The movers and shakers...

Glasgow will soon be buzzing with dignitaries and politicians – but this is not your standard conference in a Novotel with PowerPoints and watery coffee.

For a start, Sir David Attenborough is rumoured to be giving the opening speech on the first day.

The conference is divided into two main zones: the blue zone is for politicos, dignitaries and negotiators; the green zone is for citizens, businesses, schoolchildren and campaigning organisations.

Look out for climateaware celebrities acting as official advocates for COP26. These include singer and UN environment ambassador Ellie Goulding, K-Pop band Blackpink, primatologist Jane Goodall, and Lewis Pugh, the swimmer who recently swam through the Arctic ice to raise awareness of the climate crisis. Meanwhile, everyone is hoping Greta Thunberg, below, will make an appearance either in person or online.

One of the rules of the COP is that all states must be represented. As that means every nation on Earth, you’d hope to see a wonderful array of people from around the globe including, for example, representatives from indigenous communities in the Amazon, who protect native forests and vital ecosystems on behalf of us all.

There will be billionaires (they have the highest carbon footprints, so, arguably, should come up with big promises on how to scale back their emissions) and representatives from some of the most vulnerable – the poor who live on the frontline of climate change. And, finally, plenty of scientists, using lots of climate jargon.

Some will have travelled thousands of miles – yes, by plane; there is always an irony to these meetings – but because of Covid and a lack of vaccinations in the global south, some delegates will have to join in virtually.

COP26 is being called the most important meeting ever