Within COP26 there are only politicians and people with power who pretend to take our future seriously, and worry about the people who are already suffering the impact of the climate crisis, Thunberg told dozens of young people gathered nearby, according to images published by British media.

The 18-year-old student, who became an icon in the fight to stop environmental degradation since she started skipping classes every Friday to stand alone in front of the Swedish Parliament, assured her followers that the change will not come from the summit.

That is not leadership, the leadership is here, the activist stressed, while participants in the protest harangued her with cries of “climate justice” and “no more blah blah”.

COP26, which will go on until November 12, and in which some 120 heads of state or government participate, is seen as one of the last opportunities to adopt plans to slow down global warming and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to zero.

These goals, which also include the commitment of industrialized countries to contribute with 100,000 dollars a year to help poorer nations cope with climate change, date back from 2015, when the Paris Agreement was signed.

In his welcoming address to world leaders, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned his colleagues that future generations will not forgive them if COP26 fails to make serious commitments to fight the environmental crisis.

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