Who is who at COP26?

Political leaders, activists, organizations and companies from more than 200 countries meet at the COP26 from Glasgow (Scotland) to try to advance the climate objectives of the Paris Agreement. These will be the main protagonists of the summit:

– Political protagonists:

Joe Biden: One of Biden’s first steps as president of the United States was to reincorporate the country into the Paris Agreement, after his predecessor, Donald Trump, withdrew his support. Biden has made the environment one of the axes of his Government program. His relationship with China, overshadowed by trade and security tensions, will be one of the diplomatic keys that will mark the Glasgow summit.

John Kerry: As US Secretary of State, he signed the Paris Agreement in 2015. He is now Biden’s special climate envoy and will play a leading role at COP26 after a year of many trips around the world to prepare for the summit.

Xi Jinping: The commitments made during this decade by China, a country with 1.4 million inhabitants that has set itself the goal of becoming the world’s leading power, will be decisive when it comes to meeting the Paris climate goals. The presence in Glasgow of its president is not confirmed, although his absence would not necessarily be interpreted as a step backwards by Beijing.

Xie Zhenhua: The veteran climate expert was the Chinese negotiator in the dialogue prior to the Copenhagen and Paris summits. His appointment again this year as the Asian giant’s climate envoy has been interpreted as an outstretched hand to restore climate diplomacy after four years of coldness, during Trump’s term in the United States.

Boris Johnson: The British Prime Minister will take center stage in Glasgow as the host of the summit. His Government has set the goal for the United Kingdom to achieve net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 and has made the fight against the climate crisis one of the focuses of its policies, despite the fact that in 2015, shortly after the Paris summit, he was still skeptical of the role of human pollution in global warming.

Alok Sharma: As president of COP26, the British Minister for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy until last January will play a central role in the summit negotiations. Sharma, born in India in 1967, has traveled in recent months dozens of countries, defying the restrictions due to the pandemic, with the aim of paving the way before the summit and starting national commitments that allow progress towards the climate objectives of the Agreement of Paris.

Mario Draghi: Italy is officially co-host of COP26, so the role of its prime minister will also be relevant. His prominence is increased by being the current president of the G20, a forum that next weekend, at its meeting in Rome, will act as a prelude to the climate summit.

Narendra Modi: With a population of 1.3 billion, India’s emissions targets are crucial to limiting global warming. Modi is expected to be one of the world leaders present at COP26.

Jair Bolsonaro: The role of the Brazilian president in conserving the Amazon is critical, although his presence is not expected at the climate meeting.

– Activists and personalities:

Greta Thunberg: The 18-year-old Swedish activist is one of the most listened to voices in environmental movements. Their “Fridays for Future” school protests lit the flame of numerous youth movements demanding urgent action against climate change around the world.

Charles of England: The Prince of Wales, heir to the throne of the United Kingdom, has for decades been a public defender of conservation positions and environmental causes. Charles will attend the Glasgow summit, while Queen Elizabeth II has suspended her trip to Scotland to take medical advice to rest.

David Attemborough: The 95-year-old British naturalist and television host is one of the best-known nature popularizers on the planet. In recent years it has contributed to highlighting environmental problems such as plastic in the oceans and the loss of species.

Pope Francis: The Catholic leader will not attend COP26 in person, although he has made the fight against climate change one of the priorities of his pontificate. Francis and other religious leaders from around the world made an urgent appeal this month to ask states for concrete action and greater ambition in view of the climate summit.

Greenpeace: The environmental organization considers the Glasgow meeting the most important after the Paris meeting, given that it is the first of a decade in which humanity must take decisive action to stop warming.

Extinction Rebellion: At the forefront of numerous UK climate protests in recent years, Extinction Rebellion activists have regularly cut off road entrances to London in recent weeks to give visibility to their demands. They warn that they do not believe that the commitments that come out of the summit are enough: “We cannot trust the COP”, they have advanced.

Organizations and institutions:

Climate Vulnerability Forum (CVF): 48 countries especially vulnerable to the climate crisis have formed a bloc to defend their interests. Costa Rica, the Philippines, the Maldives, Bangladesh and the Philippines are among its members.

OPEC: The Organization of the Petroleum Producing Countries, which is among the intergovernmental entities participating in COP26, brings together some of the world’s leading oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, and may play a role in global policies on energy transition.

IEA: The International Energy Agency, which groups 30 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Spain, is one of the organizations that analyzes and recommends measures to promote the use of clean energy and has urged its members to take advantage of the post-pandemic recovery to drive that transition.

The Alliance for Energy Beyond Coal (PPCA), is a coalition that brings together 137 national and regional governments and organizations, promoted by Canada and the United Kingdom, with the aim of accelerating the abandonment of the use of fossil fuels like coal.