Climate change news from the ground, in a warming world Was this forwarded to you? Sign up here [[link removed]] Laurie Goering [[link removed]]

Climate editor

COP26 in Glasgow is underway!

A lineup of world leaders on Monday and Tuesday called for swifter action on increasingly evident climate threats and made a few key new pledges - including India's to achieve carbon neutrality by 2070, as well as $19 billion in new funding [[link removed]] to protect and restore forests.

But current commitments still put the world on track for 2.7 degrees Celsius of warming - almost double the 1.5 degrees C scientists say is a rough safety barrier for humanity.

Abdulla Shahid, president of the U.N. General Assembly, urged negotiators to "be honest with each other and with the rest of the world" about those shortcomings and "choose the hard but necessary actions".

"We have run out of excuses. It is time to do the right thing [[link removed]]," said Shahid, who is also foreign minister of the low-lying Indian Ocean island nation of the Maldives.

A poster urging action "NOW" at the venue of the U.N. COP26 climate negotiations in Glasgow, Scotland, Oct. 31, 2021. Thomson Reuters Foundation/Laurie Goering

To speed more ambitious commitments, a coalition of 48 of the world's most climate-vulnerable nations now wants countries to ramp up their national climate commitments every year [[link removed]] - not just every five years, as outlined in the Paris Agreement.

But Saleemul Huq, a Bangladeshi veteran of all 26 COP meetings since 1995, doubts wealthy countries are truly committed to "keep 1.5 alive", the UK hosts' overarching aim for the two-week conference in Scotland.

"My sense is this will be worse than Copenhagen [[link removed]]," Huq warned over tea at bustling COP26, referring to the collapsed 2009 U.N. climate talks. "I'm predicting failure."

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg is seen at the Festival Park as the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, November 1, 2021. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

Still, what matters most is not what happens inside the walls of COP26 but what is going on out in the real world, where cities and states are scaling up low-carbon shifts, youth are leading protests - including one by Greta Thunberg's outside a world leaders' dinner Monday night - and businesses are becoming greener, he emphasised.

In India, for instance, engineering schools that once churned out coal technicians are now training graduates for a life beyond coal [[link removed]], correspondent Roli Srivastava found. That includes classes on lots of new subjects from solar energy to robotics.

Want a rundown of key issues at COP26 in just four minutes? Don't miss our video [[link removed]]. And keep up with all of our ongoing coverage of COP26 here [[link removed]].

See you next week!

Laurie

'Time to do the right thing,' negotiators told as COP26 climate talks open [[link removed]]

As U.N. climate change talks kick off amid wild weather and transport challenges, delegates are reminded of "the trust invested in you by billions"

Will COP26 deforestation pledge be game-changer or just more broken promises? [[link removed]]

A major commitment to ending and reversing deforestation at COP26 will need more funding, transparent monitoring and tough regulation of businesses and financiers linked to forest destruction to work, analysts say

Climate-vulnerable countries float 'emergency' timetable to cut emissions [[link removed]]

As the world is far off where it needs to be in reducing emissions, pressure is growing for efforts to be strengthened every year instead of the current five-year cycle

Gulf energy giants pledge net zero - but plan to stick with oil [[link removed]]

Big oil producers have made new emissions-cutting pledges ahead of the COP26 U.N. climate talks - but analysts say they are not enough

Bangladeshi veteran of UN climate talks fears COP26 will fail the world's poorest [[link removed]]

Slow action to cut emissions and deliver finance means Glasgow summit will likely fall short of keeping 1.5C goal alive and protecting vulnerable people, warns Saleemul Huq

'Illusion' of climate action by big emitters clouds outlook for COP26 talks [[link removed]]

A slew of national announcements just before the COP26 summit kicks off in Scotland has done little to advance efforts to meet global warming limits, analysts say

India's engineering colleges equip students for future beyond coal [[link removed]]

From solar energy to robotics and even mining on other planets, courses that once focused on coal production offer skills for future green jobs

U.N. biodiversity chief urges COP26 climate talks to prioritise nature [[link removed]]

The U.N. biodiversity chief hopes messages from COP26 on the importance of nature would provide the impetus needed for achieving an ambitious accord next year

Brazil seeks to burnish its climate credentials as COP26 nears [[link removed]]

With its president more politically isolated and under fire for high rates of Amazon deforestation, Brazil is looking for ways to rebrand itself at COP26

In its ancient birthplace, wine faces a climate change-imperiled future [[link removed]]

As worsening extreme weather ruins harvests, some winemakers are switching to growing nuts - and the government is firing anti-hail rockets

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