Tens of thousands set to join COP26 protest in Glasgow on Global Day of Action for the climate
As the UN Climate Conference continues, thousands will take to the streets in Glasgow today, alongside millions more in other towns and cities across the world, in a Global Day of Action against climate change.
In Glasgow, a crowd will march to the city for a rally in the afternoon where teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg address tens of thousands of climate campaigners as the city hosts the COP26 summit.
Marking the middle weekend of the two-week international climate conference, those taking part in the march and rally – including local community groups, national trade unions and international climate and environment organisations – are expected to travel towards Glasgow Green.
More protests are expected to take place in Glasgow and around the world on Saturday
Dozens of roads across the city centre will be closed from the early morning, with between 50,000 to 100,000 people expected to be in attendance.
Representatives of the Stop Cambo campaign – who are calling for an end to the proposed new oil field west of Shetland, thought to contain 800 million barrels of oil – are also believed to address protesters.
Police have warned they will deal “swiftly and robustly” with any violent disorder or damage to property during planned COP26 protests in Glasgow.
Police Scotland assistant chief constable Gary Ritchie said officers have engaged with key campaign groups to ensure the protests can take place safety, but they will quickly crack down on any problems if need be.
The Glasgow events are a few of 250 simultaneous actions planned by march organisers across the world.
Saturday’s COP26 theme will be nature – underlying the importance of the natural world and sustainable land use
Elsewhere in the UK, protests include a march from the Bank of England to Trafalgar Square in London.
The protests come at the end of the first week of the conference, where countries are under pressure to increase ambition on cutting greenhouse gas emissions and to ensure finance for poor countries to tackle the crisis.
Earlier in the week, world leaders gathered in Glasgow to unite around pledges to try to limit global warming to 1.5C.
On Friday, the Glasgow summit discussed youth and public empowerment and Ms Thunberg was among thousands of protesters on a march.
Many of those in attendance were young people who took part in a rally in George Square on COP26’s Youth Day.
Prince Charles turned down an invite to join the rally, saying that taking part would be “difficult”.
But, the next in line to the throne said he sympathised with the “frustration” of the younger generation in a speech to COP26 negotiators, telling them the “weight of history” is resting on their shoulders.
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Speaking at the Fridays for Future rally in Glasgow, Ms Thunberg insisted that COP26 is already a “failure.”
She said: “It should be obvious that we cannot solve a crisis with the same methods that got us into it in the first place.
“Many are starting to ask themselves: ‘What will it take for the people in power to wake up?’
“But let’s be clear, they are already awake. They know exactly what they are doing.”
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Vanessa Nakate: ‘We’re in a disaster that’s happening every day’
She added that world powers are not doing “nothing”, but “actively creating loopholes and shaping frameworks to benefit themselves and to continue profiting”.
Ms Thunberg continued: “This is an active choice.”
The Swedish activist said COP26 has turned into a “PR event where leaders are giving beautiful speeches and announcing fancy commitments and targets”, adding: “While behind the curtains the governments of the global north countries are still refusing to take any drastic climate action.
“It seems like their main goal is to continue to fight for the status quo.”
Ms Thunberg is expected to give another speech on Saturday.
Saturday’s COP26 theme will be nature – underlying the importance of the natural world and sustainable land use.
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Politics
Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf is battling for political survival. How did we get here – and what happens next?
Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf is battling to save his job as he faces a knife-edge no-confidence vote.
The SNP leader triggered a crisis at Holyrood after he dramatically brought the power sharing deal with the Scottish Greens to an end.
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The backlash has plunged Mr Yousaf’s future into doubt, although party colleagues insist he will not resign.
How did we get here?
The Bute House Agreement – signed back in 2021 and named after the first minister’s official residence in Edinburgh – brought the Green Party into government for the first time anywhere in the UK.
It gave the SNP a majority at Holyrood when the votes of its MSPs were combined with those of the seven Green members, and also made Green co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater junior ministers.
Without it, the SNP would need to have operated as a minority administration at Holyrood.
What caused the relationship to sour?
There had been mounting tensions between the largest party at Holyrood and their junior partners in government.
The Greens were angered at the SNP-led administration’s recent decision to ditch a key climate change target.
That, combined with the decision to pause the prescription of new puberty blockers to under-18s at Scotland’s only gender clinic, resulted in the Greens announcing they would have a vote on the future of the power sharing deal.
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‘I intend to fight that vote’
What brought things to a head?
Mr Yousaf decided to pull the plug on the agreement – arguing it had “served its purpose” – prompting a major fallout with his former allies, who vowed to back a no-confidence motion in his leadership proposed by Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross.
So how do the numbers stack up?
Tight to say the least.
As the leader of a now minority government, Mr Yousaf’s fate is set to depend on just one vote – that of a former SNP leadership rival.
In the Scottish parliament, the SNP has 63 seats out of 129, two short of an outright majority.
The Greens voting in favour of the no-confidence motion would mean 64 MSPs do not back the first minister.
The presiding officer Alison Johnstone, the equivalent of the Commons speaker, traditionally does not vote and would only so so in the event of a tiebreak and would be expected to support the status quo – so back the first minister.
That leaves Ash Regan, the one-time SNP leadership rival to Mr Yousaf who defected to Alex Salmond’s Alba Party last October.
She has written to the first minister, setting out demands in exchange for her support.
Ash Regan. Pic: PA
When will the vote be held?
Any no-confidence vote in Mr Yousaf is likely to take place next week, with timings to be confirmed by parliamentary business managers who are expected to meet on Tuesday.
What happens if Mr Yousaf loses?
The vote is not binding and so he would not be forced to step down – but he would be under immense pressure to quit, and his position likely to be judged untenable if he did not have the confidence of most MSPs.
However, the resignation of the first minister would not automatically trigger a Holyrood election, with a 28-day grace period for MSPs to choose a replacement.
This means that if Mr Yousaf was to quit, the SNP may seek to have a replacement leader installed in the post – assuming they could muster enough support.
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Is that all?
No. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar says he will separately lay a motion of no confidence in the Scottish government.
While this carries more far-reaching implications by compelling ministers to resign and raising the prospect of an election, it is unlikely to succeed.
Alba has already ruled out its pivotal support, accusing Mr Sarwar of “grandstanding”.
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