Heads of state from all over the world are currently meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, for the COP 26 world climate summit.
At the opening session, US President Joe Biden (78) could hardly keep his eyes open. A video shows how his eyelids fall shut and he dozes off for a few seconds. Another mishap occurred to Prince Charles (72). When he came on stage to give a speech, he tripped over his own feet on the stairs and lost his balance for a brief moment. Fortunately, he was able to recover and step behind the lectern.
400 private jets land in Glasgow
Even the arrival of the heads of state caused frowns on the internet. 52 private jets flew to Glasgow on Sunday. The airport was sometimes totally overloaded and there were real traffic jams, as the “Daily Mail” reports.
The British newspaper estimates that up to 400 private jets will land in Glasgow during the two-week conference – emitting up to 13,000 tons of carbon dioxide. US President Joe Biden alone caused 1000 tons of CO with his fleet of helicopters and rows of limousines2.
One of the biggest climate sinners is missing
While some heads of state traveled to Glasgow by private jet and entourage, others did not take part in the world climate summit. Among them Xi Jinping (68), the President of China – the country that is one of the biggest climate sinners.
According to the official list of speakers, he should only publish a written statement on the summit’s website. Russia’s head of state Vladimir Putin (69) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (67) are also absent from the climate conference.
Erdoğan signed off at short notice because the security measures in Glasgow would not go far enough for him, reported the Turkish broadcaster NTV.
Tantalizing Bolsonaro and non-wheelchair accessible buildings
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro (66), who has the rainforest cut down in his own country, is also skipping the climate conference in Glasgow. On Monday he preferred to travel to Anguillara Veneta in the Italian province of Padua, where he was made an honorary citizen by the city administration.
The Israeli energy minister Karine Elharrar (44), on the other hand, traveled to the climate conference with clear goals – and was bitterly disappointed. Elharrar has muscular dystrophy and is in a wheelchair. Because the conference building was not barrier-free, she tried unsuccessfully to enter it.
Since the organizers were not very cooperative either, she returned to the hotel after two hours. Elharrar wrote on Twitter: “It is sad that the UN will not take care of accessibility at its events in 2021.” (gin)