Who is attending COP26? Country leaders and other attendees at 2021 Glasgow climate change summit

A host of world leaders will be attending COP26
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COP26 is taking place in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November, but which leaders are attending the climate change summit and who else will be going?

Here’s everything you need to know.

What is COP26?

For nearly three decades the United Nations has been bringing together almost every country on earth for global climate summits named ‘Conference of the Parties’ - also known as COP.

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This year is the 26th annual summit, hence why it is called COP26, and with the UK as President, the summit takes place in Glasgow.

The climate talks will bring together heads of state, climate experts and campaigners to agree steps that need to be taken to tackle climate change.

COP26 key facts: all you need to know about 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference. (Graphic: Kim Mogg / JPIMedia)COP26 key facts: all you need to know about 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference. (Graphic: Kim Mogg / JPIMedia)
COP26 key facts: all you need to know about 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference. (Graphic: Kim Mogg / JPIMedia)

Who is attending COP26?

World leaders will arrive in Scotland, alongside tens of thousands of negotiators, government representatives, businesses and citizens for twelve days of talks.

Over 100 world leaders are expected to attend the conference, with President of the United States Joe Biden, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and Prince Charles all confirmed as attending COP26.

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Also attending the conference will be Italy’s Mario Draghi, Canada’s Justin Trudeau, Israel’s Naftali Bennett and India’s Narendra Modi.

There will also be some other famous faces attending the climate change conference, including climate activists and cultural leaders.

Sir David Attenborough has been named as the COP26 People’s Advocate, which has seen him address world leaders and other attendees during the summit.

Pietro Parolin, Cardinal Secretary of State of Vatican City, and Greta Thunberg, will also be attending the summit.

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China’s President Xi Jinping will not be attending COP26 in person but will instead talk to global leaders via video link.

Argentina, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, EU representatives from the 27 member states, France, Ghana, India, Israel, Italy, Nigeria, Scotland, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland and the US are all the countries attending COP26.

However, Iran, South Africa, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Brazil are not attending.

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan has also cancelled plans to attend the COP26 climate conference. Two Turkish officials told Reuters that this is due to the UK failing to meet Ankara’s demands on security arrangements.

What is the Paris Agreement?

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COP21 took place in Paris in 2015, where, for the first time ever, every country agreed to work together to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees and aim for 1.5 degrees, as well as adapting to the impacts of a changing climate and to make money available to deliver these aims. This became known as the Paris Agreement.

Under the Paris Agreement, countries committed to bring forward national plans setting out how much they would reduce their emissions by, known as Nationally Determined Contributions.

The countries also agreed that every five years they would come back with an updated plan that would reflect their highest possible ambition at that time.

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