By ZBC Reporter
Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is among other world leaders in Glasgow for the Conference of Parties (COP26) meeting, met British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the conference this Monday.
The President is expected to address the summit this Tuesday.
The 26th meeting of the Conference of Parties (Cop26) has opened in Glasgow, Scotland, with organisers saying the summit is crucial in chatting the way forward in mitigating the effects of climate change.
The Glasgow gathering, which runs until the 12th of November, comes amid an accelerated onslaught on extreme weather conditions owing to 150 years of burning fossil fuels.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa arrived in Glasgow early this Monday, joining more than 120 heads of state and government who have made the trip to Scotland for the United Nations meeting.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said world leaders must act to save humanity as scientists’ continue to raise red flags on the drastic effects of climate change.
“We face a stark choice: Either we stop it (ed: climate change), or it stops us. And it’s time to say: enough. Enough of brutalising biodiversity. Enough of killing ourselves with carbon. Enough of treating nature like a toilet. Enough of burning and drilling and mining our way deeper. We are digging our own graves,” said the UN leader.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson weighed in warning world leaders that they face a damning verdict from future generations unless they act decisively.
“The anger and the patience of the world will be uncontainable, unless we make this COP26 in Glasgow the moment when we get real about climate change,” said the British PM.
The heir to the British throne Prince Charles issued a plea to representatives of over 200 countries to create an environment that enables every sector to take the action required while Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley highlighted that failure by rich nations to fully fund climate change mitigation was immoral and unjust.
United States President Joe Biden said COP26 in Glasgow should herald the commencement of a decade of ambition in terms of tackling climate change.
COP26 inherits its central goal from the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement, which saw countries agreeing to cap global warming at “well below” 2C above pre-industrial levels, and 1.5C if possible.
Since the 2015 deal, a lot of issues are yet to be worked out, while emission reduction remains woefully insufficient to avert global warming.