18-year-old Greta Thunberg is a Climate activist from Sweden. Within a short time, she has become the face of the youth who are worried at the inaction of world leaders on climate change. In December 2019, Greta landed in Lisbon for COP25 after crossing the Atlantic in a shared catamaran. Now, she relied on a train to travel from London Euston to Glasgow, the venue of COP26.
The activists have come here to express their concerns to the world at large. She is one of them and is not afraid to call a spade a spade. She has attended some of the international conferences and has criticized the casual approach of leaders to this issue of climate change. This single factor is responsible for climatic disturbances like heatwaves, droughts, fires, floods, etcetera. The media and activists were on hand to greet Greta on her arrival at Glasgow.
There is a buildup of protests ahead of COP26. Many of the protesters walked thousands of miles to join in a procession through the city.
They plan to hold a series of non-violent protests in Glasgow and around the world during COP26. The authorities expect thousands of people to attend the climate conference.
The presence of Greta makes a difference
Climate activist Greta Thunberg carried with her a cardboard placard. It was related to "Fridays for Future." It is the name of the youth movement inspired by Greta's school strikes in 2018. In September 2019, Greta talked tough to Congress on the climate crisis. Hundreds of people from far-off places gathered in Glasgow to express solidarity with the cause. They converged on Glasgow Green. There was a guard of honor waiting for them. To show the seriousness of the occasion, the bells at a Cathedral in Glasgow led a UK-wide toll from 18:00.
It was to offer a traditional warning to humanity. The subject was to "pay heed to the climate crisis." A group of Spanish activists who took a ferry followed by a 30-day hike to Glasgow. Many members walked from London and Bristol to Glasgow. It took them nearly two months. Another group of activists walked 1,200 miles from Cornwall. There were others from Poland, Sweden, Germany, and even Dunbar. They want to highlight the need for world leaders to assign priority to climate change.
World leaders are in Glasgow for the COP26 summit. Their main agenda is to discuss the climate crisis. Some perceive the summit as one of the last chances to avoid the catastrophic consequences of the environment's emergency.
No official invitation for Greta
In an interview with a media section, Greta Thunberg said she does not have any official invitation to the COP26 summit. She brushed it off by saying that inviting too many radical young people might be uncomfortable for some. The conference would have 120 dignitaries and heads of state. Metro UK adds that climate activists and others traveled by the COP train. Its journey was through the Netherlands and Belgium before it linked up with the Avanti West Coast train to reach Glasgow. Some activists had come from Poland and Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. The activists on the train were in the company of ambassadors, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), and delegations from the governments of the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Germany.