COP26 is just around the corner – yet prime minister Boris Johnson said himself that he is “very worried” it might not go all to plan.
The UK will be hosting the UN”s climate summit for two weeks starting from October 31, and world leaders are expected to come together to tackle the pressing climate crisis.
Russia’s president Vladimir Putin and China’s President Xi Jinping have both confirmed they will not be attending in person despite leading two of the largest polluting countries in the world.
The UK itself is also struggling with a range of environmental issues, including backlash over the opening of the Cambo oilfield, waterways polluted by sewage and continued reliance on fossil fuels.
Here’s a collection of political cartoons from around the world which sum up just how the global population feels about just how effective these landmark talks might be.
Amsterdam – The Cartoon Movement
Tjeerd Royaards, who runs the Cartoon Movement, mocked the UN’s climate conference by depicting the Earth about to be guillotined while world leaders gather around a burning candle at the conference.
Australia – The Daily Telegraph
A cartoon from Sydney-based newspaper The Daily Telegraph criticised the current state of Glasgow – where COP26 will be held – in a scathing sketch published last week.
Scotland’s largest city is known to be suffering from an intense rat problem just days before world leaders turn up for the pivotal talks as the SNP face criticism for not cleaning up the waste in the area.
UK – The Times
A cartoon published in The Times took aim at the sewage issues which has hit the headlines this week ahead of COP26.
As Johnson repeatedly vows that there will be a green revolution in the UK, critics are pointing out that vast quantities of untreated sewage waste streaming into our waterways seriously undermines Britain’s reputation.
The cartoon mocks how people in the UK are certainly going green – from the stench of the sewers.
New Zealand – The Dominion Post
A collection of pie charts are retold as a series of cartoon drawings in New Zealand’s Dominion Post, summing up how people really feel about the climate crisis.
The first pie chart points out that one in five New Zealanders don’t believe in climate change; another points out that six out of every 10 people believe they couldn’t do anything more to reduce their contribution to CO2 emissions.
The final pie chart is entirely red – suggesting the whole country’s population should be embarrassed at its lack of action towards climate change.
Canada – Le Droit
Cartoonist Guy Badeaux tweeted his take on the climate crisis, showing renowned environmentalist Greta Thunberg’s frustration at the previous climate summits which were also pipped at pivotal talks among world leaders, stretching back to 1992.