COP26 briefing: 6 October

06.10.21

COP26

UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE (COP26) 31 OCTOBER – 12 NOVEMBER 2021

COP26 Road Closures: letters sent to residents and businesses in Anderston, Finnieston, Kelvinhaugh and Yorkhill

Letters have been sent to around 9000 residents and business owners in the west of the city who are close to the main COP26 venues and will be directly affected by the road closures and security restrictions. The letters detail the closures and their possible impact.

These restrictions will not affect ambulances, fire engines or the police when responding to an emergency. The road closures may change slightly during the conference but the most up-to-date information will always be available on www.getreadyglasgow.com

On street parking permits will be valid in nearby zones, from midnight 29 October to 10pm 2 November 2021

The road closures may affect other council services like refuse collection, home and social care and education. We will tell residents directly about any changes in these services.

Open Invitation to Finnieston COP26 Travel Info Sessions

Glasgow residents and business owners are being invited to a series of drop-in sessions so that they can find out about how COP26 will affect their daily lives.

The Finnieston drop-in sessions are being held on Thursday 7 October 2021 at Nuffield Health, Central Fitness & Wellbeing Club, 141 Finnieston Street, Glasgow, G3 4HB. There are three sessions: 10am to 12 noon, 2pm to 4pm and 5pm to 7pm to give as many people as possible the chance to attend.

The drop-ins are for residents, businesses and anyone else who would like to come along.

All the information and maps showing the road closures and diversions are also available on the Get Ready Glasgow website (www.getreadyglasgow.com).

COP26: Keeping your business moving

COP26 is going to cause disruption and congestion in the city. That’s why we’ve put together a support package to help businesses plan for COP26.

Businesses will be able to get a variety of support including webinars, One-to-One Support and additional tools including maps and content/information to share with staff, visitors, customers and delivery/servicing partners.

Just go to the getreadyglasgow.com site to sign up and we’ll get in touch with you. Details of events are also promoted via @GetReadyGlasgow on Twitter.

COP 26 Policing Operation

As the countdown to COP26 gets closer, Police Scotland specialist officers are already on the streets of Glasgow. Police search teams have started securing and sealing venues ahead of the conference and other areas around Glasgow. Police search teams have a range of specialist skills to allow them to locate items that may cause harm to any person attending the conference or the wider public. Members of the public will continue to see an increased police presence as we get closer to the event and this will include officers from the mounted branch, dog unit, air support unit and the armed policing unit. To find out more about how these specialist resources will be used at COP26 visit the www.scotland.police.uk

Local Policing

A considerable part of Police Scotland’s planning for COP26 has been to ensure that the communities of Scotland continue to receive the same high standard of service from policing that they have come to expect.

Policing, so often the service of first and last resort, will never step away from those who are in crisis. There are pressures which exist across many other services, agencies and sectors, and when the health service, local authorities and other key partners come under significant strain, demand is diverted to policing. However, Police Scotland prioritises emergency 999 calls and these are answered within less than 10 seconds, on average. Once we have taken a call or a contact, whether 999, 101 or through email, we then carry out a detailed assessment based on the person’s particular needs and vulnerabilities and the potential for threat, harm and risk. Where that person needs an immediate response, we want to dispatch informed help as quickly as possible.

Over the summer period Police Scotland dispatched to calls which needed an immediate response within 15 minutes in 98% of cases and the average allocation time for immediate response calls in August was four and a half minutes. However, non-emergency response times continue to be affected by high demand.

While an event the size of COP26 places considerable demands on policing, Police Scotland already have contingencies in place and we are taking steps to boost those over the coming weeks. Although there is potential for further disruption should pressure on other agencies and services persist and become more acute, particularly as the country prepares for COP26, we can reassure the public that if they need an emergency response from us, they will get it.

Project Servator Launch

Police Scotland launched a six-week advertising campaign on 4 October to highlight the work of Project Servator, a tactic designed to disrupt a range of criminal activity, including terrorism, while providing a reassuring presence for the public. The campaign will highlight the importance of working together to help keep COP26 and Scotland safe and the key to its success is the support of partners, businesses and the public as extra eyes and ears for the police to help make it even harder for criminals to succeed. People will be encouraged to report suspicious or unusual activity to the police by calling 101 or 999 in the event of an emergency. For more information about Project Servator visit www.scotland.police.uk/projectservator  You can also keep up to date with the campaign on social media, search for #ProjectServator on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Climate Change March Saturday 6 November

More than 50,000 people are expected to take part in a march to highlight the climate change emergency and its impact on the planet’s most vulnerable people. The march is on Saturday 6 November and has been organised by the COP26 Coalition, a UK based, civil society partnership campaigning for climate justice.

People taking part in the march will assemble at Kelvingrove Park and leave from there at 12.30pm. The march will end at Glasgow Green. So many people are expected to take part that the head of the march will reach Glasgow Green before the tail has even left Kelvingrove Park!

The proposed route is: Kelvingrove Park (potentially Kevin Way, Radnor Street), Argyle Street, St Vincent Street, Pitt Street, West George Street, Blythswood Square (South), West George Street, Nelson Mandela Place, West George Street, George Square (North), George Street, High Street, Trongate, Saltmarket and then enter Glasgow Green through the McLellan Arch.

My Climate Path – Developing the young workforce, COP26’s legacy for young people

Scottish businesses and leaders are being encouraged to get involved with My Climate Path, an initiative designed by Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Glasgow to support the future of Scotland’s young people.

Looking beyond COP26, the My Climate Path project, supported by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, will showcase the many current and emerging green and circular roles that are available across all sectors to the younger generation.

It will ultimately help create sustainable growth within a circular and a net zero carbon economy, demonstrating the lasting benefits that COP26 will bring.

The campaign supports the Young Person’s Guarantee commitment to offer every 16-24 year old in Scotland an opportunity that will positively impact their future.

My Climate Path is made up of a number of initiatives, allowing businesses of all sizes and sectors the chance to display their own sustainable efforts and to share knowledge and experience with young people, while becoming part of the COP26 legacy for Glasgow.

Initiatives include: Climate Heroes, where industry partners are paired with a school to showcase real-life circular and green examples; a range of community work experience; a youth climate council; activist courses and a sustainable fashion festival. Pupils are also being challenged to create a ‘circular’ product or service, plant their own forests and learn about construction & design by creating a net zero McDonalds restaurant.

For more information head to www.myclimatepath.scot.

Glasgow to provide media with a COP26 resource pack

Glasgow City Council’s COP26 team has produced a series of tailor-made media resources to help the world’s press and broadcasters in planning their coverage of COP26.

The pack includes off the peg videos, details of iconic Glasgow locations that can be used for filming and a newly developed portal www.PeopleMakeGlasgowGreener.com/media  which has been designed as a one-stop shop for press and broadcasters in the run up to, and during COP26.

A dedicated media hub (DMH) is also being established within the COP26 Host City Zone. It will operate daily from 9am – 7pm between Thursday 28 October and Friday 12 November. It will be open to all COP26 accredited media as well as non-accredited media on presentation of their bona fide press credentials.

Hundreds of free events at the Green Zone at the Glasgow Science Centre, 1-12 November

More than 200 free events are being hosted in the COP26 Green Zone at the Glasgow Science Centre between Monday 1 November and Friday 12 November. And everyone’s invited!

The Green Zone, co-ordinated by the UK Government,  brings together young people, indigenous leaders, businesses and grassroots communities who will showcase cultural performances, exhibitions, talks, film screenings and technical demonstrations to a global audience.

With over 100 exhibitors, 200 events and 11 sponsors taking over the space, there will be amazing opportunities to listen, learn and celebrate climate action.

Tickets are free to the public with most events also being streamed live on the COP26 YouTube channel so people across the UK and the globe can join in.

Check out the Green Zone programme here tickets will be available via the COP26 website from 11 October 2021.

If you can’t get to the events in person, you can join virtually by subscribing to the COP26 YouTube channel.