IT will be the biggest event of its kind ever held in the UK and will focus the eyes of the world's media on Scotland.

It's no stretch to say that the future rests on success at Cop26, the UN event coming to Glasgow for 12 days of intense climate change talks in November.

The crunch conference will be the first opportunity to measure the impact of climate pledges made in Paris six years ago, when nations agreed to try to cap global temperature rises to under 1.5C by slashing harmful emissions.

Hosting the summit will be a major challenge for local authorities, with Glasgow City Council and Police Scotland amongst the public bodies currently preparing for the event.

This week MPs at Westminster will question the city's readiness - and what the UK and Scottish governments are doing to help.

The cross-party Scottish Affairs Committee and Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee will host two sessions on Wednesday morning. 

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In the first, to be chaired by the SNP's Pete Wishart, Cop26 chief operating officer Rosalyn Eales, UK Cop26 climate envoy John Murton and Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Minister of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, will discuss logistical arrangements for Cop26 and the impact on people in Glasgow.

In the second, a panel including Nigel Topping, High Level Champion for Climate Action, and Andrew Griffith MP, UK Net Zero Business Champion, Cop26, will be questioned on government strategy for business in the summit and on "efforts to engage the public with the changes needed to deliver the Cop agenda". 

The sessions begin at 9.30am and will be available to watch via www.parliamentlive.tv.

The committee dates come after Patricia Espinosa, the head of climate change at the UN, warns world leaders are still "far away" from agreeing a deal to limit global heating.

With just five months to go until Cop26, time is now running out, Espinosa said.

Mexico's former foreign minister told the Observer: "We’re still very far away from being fully confident of having a full success at Cop26."

The National:

In Glasgow, businesses have been invited to find out about prepatatory work through the Get Glasgow Ready campaign, with details of road closures around the SEC campus also publicised.

The campaign will website provide up-to-date Covid guidance, while Police Scotland chiefs have said the policing response will be informed by recent disruption by Rangers fans in George Square, as well as by protestors in Kenmure Street, where a Home Office immigration raid was disrupted.

Last month Eales said: "Cop26, is an exciting and historic moment for the city. The Conference will be an inclusive event, bringing together world leaders, delegates, academics, businesses, civil society groups and activists from over the world to inspire climate change action.

"Support from businesses in the city and the people of Glasgow is crucial to making this conference a success and we thank you, as well as other businesses and communities of Glasgow, for your support so far and look forward to continuing to work with you this year." 

Meanwhile, Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken said: "If we start to talk about some of the things that may change in the lead up to and during the Cop26 now, people, particularly businesses, can begin to think about how they may need to adapt their operations, particularly on the days where the city may be busier than usual, due to the main Cop programme or side events.

"Cop26 will change the way the city runs for a period of time in November but we will make sure that everyone is well informed and when the time comes people can feel proud at Glasgow having played its part in the success of such a globally significant event."