COP26 in Glasgow gets off to a chaotic start

AFTER THE first two full days of COP26, the UN climate-change summit under way in Glasgow, Boris Johnson, the prime minister, was cautiously optimistic. He highlighted a new global pledge to tackle deforestation and suggested that the number of countries working to bring their net carbon emissions down to zero had trebled since Britain started to plan the event. Meanwhile delegates rehearsed a litany of complaints. A railway strike was averted at the last minute, only for both train lines from London to Glasgow to go down on the peak day for arrivals. Local bin-men have walked out, leaving rubbish to decay on the streets. Queues for security and covid-19 checks snaked back for hours. Social-distancing rules meant many delegates were turned away from meetings.