Ten days from now, all the world leaders are gathering in Glasgow, Scotland, for a climate meet that’s considered arguably the most important one so far. It was held online last year due to the pandemic; this time the British organizers have insisted on arranging it in-person. The pandemic, however, may come in the way of a successful conclusion of COPP26.

Going by the health protocol, devised by the Britain and the WHO, every participant must be vaccinated. But most poor nations have not received enough vaccine supplies for all members of their delegations, from the heads of governments down to journalists. The organizers have said vaccines will be made available at the venue, but that’s neither here nor there, as a shot takes times to be effective. Some delegates have already travelled to places where vaccines are available, including the US, to be prepared. As for those who produce a vaccination certificate, there is no way to assess its authenticity. In case a head of nation/state falls ill, can they be told to go in quarantine? https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/climate/cop26-glasgow-climate-covid.html

The organizers are also ramping up lab facilities in the Scottish city just in case there is an emergency. Managing an estimated footfall of 20,000 over 13 days from October 31 is not going to be easy. Biden and G7 leaders will be attending, Pope Francis will be there, but many world leaders are yet to confirm their plans, given the Covid scare.

That prompted an unusual remark from an exasperated host, Queen Elizabeth, who was heard saying informally, “I've been hearing all about COP... I still don't know who's coming.” https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58923924 (She also said: “It's really irritating when they talk, but they don't do.”)

A series of reports this year have indicated that the world is about to enter a critical phase for climate action: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/09/ipcc-report-un-climate-report-delivers-starkest-warning-yet.html This decade is critical, and irreversible changes will be set in place if not enough is done now to limit global warming. It is necessary that leaders sit together and chalk out plans. The troubling part is inequality in vaccine distribution – something Swiss activist Greta Thunberg had pointed out much earlier: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/09/cop26-greta-thunberg-wont-go-if-vaccine-nationalism-continues.html