Queueing chaos outside Cop26 venue as leaders arrive live

My colleague Jonathan Watts has written about warnings from environmentalists not to trust Brazil at the conference. Under far-right president Jair Bolsonaro deforestation has surged and protections for indigenous groups have been removed.

However, things have improved slightly in the past year.

At Glasgow, Brazil will show a less fractious face. This is largely due to the shift in Washington. While Donald Trump was in the White House, Bolsonaro was emboldened to denigrate international cooperation on the world stage. Since Joe Biden came to power, he has been forced to drop his two most globally toxic representatives: the former foreign minister Ernesto Araújo, and the former environment minister Ricardo Salles. The new environment minister, Joaquim Leite, who will head the Brazilian delegation at Glasgow, is far more personable, but activists say he has done little to change the destructive policies of his predecessor.

Read more here:

I’m in the pavilion area. This is a like a makeshift village where countries and organisations have dedicated areas where they can show off what they’re doing and stage talks. Lots of plywood, plants and people wearing suits. Everyone claims to be taking it more seriously than their neighbour.

Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has just met Swedish school strike activist Greta Thunberg and Ugandan activist Vanessa Nakate inside the venue.

Nakate wrote for the Guardian on Friday about the need to set up a climate compensation fund for poor countries:

I believe in the “polluter pays” principle. A recent analysis identified the countries historically responsible for the climate crisis. We know who did this â€" but they don’t want to pay the bill. Rich countries providing finance only for the mitigation of our emissions and protections against future impacts is no longer enough. Climate-vulnerable countries need funds to deal with the loss and damage we are suffering now.

Read the full piece here:

Oil-rich Saudi Arabia has often tried to frustrate progress at previous Cop26 climate summits, but it appears to be seeking better PR.

Environment editor Damian Carrington reports being sent this unsolicited DM via Twitter:

“Hi dear, we have a Saudi campaign promoting the environment initiatives happening there. We would like you to participate with us by tweeting about it. May i know if its possible and how much would u charge per tweet”

A source at the Saudi embassy in the UK said the approach had nothing to do with the government of the kingdom.

Scenes like this have not been seen at a Cop since the poorly prepared Copenhagen conference in 2009. A crowd of many hundreds, probably at least 2,000 just in the forward bit, gathered at the entrance, where there seemed to be no preparation, no attempt to encourage people to queue rather than simply press forward, no pretence at social distancing.

People are packed together closely with no option but to press ahead because of the stream of new people arriving behind. The queue has been moving at a speed of roughly 10 to 15 feet per hour by the estimates of a few people here. There seems little prospect of improvement and at this rate thousands of people will be standing outside for hours.

I stood in a similar queue on Friday. This time, thankfully, it is not raining but they could have had a better plan for queue management. Like many people here I’ve already had a long journey, having left before 8am to get here, so there’s a lot of weariness in the crowd here before we even get started but everyone is still in good spirits and just eager to get in.

It is inexplicable that the Scottish hosts have not managed this better having had nearly two years to prepare. They knew 30,000 people would come.

My colleague Damian Carrington has done a deep dive into almost 40 recent polls on climate from around the world, and found that across the world, the public overwhelmingly back urgent action on the climate crisis.

However, people do not have confidence in their elected representatives that the necessary action will be taken.

climate polling graphic

Read the full piece here:

Once delegates do get in, at least they won’t go thirsty - as long as they like Irn-Bru

It seems the queues for security outside the venue are causing chaos.

Chris McCall of the Daily Record says some delegates are trying to skip the queue:

Chris McCall (@Dennynews)

Huge queues to get in to #COP26. Much grumbling as various delegates attempt to skip to the front of the queue to security.

One UN observer tells me: “This is a problem with COP. Everyone has a business class mentality.” pic.twitter.com/Do4RuHoPPI

November 1, 2021

While Paul Waugh at the i describes the scenes as “utter chaos”:

Paul Waugh (@paulwaugh)

Utter chaos at security for COP26. It's not as if they couldn't plan for this is it? pic.twitter.com/HBI1lMMiEW

November 1, 2021

Our own Phoebe Weston says she queued for an hour before getting in

A dinosaur with a message for Joe Biden poses outside the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art.

Kate Proctor of PoliticsHome (and formerly of the Guardian) has tweeted from the enormous queues to get through security:

Kate Proctor (@Kate_M_Proctor)

It's my own fault for not doing this at 6am or something but long queues for COP26 just to get through security. #COP26 pic.twitter.com/6mBladwoaI

November 1, 2021

She says security staff are going down the line asking people not to take photos, which sounds like a doomed effort.

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