese President Xi or Russian President Vladimir Putin -- leaders of two of the biggest global greenhouse gas emitters -- are attending the summit. 

For the world to achieve its climate goals, Von der Leyen told Amanpour that global leaders must come together:

“We have to get everyone on board. So what physical presence at the G20 and at COP26 is concerned, I highly appreciate for example that Prime Minister Modi from India did come. This is a very important sign that he is engaging. We would have liked to see China and Russia being here.”
“Indeed for Russia, if they want to have a future proof economy, they have to rapidly engage in modernizing their economy and modernizing means decarbonizing,” she said. 
“Our experience in the European Union is that you can prosper while cutting emissions.”
7:45 a.m. ET, November 1, 2021

US wants Glasgow talks to pressure China, even though Xi isn't here

From CNN's Kevin Liptak in Edinburgh

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during a briefing at the White House on October 26.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during a briefing at the White House on October 26. (Susan Walsh/AP)

This week’s Glasgow climate summit should act as pressure on countries like China to do more, the White House says.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Beijing “has an obligation to step up to greater ambition as we go forward, and we'll keep pressing on that.”

"They are a big country, with a lot of resources and a lot of capabilities, and they are perfectly well capable of living up to their responsibilities,” Sullivan said later. “It's up to them to do so and nothing about the nature of the relationship between the US and China, structurally or otherwise, impedes or stands in the way of them doing their part.”

Biden said Sunday he was disappointed Chinese President Xi Jinping wasn’t attending either the G20 summit or the Glasgow climate talks. Xi will deliver a written statement at the COP26 conference.

Sullivan said China was a “significant outlier” in a global push to keep temperatures from rising beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius, as well as a holdout on international efforts to finance climate change resilience in vulnerable areas.

“The US is stepping up to do its part, key US allies — Japan, Korea, the European Union, Canada, others — are stepping up to do their part. And now the question is, Will some of the remaining countries step up to do theirs? That question we don't expect will be fully answered in Glasgow, because we should not look at Glasgow as the end of the road,” Sullivan said.

"Glasgow, from our perspective, is a key moment setting us off on a decisive decade of climate action,” Sullivan said. “And if we can come out of here with the wind at our back with these enormous commitments across financing mitigation adaptation, we believe that pressure will build on the countries that have not yet stepped up and the world will look them to them to do their part. That's what we expect. That's what we're looking for.”

7:48 a.m. ET, November 1, 2021

From electric buses to Scottish salmon, COP26 goes local and low carbon

From CNN's Ivana Kottasová in Glasgow

A sign about "cold water only" is in a bathroom at COP26 on November 1.
A sign about "cold water only" is in a bathroom at COP26 on November 1. (Ivana Kottasová/CNN)

The sheer size of the COP26 conference means the event requires a huge amount of resources. The organizers are trying to make it as sustainable as possible, and to source food on the menu locally.

Delegates are ferried around in electric buses and encouraged to walk or take public transport whenever possible. 

Coffee (and there’s a lot being consumed) is served in reusable cups and on the menu yesterday was locally-sourced Scottish barley broth soup, and salmon and beetroot salad.

Temporary traffic lights that have been installed across Glasgow to manage the traffic and ensure security are solar-powered and hydro-treated vegetable oil is being used in generators instead of diesel. 

And in keeping with the sustainability theme, taps in the bathrooms are cold water-only (which might be a questionable choice given the current coronavirus pandemic!). 

7:09 a.m. ET, November 1, 2021

This week will test Biden's goal for the US to lead the world against the climate crisis

From CNN's Kevin Liptak, Phil Mattingly and Ella Nilsen

President Joe Biden's ambitions to lead the world in slowing the planet's warming will be tested on two continents this week as he travels to Scotland for the most important climate talks in years, while back home lawmakers come closer to making his visions a reality.

Already, Biden has been hampered somewhat by infighting among Democrats and entrenched fossil fuel interests, which have forced him to scale back some of the most audacious aspects of his climate agenda. Deep differences between world leaders also persist over money, national interests and responsibility.

The proposals currently pending in Congress, which Biden said Sunday he believes could pass this week, reflect historic investments in cutting the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.

His challenge this week is convincing fellow leaders that the US will remain committed to the cause, and to cajole them to do more themselves.

Biden's failure to arrive in Glasgow with a legislative deal in hand has been downplayed by officials as having little effect on the views of the leaders at the summit itself, touting the bill as concrete evidence of the US climate commitment, with clear black-and-white details of the most significant climate action in American history.

Still, world leaders may be forgiven for appearing skeptical. After Barack Obama made combatting change a priority during his administration, Donald Trump reversed course, withdrawing the US from the Paris Climate Agreement and rolling back regulations on tailpipe emissions, power plants and more. And world leaders still remember the Kyoto Protocol, which the US refused to ratify.

Biden hopes for more durable climate commitments as part of the new spending plan but is still relying on the rule-making process for other items like cutting methane emissions.

Read the full story here:

CNN's Ella Nilsen contributed to this report.

6:56 a.m. ET, November 1, 2021

Can the world's biggest polluter achieve its lofty goals? CNN's Beijing Bureau Chief weighs in

From CNN's Eliza Mackintosh

CNN's Beijing Bureau Chief Steven Jiang speaks on November 1.
CNN's Beijing Bureau Chief Steven Jiang speaks on November 1. (CNN)

The fact that Chinese President Xi Jinping is not going to COP26 is probably not surprising, given he hasn't left the country since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. But what's disappointing to many is his government's recently published roadmap to achieve the ambitious climate pledges he made just a few years ago -- including reaching peak carbon emissions by 2030, and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.

While the document detailed new measures on how the world's biggest polluter will decarbonize, the country is only modestly updating its pledge to reduce emissions.

CNN's Beijing Bureau Chief Steven Jiang breaks down China's new emissions pledge to the UN:

"They aim to have 25% of [their] energy mix coming from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030 and then increase this number to 80% by 2060. But when you look at a current picture on the ground -- you know, I'm coming from this very smoggy Beijing today -- it's one reminder that 60% of its energy consumption is still from coal, and much of the country's post Covid economic recovery is powered by the construction of dozens more new coal-fired power plants, and other projects are very much reliant on coal."
"Not to mention, we've been talking about this power crunch and that's why they had also recently ordered coal mines around the country to produce as much coal as possible, so very much trying to strike a balance between ensuring energy security and cutting carbon emissions. But all of this, of course, is why there are growing questions and skepticism about whether or not the world's biggest polluter can actually achieve its very lofty goals."
6:44 a.m. ET, November 1, 2021

COP26 has a massive social distancing problem

From CNN's Ivana Kottasová in Glasgow

People queue as they arrive for COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, on November 1.
People queue as they arrive for COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, on November 1. (Frank Jordans/AP)

The organisers of the COP26 conference have been trying to square a number of circles in the run-up to the meeting, to make sure everyone is safe and secure while also keeping in mind inclusivity and the environmental impact of the huge gathering. 

There are:

21,238 delegates
13,834 observers
3,823 journalists

And they're all mingling in confined spaces -- keeping social distancing and other Covid-19 precautions is a challenge.

Anyone entering the venue has to present a daily negative Covid-19 test result — although those tests are self-administered and results are self-reported, so the system largely relies on people’s honesty. Masks are compulsory throughout the venue and even the world leaders have been advised to wear them unless seated. 

The UN has always stressed that COP should be an inclusive forum where the world’s biggest emitters sit at the same table as the world’s smallest nations, many of which are feeling the worst impacts of climate change.

But the Covid-19 pandemic has thrown a spanner into this approach. Some countries have struggled to send delegations to Glasgow because of coronavirus restrictions and social distancing inside the venue means that the number of seats at each negotiation table is strictly limited.

“In our process, we have packed rooms, some people even sitting on the floor and this is something that we cannot have here,” Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), told reporters on Sunday.

While Espinosa said the organizers are trying to find solutions on how to make negotiations accessible for as many delegations as possible, it is already clear this will be very tricky. 

The largest negotiations room at the COP26 venue in Glasgow has 144 seats, 72 around a table and 72 in the “second row.”

“That’s not enough, we have 193 parties,” Espinosa said, adding that announcement on how negotiations can be accessed should come later on Sunday.

6:26 a.m. ET, November 1, 2021

Biden will deliver "personal commitment" on climate in Monday speech

From CNN Politics' Kevin Liptak

US President Joe Biden waves as he boards Air Force One after attending the G20 summit in Rome on November 1.
US President Joe Biden waves as he boards Air Force One after attending the G20 summit in Rome on November 1. (Evan Vucci/AP)

President Joe Biden will deliver a "personal commitment" to combating climate change during remarks at the Glasgow COP26 summit on Monday.

In a speech at the conference, Biden will "talk about what the United States is prepared to do to fulfill its obligation, including the investments we're making, the targets we intend to hit, both with respect to 2030 and 2050," his national security adviser told reporters aboard Air Force One as Biden flew from Rome to Scotland.

Biden is expected to speak later on Monday morning. In his speech, Biden will "also talk about the progress that we have made this year and the momentum we have built, and then he will talk about the work that needs to be done," Jake Sullivan said.

He'll also convey his belief that it's a false choice between progress on climate and delivering economic results.

"The right kind of strategy can and will deliver both," Sullivan said, citing Biden's pending legislative agenda that contains $555 billion in climate provisions.

His speech will seek to cajole other nations in taking their own bold steps toward combating climate change.

"The speech will be a clarion call, it will be a very strong statement of his personal commitment, of our country's commitment, not just to do our part but to help lead the world in mobilizing and catalyzing the action necessary to achieve our goals," Sullivan said.

Seeking to address the somewhat dampened expectations for the Glasgow summit by foreign leaders and others, Sullivan insisted the mood remained optimistic. He said setting a high bar was necessary to accomplish results.

"Anytime you head into a summit where you're trying to hit very high ambition, there's a certain motivation around 'we've done some things, but we haven't done enough' as a kind of mindset. That's not a bad thing, because I do think we want the whole world to feel the pressure to step up and do more," he said.

He said Biden was eager to talk up his major spending bills with fellow world leaders, despite uncertainty on when they will pass Congress.

"What we have found over the course of this weekend is that world leaders are a sophisticated bunch. They well understand that legislative process takes time. Legislative texts needs finalizing, votes need to be cast, but there is a significant expectation that this can and will happen, and it can and will happen in the near term," Sullivan added.

6:10 a.m. ET, November 1, 2021

US vs. China: Which one has the worse record on climate going into COP26?

From Helen Regan, Carlotta Dotto, Natalie Croker, Marco Chacon and Henrik Pettersson, CNN

China and the United States are the world's two biggest greenhouse gas emitters, so any attempt to address the climate crisis will need to involve deep emissions cuts from these two powerhouse nations.

China's emissions are more than double those of the US, but historically, the US has emitted more than any other country in the world.

There are many factors to consider when judging a country's climate credentials, and as leaders gather in Glasgow, Scotland for COP26, the US' and China's plans will be in the spotlight.

Read here to see how the two stack up against each other:

6:10 a.m. ET, November 1, 2021

Chinese President Xi to address COP26 with pre-written statement

From CNN's Pauline Lockwood and Eliza Mackintosh

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses a session of the G20 summit via video in Beijing on October 30.
Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses a session of the G20 summit via video in Beijing on October 30. (Li Xueren/Xinhua/Getty Images)

Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to release a pre-written statement addressing delegations at COP26 on Monday, according to a list of speakers released by the United Nations.

Xi is listed last after a number of heads of state and government due to speak on Monday, followed by a note that reads: "Written statement to be uploaded on the conference website." 

When asked about whether China's leader was planning to attend COP26, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday that the "information will be released in due time."

Xi is one of a small number of high-profile leaders not attending the summit. The Chinese president hasn't left the country since the onset of the pandemic.

More than 120 world leaders will begin speaking to the conference at 1:45 p.m. local (9:45 a.m. ET) on Monday after an opening session including speeches by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Prince Charles and celebrated naturalist David Attenborough. Kicking off the leaders' speeches after that are Spanish President Pedro Sánchez Perez-Castejón and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. There is a strict three-minute limit on speeches.