Duncan Harris reports from COP26 where he is a delegate of the Future Leaders' Network
COP Day 1 - a blustery day in Glasgow. The central blue zone overflowing with delegates for the first of the two days of the World Leaders’ Meeting. I found my way (with little help from any signs) to the public-facing Green Zone, located in the Glasgow Science Centre.
I joined one of the many events to be held there through the fortnight, a panel on youth and gender hosted by the UN FAO. Of the last 20 COPs, only 4 have been chaired by women.
By the afternoon the blue zone had quietened and the rest of my delegation from the Future Leaders Network arrived having been hampered by Sunday’s train delays. By now the wind had torn down the great green banner heralding Glasgow as the host city.
We explored the delegates’ pavilions, a vast airplane hanger of events spaces and free tea.
A wild spotting of Andy Burnham filled us all with excitement. Admittedly, there's likely to be plenty of opportunities for spot the politician / celebrity.. but the first sighting in the wild is the one you remember
A frisson of further excitement at the end of the day with the rumour of a big new deal on ending deforestation. Let's see whether it's true tomorrow..
I'll try to keep an updated diary of COP-26. I'm not promising it will be rich on analysis but I hope it will give an insight into the day to day life of a lowly COP-26 attendee.