9 November 2021, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom: Telma Taurepang (left), an indigenous woman from Brazil comforts a crying climate activist group Red Rebels (Extinction Rebellion) member Kat Wild (right), a German woman living in the United Kingdom), as a group of red rebels joins indigenous people from the Brazilian rainforest, part of the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities, in protesting outside the venue of COP26 in Glasgow, under the slogan 'Landback', demanding that Indigenous communities' voices be heard in the global climate negotiations. Glasgow hosts the United Nations climate change conference COP26, where world leaders gather to negotiate a response to the ongoing climate crisis and emergency. All photos by Life on Earth Pictures photographer Albin HIllert, shot on assignment for the Lutheran World Federation
Climate negotiations at COP26 in Glasgow are coming to a close. It’s been an intense fortnight of work with colleagues from the Lutheran World Federation, a range of ecumenical friends, and providing photos for UK periodical Church Times.
It’s been two weeks of hard work, of frustration and disappointment, as much of what we need in order to address the climate emergency remains to be done.
But what stays with me are also many of the small moments, the quirky and sometimes unexpected ones, the humane moments, and moments of people simply taking the time to be people.
There was the group of young children shouting with their feeble voices ’Stop climate change. Stop climate change’ on the streets of Glasgow, and the thousands in the crowd walking by bursting out in cheer for how the little ones are speaking up for themselves.
5 November 2021, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom: People applaud a group of young children as they join in speaking out to stop climate change. Under a ‘call to #UprootTheSystem’, Fridays for Future mobilized tens of thousands of people from all walks of life in a climate strike in Glasgow on 5 November – Youth and Public Empowerment Day at COP26 – ‘seeking to address ecological and social crises at their roots by placing most affected people and areas at the center of the struggle and struggling for a society that places people and planet over profit.’
There was the sign-language interpreter who helped interpret the words of Greta Thunberg as she called out COP26 as a forum apparently incapable of real, adequate action for climate justice.
5 November 2021, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom: Climate activist Greta Thunberg speaks – with sign language interpretation – as thousands of climate activists rally on George’s Square in Glasgow. Under a ‘call to #UprootTheSystem’, Fridays for Future mobilized tens of thousands of people from all walks of life in a climate strike in Glasgow on 5 November – Youth and Public Empowerment Day at COP26 – ‘seeking to address ecological and social crises at their roots by placing most affected people and areas at the center of the struggle and struggling for a society that places people and planet over profit.’
There was the indigenous woman who saw a member of the Red Rebels burst into tears, and who took the time to embrace and comfort her.
9 November 2021, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom: Telma Taurepang (left), an indigenous woman from Brazil comforts a crying climate activist group Red Rebels (Extinction Rebellion) member Kat Wild (right), a German woman living in the United Kingdom), as a group of red rebels joins indigenous people from the Brazilian rainforest, part of the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities, in protesting outside the venue of COP26 in Glasgow, under the slogan ‘Landback’, demanding that Indigenous communities’ voices be heard in the global climate negotiations. All photos by Life on Earth Pictures photographer Albin HIllert, shot on assignment for the Lutheran World Federation
There were the many generations of people marching together in a Climate Strike on 5 November, taking a stand together for a better future.
5 November 2021, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom: A girl holds a sign reading ‘Capitalism is killing the planet’, as under a ‘call to #UprootTheSystem’, Fridays for Future mobilized tens of thousands of people from all walks of life in a climate strike in Glasgow on 5 November – Youth and Public Empowerment Day at COP26 – ‘seeking to address ecological and social crises at their roots by placing most affected people and areas at the center of the struggle and struggling for a society that places people and planet over profit.’
There was the little dinosaur who arrived at George Square during an interfaith vigil, declaring as a reminder to humans around it: ’My extinction was not a choice but your is!!!’
31 October 2021, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom: ‘My extinction was not a choice but YOURS is!!’ reads a placard worn by a young girl dressed as a dinaosaur as she attends an Interfaith vigil held at George Square on the opening day of the united nations climate change conference COP26 in Glasgow. The vigil gathered representatives from a wide range of religions as well as people of no faith to collective pray for all those working for COP26 to be a successful meeting in mitigating what will otherwise be further development towards a climate disaster. The religious leaders shared a joint statement urging governments to put the Paris accord into action.
There was Jane from Scotland, who I first met while she participated in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, who closed her eyes in prayer at a vigil outside the conference venue.
10 November 2021, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom: People from a variety of faith traditions gather for a vigil on loss and damage outside the venue of COP26, with the message ‘We are people of different faiths & none, holding a silent vigil for everyone around the world who is living with the impacts of climate breakdown known as ‘loss and damage’,’.
There were the youth who maintained despite the challenges ahead, that ’our hope is greater than our despair.’
7 November 2021, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom: Lutheran World Fereration youth delegates Rebecca Samala Rejakanthan from the Lutheran Church in Singapore (left), Natan de Oliveira Schumann from the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil (mid-left) and Katarina Kuhnert from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (mid-right) gather for a group selfie with Church of Sweden archbishop and Lutheran World Federation vice president for the Nordic region Antje Jackelén (right), after Christians from a variety of traditions and different parts of the world gather for an ecumenical prayer service in Glasgow Cathedral, on the occasion of #COP26.
There was the woman singing and wearing a ‘coat of hopes’, a piece of clothing that travelled the length of the British Isles in the lead-up to COP26, carried on the shoulders of many pilgrims, and sewn into which were hundreds of prayers and ’hopes, of a people for their land’.
4 November 2021, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom: Barbara Keal leads a ‘Coat of Hopes’ stunt outside the venue of COP26. The coat has travelled the length of the British Isles in the lead-up to COP26, carried on the shoulders of pilgrims, and comes with an invitation to the delegates and negotiators to ‘put on a coat of hopes’ during the climate negotiations. Sewn into the coat are are hundreds of pieces of blanket – ‘the patchwork hopes, of a people for their land’.
There was the woman staring in genuine surprise at the police officer as they discussed how a climate march could or could not move through the streets of Glasgow.
3 November 2021, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom: A woman activist stares in surprise at a police officer as climate activists from the group Extinction Rebellion take to the streets of Glasgow under heavy police presence to protest against political inaction on climate change, and to demand climate justice, now. The protest takes place as Glasgow hosts the United Nations climate change conference COP26, where world leaders gather to negotiate a response to the ongoing climate crisis and emergency.
There was the archbishop and the imam who paused together on the streets of Glasgow to show their unity in the work that lies ahead.
6 November 2021, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom: Antje Jackelén, Church of Sweden Archbishop and Lutheran World Federation vice president for the Nordic Region; and Sheikh Hassan Rabbani, Imam and Muslim Chaplain at Heriot-Watt University and the chair of the Scottish Muslim Forum; join as tens of thousands of people – including environmental groups, children, youth, charities, climate activists, trade unionists and indigenous people – march through Glasgow city centre on Saturday, calling for climate justice and for world leaders to address the climate emergency.
There was the live-streamed image of French president Emmanuel Macron being broadcast in the corner of a booth in the media centre, seemingly watched only by a printer.
1 November 2021, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom: An image of French President Emmanuel Macron addressing the World Leaders Summit at COP26 is broadcast on a screen in the media centre of the conference.
There were the women who reminded us of the impact not only of transport or overconsumption on the climate, but also aspects of militarism as an emitter of greenhouse gases.
2 November 2021, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom: Greenham Women for Life on Earth protest by the venue of COP26 against the use of fossil fuels in military activities – demanding that COP26 set strict greenhouse gas emissions limits that make no exception for militarism.
There was the young girl who worked hard to carry a large banner that she had painted with her friends in support of the animals, reading ’It’s their planet too.’
6 November 2021, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom: A young girl holds a large banner on which she and her friends have drawn various animals and the text ‘It’s their planet too’, as they join tens of thousands of people – including environmental groups, children, youth, charities, climate activists, trade unionists and indigenous people – in marching through Glasgow city centre on Saturday, calling for climate justice and for world leaders to address the climate emergency.
There was the short declaration remaining outside the windows of an apartment in Glasgow city centre, reading ’All talk. No Action.’
9 November 2021, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom: ‘All talk, no action’ reads a banner under a pair of windows at night on a street in Glasgow, as the city hosts the United Nations climate change conference COP26, where world leaders gather to negotiate a response to the ongoing climate crisis and emergency.
And there were the Red Rebels who stood poised by the fence surrounding COP26 on the last planned day of negotiations — almost like a monument — as police officers and conference security guarded turnstiles by the venue’s entrance.
12 November 2021, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom: A group of Red Rebels (part of Extinction Rebellion) join people rallying outside the perimeter of the COP26 venue on the last day of COP26, in protest against inaction upon governments and negotiators to mitigate the climate crisis.
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