COP26 'had carbon footprint TWICE as big as last conference': Preliminary report finds 102,500 tonnes of CO2 was pumped into atmosphere due to Glasgow summit... compared to 51,101 from Madrid in 2019
- Report states 102,500 tonnes of CO2 equivalent is due to be released by summit
- Around 60% is from international flights taken by world and business leaders
- Jeff Bezos led a 400-strong parade of private jets into Cop26 a fortnight ago
- Findings come as conference nears the end of its second full week in Glasgow
Cop26 is expected to have a carbon footprint twice as large as the last conference on climate change, making it the most carbon-intensive summit of its kind.
A preliminary report for the UK Government by consultants Arup states 102,500 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) is due to be released by the summit in Glasgow.
This comes in comparison to 51,101 tCO2e from Cop25 in Madrid in 2019.
Around 60 per cent is produced by international flights taken by world leaders and business magnates including Amazon's Jeff Bezos, said The Scotsman newspaper.
His £48million Gulf Stream led a 400-strong parade of private jets into Cop26 a fortnight ago, including those belonging to Prince Albert of Monaco, scores of royals and dozens of 'green' CEOs.
The findings come as Cop26 nears the end of its second full week in Glasgow, with more than 30,000 people expected to attend the conference.
![US President Joe Biden is pictured boarding Air Force One at Edinburgh Airport after attending the UN Climate Change Conference Cop26 on November 2](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/11/11/18/50367859-10192091-image-m-16_1636656219483.jpg)
US President Joe Biden is pictured boarding Air Force One at Edinburgh Airport after attending the UN Climate Change Conference Cop26 on November 2
![Boris Johnson, who was condemned after returning to London last Tuesday via private jet, is pictured arriving at the Cop26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow on November 10](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/11/11/18/50367869-10192091-image-a-17_1636656484639.jpg)
Boris Johnson, who was condemned after returning to London last Tuesday via private jet, is pictured arriving at the Cop26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow on November 10
The UK Government said this year's summit is the largest climate change conference so far, and the Arup report includes emissions from both the blue and green zones.
The Arup report said its figure of 102,500 tCO2e represented 'the best working assessment of the emissions from the event'.
Commenting on the report, Greenpeace UK's Dr Doug Parr said: 'The meeting in Glasgow is not supposed to be a demonstration of sustainable lifestyles, and it shouldn't be judged in those terms.
'But the failure to reach any meaningful agreement about limiting aviation's vast carbon emissions - at a conference where 60% of their emissions came from aviation, with a backing chorus of media outrage at the private jet hypocrisy of the elites - really highlights the lack of equity in these talks.
'Creating loopholes for the use of the rich not only maintains their disproportionately high emissions, but makes it so much harder to persuade anyone else to cut.'
The total greenhouse gas emissions for Cop25, which was held in Madrid in 2019, stood at 51,101 tCO2e, while at Cop21 in Paris in 2015 the figure was 43,000 tCO2e.
![Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives in Edinburgh, Scotland, to attend COP26 on November 1. Delegates have been asked to consider low-carbon methods of travel to Cop26](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/11/11/18/50367833-10192091-image-m-20_1636656609876.jpg)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives in Edinburgh, Scotland, to attend COP26 on November 1. Delegates have been asked to consider low-carbon methods of travel to Cop26
![French President Emmanuel Macron arrives for Cop26 in Glasgow on November 1. A definitive total of the event¿s carbon footprint is expected to be published in coming months](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/11/11/18/50367845-10192091-image-a-19_1636656608183.jpg)
French President Emmanuel Macron arrives for Cop26 in Glasgow on November 1. A definitive total of the event’s carbon footprint is expected to be published in coming months
![Jeff Bezos' Gulfstream private jet - which reportedly cost him £48million - arrives at Prestwick Airport near Glasgow on October 31](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/11/11/18/49896381-10192091-Amazon_airways_Jeff_Bezos_Gulfstream_private_jet_which_reportedl-a-21_1636656786909.jpg)
Jeff Bezos' Gulfstream private jet - which reportedly cost him £48million - arrives at Prestwick Airport near Glasgow on October 31
Cop15 in Copenhagen in 2009 produced around 26,000 tCO2e of emissions.
Arup's seven-page executive summary of the Cop26 carbon management plan notes the 102,500 tCO2e total includes: business travel during pre-event planning; energy, waste, and water use in the accommodation for all blue zone attendees; and operational emissions from emergency service vehicles.
Arup said the figure represented 'the best working assessment of the emissions from the event,' based on planning parameters, carbon reporting for previous Cops, and lessons learnt from the foot-printing of previous similar events.
Flight radar data also shows that some jets have been flying from Glasgow Airport in Paisley, Renfrewshire, to Glasgow Prestwick Airport in South Ayrshire in order to park - a journey of less than 30 miles.
Delegates have been asked to consider low-carbon methods of travel to Cop26.
Mr Johnson was condemned after returning to London from Glasgow last Tuesday via private jet to reportedly attend a function at a men-only private members' club.
Downing Street said the journey was taken with consideration of 'time restraints', but Anneliese Dodds, the Labour party chair, accused Mr Johnson of 'staggering hypocrisy'. When the Prime Minister returned to Glasgow on Wednesday, he did so by train.
Monica Lennon, Scottish Labour's spokeswoman for net zero, energy, and transport, said at the time: 'If Cop26 is to deliver the bold change needed, then those involved should lead by example.
'Travel emissions were always going to be inevitable, but this stark rise will no doubt raise some eyebrows.
'We all have a responsibility to do our part and those setting the rules must be willing to play by them.
'Warm words will ring hollow if they're not matched with action.'
The UK Government has pledged COP26 will be carbon neutral, a promise it aims to uphold via the purchase of UNFCCC-recognised offsets such as certified emission reductions.
It says that Glasgow will be the first COP to achieve validation using the PAS2060 international standard on carbon neutrality, and the 'key priority' of its carbon management plan was to 'reduce and avoid emissions'.
A spokeswoman for the UK Government said: 'As official UNFCCC figures show, Cop26 is a substantially bigger event than other recent Cops, with over 39,000 participants as against nearly 27,000 at Cop25.
![MailOnline observed 41 private jets leave in total on November 2 between 2pm and 11pm ¿ the majority of them rental services making it hard to identify who was on board](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/11/11/18/49998627-10192091-MailOnline_observed_41_private_jets_leave_in_total_yesterday_bet-m-29_1636657061465.jpg)
MailOnline observed 41 private jets leave in total on November 2 between 2pm and 11pm – the majority of them rental services making it hard to identify who was on board
![The US President seen boarding Air Force One at Edinburgh Airport after attending the UN Climate Change Conference Cop26 on November 2](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/11/11/18/49982389-10192091-The_US_President_was_among_those_to_depart_on_Tuesday_evening_af-a-24_1636657057175.jpg)
The US President seen boarding Air Force One at Edinburgh Airport after attending the UN Climate Change Conference Cop26 on November 2
'Cop26 will be a carbon neutral event and will be the first Cop to demonstrate carbon neutrality validation through PAS2060, the internationally recognised standard on carbon neutrality.
'As part of its analysis, the Government has for the first time included both the full blue and green zone impacts, giving a fuller and more accurate picture of emissions from the site.'
The Government said the Arup report is a baseline assessment which would not fully reflect many of the emission-reduction measures, while final emissions will be confirmed following the event.
A definitive total of the event’s carbon footprint is expected to be published in coming months, once the data has been received and analysed.
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