![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/E4DHUAA3NZUAAYZJTFFBH5B6MQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=31b8605fdd6dc49011021252fc300f22f1cb85ba2c813e9bf583895bfba98358&width=400&height=225)
A polar bear stands on the ice in the Franklin Strait in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in 2017. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/PMDSHBXNLJ5RV2CNZ5M25QHVAY.jpg?smart=true&auth=36b5fbeee111d86dd13add8647db34035c598d1faf954e9033ce6d3507e448e1&width=400&height=225)
Signs from Fridays for Future movement in Berlin, Germany. Ten cities joined New York and London in committing to divest from fossil fuel companies as part of efforts to combat climate change. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/PAUFLQ6VEWY5ZND2YMRVSLDEXM.jpg?smart=true&auth=204527cc08238ea8a9b21971574b0235668f7efb10739d7f49859a7e43c4f185&width=400&height=225)
Climate activists march in an attempt to occupy the Garzweiler open-cast coal mine and nearby gas infrastructure on a day of civil disobedience near Grevenbroich, Germany. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/K3DGMC7MECMJA5IYHHEBTOP2EU.jpg?smart=true&auth=c5c786edc5a1f7ec0b6706005ff3f0189e933a0d53c85643d4409dc67bf6c3f5&width=400&height=225)
A child wears plastic bottle waste provided by climate and environmental activists during a protest in Nairobi, Kenya. Reuters
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/QAXV5OIMINC3JEEI4UUL2NX6SE.jpg?smart=true&auth=06b1b5fc6160237b3db13b82f5e5ea6490b5cfd8a6b483f42d6bae05233407e6&width=400&height=225)
A deforested area close to Sinop, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. The number of bushfires raging in Brazil's Amazon increased 61 per cent in September last year, compared to the same period in 2019. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/3STRSKKL77OA2DGDY7LGG7W4BA.jpg?smart=true&auth=1a188d3307a960d0033191dd4e42f85b3ee8cf7682b3edd84a1f38475a6a5663&width=400&height=225)
Ice sculptures of Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro comprise the artwork 'Meltdown', which was on display last September during the UN Summit On Biodiversity in New York City. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/IGSL2PF5PQFCRUQEXVH7YXZJRI.jpg?smart=true&auth=d514ccbea40e8b08680b8014de11f4bfc1a48d2d3d342e980374d10cee146fba&width=400&height=225)
A Jaguar named Ousado, who suffered second-degree burns during fires in the South American Pantanal region, rests in his cage after treatment in Brazil. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/TU2WXD3WB6XQITRRX7RUCCQ74I.jpg?smart=true&auth=baf5de5fd9e2a08c659f4c9eb655e310586563f2fdbf9a67a2d8d7e21c28ac9e&width=400&height=225)
Cars on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. The US state plans to phase out sales of new, petrol-powered cars by 2035. Bloomberg
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/QEUMOFF2MFQQJ36FCGCWFM7REI.jpg?smart=true&auth=24e4cc9e5d5df0c109d67694671d8f3d380e83efc6e77eed1cbea518eb76eb2c&width=400&height=225)
Deadly bushfires in California burnt more than 16,000 square kilometres of land last year — more than double the previous record for the most land burnt in a single year in the state. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/IGSZSSPRLSPLKO6YRKU7M6UC3A.jpg?smart=true&auth=bb5e85462c1791c903d21faf192323c995aef1f271eb3c6abb2c3bcef0fb10c8&width=400&height=225)
An aircraft prepares to drop fire retardant while battling a blaze in the Mendocino National Forest, California. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/BUCTXNKHBN3CCZZ3EQSTF7PKP4.jpg?smart=true&auth=bb47c7251abd5a1fcb39eb8343115253598d12b36f969f8138335b778f68de91&width=400&height=225)
Filipino climate activists hold placards calling for climate action as a part of global climate change protests in Quezon City. Reuters
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/PLRHZBLFV5SRRYRQ5332MBYD4U.jpg?smart=true&auth=96c1597db298f5df032787956031409fbc8e99f5d8f41defe870dc94b738ae79&width=400&height=225)
Debris collects in a river after heavy rains and floods hit Breil-sur-Roya, a French village close to the Italian border. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/KTAGFJDLBRQWJO5BTS7YI7B6YY.jpg?smart=true&auth=f7e83eba544bef40542c249bfa51988e7708bc4acff8d77575b86c5f9d31cc50&width=400&height=225)
Climate and environmental activists make their way through a forest next to the village of Shipunovo, 170 km south of the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, to extinguish a peat fire. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/RU2NBWKLILIUMTEPVQOZVINMAE.jpg?smart=true&auth=0ee7697f669d7bc0cdd033451cacce46689969513cc32df0c2b655413339eb13&width=400&height=225)
A man holds a banner with the message "United for climate" during a small climate change protest in Brussels. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/PLFTMHUQDS3NGNF6ONXBFPE2JA.jpg?smart=true&auth=f13e40f0059c145c2de2254a12a41c937331ec3a95e4c563b9bddedac886b6c9&width=400&height=225)
British zoologist Andrew Bladon takes the temperature of a butterfly near Pegsdon, England. Whether a butterfly's wings absorb or reflect heat from the sun could be a matter of life and death in a warming world, British researchers said. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/FSIMMCHNDAHL5YNFYFHIDNAOSU.jpg?smart=true&auth=5e37751bae54e03b4aa6d1c6ee20f4d2b62665daa7220c2ea6811b0eec53f0ca&width=400&height=225)
Members of an environmental group in Seoul, South Korea, take part in a protest against climate change. EPA
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/T4GJ2F6NAATZXGJABWYJAHWPB4.jpg?smart=true&auth=0afeb23878065bf2d305bc3969db18bc45fc220b8a26bc5eda85f120ce8dcd64&width=400&height=225)
Activists from various environmental groups take part in a protest against climate change in New Delhi, India. EPA
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/UECAMPECO6MQT3NTMIRTSJJNAY.jpg?smart=true&auth=ec87612ee10d7e84cc326da4ddcf2b78e770c173cb87236e366792422b5f5540&width=400&height=225)
Ugandan climate change activist Vanessa Nakate takes part in a demonstration in the Luzira suburb of Kampala, Uganda. Reuters
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/QTMHTKJNJYQO26ZHFRKB5CLRU4.jpg?smart=true&auth=62f15cd5c8f96808521dff94daaedbdb1c3aed45f1a1b691bddf4e323331069f&width=400&height=225)
A climate change demonstration in Vienna, Austria. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/ISOWFTZ5HWXKN3KRJNHIA3QDIA.jpg?smart=true&auth=1ecf214e6dc3d804ed9bb6a9a12bdbcb397a51ce488c051cd64a58e12be04ba3&width=400&height=225)
An iceberg floats past Bylot Island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in 2017. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/E4DHUAA3NZUAAYZJTFFBH5B6MQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=31b8605fdd6dc49011021252fc300f22f1cb85ba2c813e9bf583895bfba98358&width=400&height=225)
A polar bear stands on the ice in the Franklin Strait in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in 2017. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/PMDSHBXNLJ5RV2CNZ5M25QHVAY.jpg?smart=true&auth=36b5fbeee111d86dd13add8647db34035c598d1faf954e9033ce6d3507e448e1&width=400&height=225)
Signs from Fridays for Future movement in Berlin, Germany. Ten cities joined New York and London in committing to divest from fossil fuel companies as part of efforts to combat climate change. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/PAUFLQ6VEWY5ZND2YMRVSLDEXM.jpg?smart=true&auth=204527cc08238ea8a9b21971574b0235668f7efb10739d7f49859a7e43c4f185&width=400&height=225)
Climate activists march in an attempt to occupy the Garzweiler open-cast coal mine and nearby gas infrastructure on a day of civil disobedience near Grevenbroich, Germany. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/K3DGMC7MECMJA5IYHHEBTOP2EU.jpg?smart=true&auth=c5c786edc5a1f7ec0b6706005ff3f0189e933a0d53c85643d4409dc67bf6c3f5&width=400&height=225)
A child wears plastic bottle waste provided by climate and environmental activists during a protest in Nairobi, Kenya. Reuters
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/QAXV5OIMINC3JEEI4UUL2NX6SE.jpg?smart=true&auth=06b1b5fc6160237b3db13b82f5e5ea6490b5cfd8a6b483f42d6bae05233407e6&width=400&height=225)
A deforested area close to Sinop, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. The number of bushfires raging in Brazil's Amazon increased 61 per cent in September last year, compared to the same period in 2019. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/3STRSKKL77OA2DGDY7LGG7W4BA.jpg?smart=true&auth=1a188d3307a960d0033191dd4e42f85b3ee8cf7682b3edd84a1f38475a6a5663&width=400&height=225)
Ice sculptures of Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro comprise the artwork 'Meltdown', which was on display last September during the UN Summit On Biodiversity in New York City. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/IGSL2PF5PQFCRUQEXVH7YXZJRI.jpg?smart=true&auth=d514ccbea40e8b08680b8014de11f4bfc1a48d2d3d342e980374d10cee146fba&width=400&height=225)
A Jaguar named Ousado, who suffered second-degree burns during fires in the South American Pantanal region, rests in his cage after treatment in Brazil. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/TU2WXD3WB6XQITRRX7RUCCQ74I.jpg?smart=true&auth=baf5de5fd9e2a08c659f4c9eb655e310586563f2fdbf9a67a2d8d7e21c28ac9e&width=400&height=225)
Cars on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. The US state plans to phase out sales of new, petrol-powered cars by 2035. Bloomberg
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/QEUMOFF2MFQQJ36FCGCWFM7REI.jpg?smart=true&auth=24e4cc9e5d5df0c109d67694671d8f3d380e83efc6e77eed1cbea518eb76eb2c&width=400&height=225)
Deadly bushfires in California burnt more than 16,000 square kilometres of land last year — more than double the previous record for the most land burnt in a single year in the state. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/IGSZSSPRLSPLKO6YRKU7M6UC3A.jpg?smart=true&auth=bb5e85462c1791c903d21faf192323c995aef1f271eb3c6abb2c3bcef0fb10c8&width=400&height=225)
An aircraft prepares to drop fire retardant while battling a blaze in the Mendocino National Forest, California. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/BUCTXNKHBN3CCZZ3EQSTF7PKP4.jpg?smart=true&auth=bb47c7251abd5a1fcb39eb8343115253598d12b36f969f8138335b778f68de91&width=400&height=225)
Filipino climate activists hold placards calling for climate action as a part of global climate change protests in Quezon City. Reuters
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/PLRHZBLFV5SRRYRQ5332MBYD4U.jpg?smart=true&auth=96c1597db298f5df032787956031409fbc8e99f5d8f41defe870dc94b738ae79&width=400&height=225)
Debris collects in a river after heavy rains and floods hit Breil-sur-Roya, a French village close to the Italian border. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/KTAGFJDLBRQWJO5BTS7YI7B6YY.jpg?smart=true&auth=f7e83eba544bef40542c249bfa51988e7708bc4acff8d77575b86c5f9d31cc50&width=400&height=225)
Climate and environmental activists make their way through a forest next to the village of Shipunovo, 170 km south of the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, to extinguish a peat fire. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/RU2NBWKLILIUMTEPVQOZVINMAE.jpg?smart=true&auth=0ee7697f669d7bc0cdd033451cacce46689969513cc32df0c2b655413339eb13&width=400&height=225)
A man holds a banner with the message "United for climate" during a small climate change protest in Brussels. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/PLFTMHUQDS3NGNF6ONXBFPE2JA.jpg?smart=true&auth=f13e40f0059c145c2de2254a12a41c937331ec3a95e4c563b9bddedac886b6c9&width=400&height=225)
British zoologist Andrew Bladon takes the temperature of a butterfly near Pegsdon, England. Whether a butterfly's wings absorb or reflect heat from the sun could be a matter of life and death in a warming world, British researchers said. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/FSIMMCHNDAHL5YNFYFHIDNAOSU.jpg?smart=true&auth=5e37751bae54e03b4aa6d1c6ee20f4d2b62665daa7220c2ea6811b0eec53f0ca&width=400&height=225)
Members of an environmental group in Seoul, South Korea, take part in a protest against climate change. EPA
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/T4GJ2F6NAATZXGJABWYJAHWPB4.jpg?smart=true&auth=0afeb23878065bf2d305bc3969db18bc45fc220b8a26bc5eda85f120ce8dcd64&width=400&height=225)
Activists from various environmental groups take part in a protest against climate change in New Delhi, India. EPA
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/UECAMPECO6MQT3NTMIRTSJJNAY.jpg?smart=true&auth=ec87612ee10d7e84cc326da4ddcf2b78e770c173cb87236e366792422b5f5540&width=400&height=225)
Ugandan climate change activist Vanessa Nakate takes part in a demonstration in the Luzira suburb of Kampala, Uganda. Reuters
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/QTMHTKJNJYQO26ZHFRKB5CLRU4.jpg?smart=true&auth=62f15cd5c8f96808521dff94daaedbdb1c3aed45f1a1b691bddf4e323331069f&width=400&height=225)
A climate change demonstration in Vienna, Austria. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/ISOWFTZ5HWXKN3KRJNHIA3QDIA.jpg?smart=true&auth=1ecf214e6dc3d804ed9bb6a9a12bdbcb397a51ce488c051cd64a58e12be04ba3&width=400&height=225)
An iceberg floats past Bylot Island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in 2017. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/E4DHUAA3NZUAAYZJTFFBH5B6MQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=31b8605fdd6dc49011021252fc300f22f1cb85ba2c813e9bf583895bfba98358&width=400&height=225)
A polar bear stands on the ice in the Franklin Strait in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in 2017. AP
Cop26 must consign coal to history to save the planet
Climate summit president Alok Sharma calls this year's Glasgow event ‘our last hope’
![Simon Rushton](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Farc-authors%2Fthenational%2F8914acf1-bad9-42aa-8156-46e8d16687cc.png?smart=true&auth=3ff878e023b7bed9f6bc6795da784ade0a36914bf2ea4cd3973648e9808bed74&width=70&height=70)
Simon Rushton
14 May, 2021
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