Cop26 Glasgow news live: Boris Johnson to fly back home to London despite making warnings over climate

More than 100 leaders of as many countries will make a promise during the Cop26 summit to stop deforestation and begin restoring the world’s forests by 2030, the UK government has announced.

Leaders representing countries that are home to 85 per cent of the planet’s forests will commit on Tuesday to “halt and reverse” deforestation by the end of the decade.

Downing Street said the pledge was backed by £8.75bn of public funding from governments aimed at restoring ripped-up land, with a further £5.3bn coming from private investment.

The full story by my colleague Adam Forrest here:

US President Joe Biden has been criticised for travelling in a motorcade of dozens of cars to give speeches about climate change.

At the closing of day one of the Cop 26 climate conference, he tweeted: “The science is clear: We have only a brief window to raise our ambition and rise to meet the threat of climate change. We can do it if the world comes together with determination and ambition.

“That’s what Cop26 is about — and that’s the case I made today in Glasgow.”

Commenters on the social network said that he posted a “empty, meaningless tweet”, and that he is failing to “lead the way” in efforts to improve the environment.

Some channeled activist Greta Thunberg by replying to Mr Biden’s tweet “blah blah blah” – her dismissal of politicians paying lip service to the movement.

First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford has tweeted about his presence at the Cop26 summit.

He said: “Great to be here in Glasgow for #COP26 and to see so many countries coming together to discuss what the world needs to tackle climate change.

“By working together and taking collective action, we can ensure a greener future for the next generation.”

World leaders and some members of the Royal Family are (almost) rubbing shoulders at an evening reception closing the first day of the Cop26 summit.

Some familiar names at the event include the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Boris Johnson, German chancellor Angela Merkel, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, and US President Joe Biden.

The Queen, who has been advised by doctors to rest, addressed attendees at the reception in a pre-recorded video in which she pays tribute to her “late dear husband” Prince Philip, as well as encourages the world leaders to agree on a plan to tackle climate change.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tweeted about India’s “ambitious plans” for half its energy to come from renewables by 2030.

He said: “India has today announced ambitious plans for half its energy to come from renewables by 2030.

“This will cut carbon emissions by a billion tonnes, contributing to a worldwide decade of delivery on climate change.

“PM Narendra Modi has for the first time made a commitment for India to become net zero, meaning 90% of the world’s economy is now committed to this goal.

“The UK will work with India to make even more progress, including through the Clean Green Initiative we discussed today.”

Britain’s ambitious target to become a net-zero economy is in doubt even as it hosts the Cop26.

Rishi Sunak’s budget fell as much as £21bn short of the investment needed to meet the government’s own carbon reduction targets up to 2025, according to exclusive analysis shared with The Independent.

The revelation from the Resolution Foundation follows Boris Johnson’s claim that Cop26 will have failed unless the world has committed to “halve emissions by the end of this decade”.

Here’s the full story from Anna Isaac…

The Queen has paid tribute to her “dear late husband” the Duke of Edinburgh in a pre-recorded video message played to the welcoming reception of the Cop26 summit.

The monarch, who was due to attend the conference of world leaders, has been resting at home after being advised to by doctors.

Prince Philip, her husband, died just days short of his hundredth birthday in April this year.

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An initiative to plant 8,000 kilometres of trees across the width of Africa presents a “precious opportunity” in the fight against climate change, the Prince of Wales has said.

The Great Green Wall was devised in 2007 and a funding drive culminated in more than £14 billion from a number of sources to plant more than 20 million trees across 11 countries, which is estimated to create up to 350,000 jobs.

The Prince of Wales spoke at an event alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Meanwhile, Mr Bezos pledged £730 million (1 billion USD) through the Bezos Earth Fund for land restoration throughout Africa, including the Great Green Wall.

Greta Thunberg has been getting to grips with slang since arriving in Glasgow yesterday.

The Swedish environmental activist has been seen today leading protesters’ chants of “stick your climate crisis up your arse” while world leaders have begun their two-week-long climate summit.

It comes after Ms Thunberg accused leaders of paying lip service to the movement as they began to kick-off the event.

Senior climate correspondent Louise Boyle interviewed congressman Ro Khanna, who is attempting to hold the oil industry accountable for global warming.

He has told The Independent that he and his Democratic colleagues were left with no choice but to issue subpoenas for internal documents as it was “justified by their record”.

“They thought they would just sit there, survive this and then move on with their lives. And that’s not going to happen,” Mr Khanna said.

Read the full story here: