‘It has failed all of us’: Extinction Rebellion conducts ‘funeral ceremony’ for COP26 in Glasgow

Extinction Rebellion climate activists have conducted a funeral ceremony for COP26 over its “failure and stupidity”.

Protesters calling themselves ‘red and blue rebels’ led a procession across Church Lane Bridge, known locally as The Bridge of Sighs, to Glasgow Necropolis on Saturday.

At a glance: 5 key points

• The activists laid down next to rows of individual “headstones” while others walked between them and performed grief poses
• The blue rebels carried a person cloaked in a black robe labelled “COP26”, who was lowered to the ground while a piper played laments, including Flowers Of The Forest
• An Extinction Rebellion spokesperson said that COP26 is the culmination of a failed process
• They went on to say that COP26 has “failed all of us”
• It comes as calls on countries to accelerate the phase-out of “unabated coal and “inefficient fossil fuel subsidies” has survived into a new version of the deal for overrunning COP26 talks

What’s been said

An XR member from the Isle of Barra identified only as Karen said: “We are here grieving for a planet that has been sacrificed by the failure and stupidity of COP26.

“The bare minimum needed from COP26 were commitments to leaving oil in the ground and an immediate halt to fossil fuel funding.

“Anything less than that is idiocy.

“As intelligent life on this planet we are already extinct. We know exactly what we need to do and we’re not doing it.”

COP26 has ‘failed all of us’

Cathy Allen, from XR Oxford, said: “At just over one degree of warming many communities are already being displaced by floods, drought and loss of land.

“To continue deliberately heating up the planet for pointless profit will soon displace hundreds of millions.

“This is no accident – it is a heinous and barbarous crime against humanity.

“We are especially in mourning for the global south and those on the frontline communities who will suffer the most but have done the least to cause this crisis.

“COP26 has failed them.

“It has failed all of us.”

Background

Efforts to strike agreement on climate action have continued at the COP26 talks, as the Glasgow summit is still in overtime.

On Friday afternoon countries set out their views on the latest drafts of the agreements that could be secured at the UN conference, which had been published earlier in the day.

Countries are under pressure to come up with a deal in Glasgow that will see them rapidly increase their ambition for emission cuts in the 2020s to stop the 1.5C goal slipping out of reach, as well provide the finance for developing countries to cope with the crisis.

COP26 urges developed countries to at least double their collective provision of climate finance to help developing nations adapt to climate change, from 2019 levels by 2025.A message from the editor:

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