Queen Elizabeth II calls inaction of world leaders to curb climate change ‘irritating’

This marks the third time this week a member of the royal family has been found accusing world leaders of passivity in dealing with the climate crisis. Both Prince Charles and Prince William have earlier said that ‘the COP needs to produce action, not words.’

British Monarch Queen Elizabeth was heard criticising world leaders for their inaction on the issue of climate change while attending the Welsh assembly in Cardiff on Thursday, October 14. She also hinted that the list of leaders confirmed to attend the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, slated to be held starting October 31, was still uncertain. 

In a conversation with Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwell and the presiding officer of the Welsh Assembly, the monarch commented “Extraordinary, isn’t it? I’ve been hearing all about COP…. still don’t know who is coming.”  

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The conversation between the two royals, which was picked up by a microphone, further disclosed that the queen was only aware of the people who were not attending the summit. She expressed her frustration towards the situation, stating “It’s really irritating when they talk, but they don’t do.” 

This marks the third time this week a member of the royal family has been found accusing world leaders of passivity in dealing with the climate crisis. Both Prince Charles and Prince William have earlier said that ‘the COP needs to produce action, not words.’

The queen’s remark seems to come in light of the uncertainty surrounding the attendance of Chinese President Xi Jinping at the COP26 summit. China is currently the largest emitter of greenhouse gas in the world, which has been termed a leading cause of climate change by experts. 

Queen Elizabeth is scheduled to attend the United Nations’ COP26 summit in Scotland from October 31 to November 12. World leaders set to attend the climate change conference include the US president Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who will also act as the host summit. 

Meanwhile, The Kremlin has not made it clear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will be in attendance. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had also expressed earlier that he aims to attend the summit remotely, though his attendance remains a question as he has called for an election on October 31. 

Host Boris Johnson had earlier declared the COP26 summit as one of the last major chances to cool down the planet and shared hopes to get the world leaders to arrive at a decisive conclusion and agree upon a significant climate deal.