The room is packed, with every seat taken. Because of the pandemic, each delegation has been allocated only two seats in the room — fewer than is the norm during climate conferences. Like all the other attendees, the global leaders have been told to wear masks unless seated, but many have kept their face coverings on even during the ceremony.
The presidents and prime ministers and other top-level representatives are sat in alphabetical order in rows of desks, (this puts US President Joe Biden toward the back of the room), watching the proceedings taking place on the podium on big screens. Observers and representatives from international groups have their seats right behind the leaders.
The whole point of this ceremonial opening session is clearly to motivate the world leaders to take climate action seriously. The mood of the program is balancing somewhere between an enthusiastic call for action and a shock therapy.
Videos of the damage already done to the Earth by climate change and messages from young indigenous people are intertwined with big wig speeches that are encouraging leaders to act. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson tried to encourage leaders that they can take a meaningful action, suggesting that if they do, they’d be just like James Bond. There were a few chuckles in the audience.
Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, received somewhat lukewarm applause after urging leaders and the private sector to work together. The climate guru and British national treasure, Sir David Attenborough, played the emotional card, telling leaders that the people of the future will judge them based on what they can or cannot agree to here — a bigger applause followed his speech.
Source : cnn
