Modi gets TOO close as he gives Antonio Guterres a big hug at COP26
Temperatures rising! Awkward moment India’s PM Narendra Modi gets a little TOO close for comfort as he gives UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres a big hug at COP26
- The Indian PM was pictured trying to get cozy with the UN leader as they arrived at Cop26 for climate talks
- Maskless Modi has been pictured getting close to several leaders including Boris Johnson and Justin Trudeau
- Guterres looked visibly uncomfortable as Modi cozied up to him at a photo call to mark the arrival of leaders
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres shared an awkward moment after the former went in for a hug at Cop26 – despite Britain being gripped by high Covid case numbers on the opening day of the climate conference.
The Indian premier shared the awkward moment with Guterres as they met at the start of the Glasgow conference.
Modi has been pictured getting cozy with several leaders over the course of the first days of Cop26.
He has been pictured with his arms wrapped around Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Luxembourg’s Xavier Bettel and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau as world leaders arrived in Glasgow after many were at the G20 summit in Rome this weekend.
Guterres looked visibly uncomfortable as a maskless Modi went in for a big hug as world leaders arrived in Glasgow for Cop26
Guterres placed an arm on Modi to try and keep him at a safer distance but could do little to stop bear-hugger Modi
Modi has form as a hugger as he was seen in a clutch with Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel earlier today
Modi also gave a warm welcome to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the day the Indian PM made a commitment for India to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2070 – two decades later than the UK
What are the key aims at COP26?
- Secure commitments on cutting emissions by 2030 and reaching Net Zero as close to 2050 as possible.
- Keep alive hopes of limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.
- Phase out unabated coal power stations, drum up investment in renewable energy.
- Strike deals on reducing deforestation.
- Rack up $100billion in climate finance pledges.
- Finalise rules to implement the Paris Agreement.
The cringe-worthy moment comes on the same day that Modi pledged that India will target net-zero carbon emissions by 2070 – two decades later than the targets for the conference.
The first days of the seminal climate conference were dogged with problems with many journalists reporting long queues meaning Government officials missed meetings.
Organisers of the conference came under fire after urging delegates who have travelled to Glasgow to tune into the online feed because of a ‘high level of attendance’ at the venue.
Thousands of attendees found themselves waiting well over 90 minutes outside this morning in a 9C (48F) chill and windy conditions – with complaints that meetings were missed and anger at the shambolic organisation.
Delegates waited in front of the Scottish Event Campus where thousands of officers were in place and erected a ring of steel as representatives of 200 nations gather to thrash out a deal to try to limit global warming to 1.5C.
Those attending – many of whom have flown in from around the world on planes – have already needed to go through a detailed accreditation process, including getting an official letter stating they are registered and using an app to verify their visual ID. They must also present evidence of a negative Covid lateral flow test from today.
The summit was blighted by organisational chaos as world leaders arrived, with huge queues for delegates to get in
But those arriving at the SEC today were confronted with enormous queues at various layers of security – starting with the gates checking letters, then security screening, and then to pick up accreditation passes in person.
There was a particular bottleneck at security, as delegates who had picked up accreditation yesterday were forced to wait in huge lines along with new arrivals.
Train chaos meant attendees trying to reach Glasgow in an eco-friendly way faced huge delays on Sunday.
Eco-activist Greta Thunberg denounced arriving world leaders for failing to act on climate change in a foul-mouthed tirade to her fellow Cop26 protesters.
Speaking at a demonstration at Festival Park, Glasgow, on the first day of the Cop26 summit, Swedish 18-year-old activist Miss Thunberg said that heads of government were not doing enough to save the planet from disaster.
She said: ‘No more blah blah blah, no more whatever the f*** they are doing inside there.
Greta Thunberg alongside fellow climate activists during a demonstration at Festival Park, Glasgow, on the first day of the Cop26 summit
Speaking to demonstrators outside the Cop26 summit in Glasgow, she said: ‘No more blaa blaa blaa, no more whatever the f*** they are doing inside there’
‘Inside Cop, there are just politicians and people in power pretending to take our future seriously, pretending to take the present seriously.
‘Change is not going to come from inside there, that is not leadership – this is leadership… We say no more blah blah blah, no more exploitation of people and the planet.’
Miss Thunberg arrived in Glasgow on Sunday by train and will take part in two large protests through the city later in the week.
Naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough asked attendees: ‘Is this how our story is due to end – a tale of the smartest species doomed by that all-too-human characteristic of failing to see the bigger picture in pursuit of short-term goals?’
And Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said the outcome of the climate summit would be ‘life or death for millions of people’, suggesting that failure to act could be worse than leaders who ignored warnings about the Nazis in the 1930s – a comment he later apologised for.
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