More than 120 leaders meet in Glasgow with the planet chained to a time bomb: "If we do not take action, it will be too late for our children," says Johnson.

More than 120 heads of State and Government from around the world have gathered since Monday in Glasgow, Scotland, at the United Nations Conference COP26, the most important forum in years to combat the climate emergency that threatens our planet.

Climate crisis: who’s who on the COP26 chessboard 

The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, warned in his opening speech at the summit about the consequences of the lack of action: "We are digging our own grave."

The prime minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, host of the meeting, assured for his part that the world is on the brink of cataclysm: " If we do not take climate change seriously today, it will be too late for our children ." Johnson compared the situation on the planet to that of James Bond strapped to a ticking bomb, desperately trying to defuse it.

The latest United Nations report, released in August, predicted that the international community must cut carbon emissions in half over the next decade to begin reversing the disastrous effects of climate change triggered by the consumption of coal, oil and natural gas. . 

Climate change: a brief history of a long-heralded tragedy 

This summit, which was delayed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, will host two weeks of negotiations that are expected to end in an agreement to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and stop global warming .

While the cameras are pointed at the world leaders who deliver their speeches, the negotiations take place, which are, in effect, the responsibility of the national delegations. These teams are usually made up of government experts from each country, organizations and civil society, including officials from the EU, the Alliance of Small Island States, the G7 and others.

IMF head demanded COP26 leaders take more ambitious climate action

Some of them have been preparing the Glasgow summit and the basis for a possible agreement since the last COP of 2019. Now they will make meeting rooms in the coming days to agree on a common position.

"There's no more time": Biden calls for joining forces against extreme weather

President Joe Biden has already pledged to reduce emissions by 2030, and part of his mission at the climate summit will be to convince other nations that the United States has a serious climate commitment behind the policies of Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, Congress is debating a budget law with the largest investment ever made in the fight against the climate emergency in the country.

In his opening remarks, Biden urged world leaders to meet the challenge of global warming, saying "there is no more time for delays" or for clashes and discussions between countries. The extreme weather crisis and the depletion of resources may also be an opportunity, he said, to "make a generational investment" that allows economies around the world to grow.

The president also said he wants to do more to help countries around the world cope with the challenges caused by climate change.

A military-style campaign to save the world

An agreement is urgent due to the accelerated increase in temperature, which triggers climatic catastrophes . By the end of the century, the increase will be 2.7 degrees Celsius, instead of the 1.5 degree target set in the 2015 Paris Agreement, according to the UN Environment Program report .

Prince Charles noted that a "war-like" effort will be necessary to save the world. "We need a vast military-style campaign to muster the strength of the world's private sector," said the heir to the British throne.