2-week UN climate summit formally opens in Glasgow

The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow has formally opened, kicking off two weeks of intense diplomatic negotiations by almost 200 countries on how to tackle the common challenge of global warming.

Following Sunday's opening gavel, officials began addressing a raft of procedural matters before leaders from around the world gather in Scotland's biggest city Monday to lay out their countries' efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions and deal with the effects of climate change.

Many of the issues being discussed during the Oct. 31-Nov. 12 talks have been on the agenda for decades, including how rich countries can help poor nations tackle emissions and adapt to a hotter world. The slow pace of action has angered many environmental campaigners, who are expected to stage loud and creative protests during the summit.


The outgoing president of the meeting, Chile's Carolina Schmidt, started the talks by asking officials to observe a minute's silence for those who have died due to the coronavirus pandemic since the last U.N. climate conference was held in late 2019, shortly before the outbreak began.