LEADERS of states in the global South told richer countries at Cop26 today that they might as well be bombing them instead of inflicting suffering through climate breakdown.

On the second day of the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, much of the discussion was left to developing countries. 

Leaders took to the podium to demand action on the climate emergency, noting that those who did not create it are bearing the brunt of its effect.

Surangel S Whipps Jnr, president of the Pacific island nation of Palau, said that large greenhouse gas emitters with their “insatiable appetite for advancement” continue to abuse the environment, which is threatening his people’s survival. 

He said that Cop26 must establish equal access to climate financing for all and technology transfer for mitigation measures in island nations, which face the worst devastation. 

Mr Whipps said: “We see the scorching sun is giving us intolerable heat, the warming sea is invading us, the strong winds are blowing every which way, our resources are disappearing before our eyes and our future is being robbed from us. 

“Frankly speaking, there is no dignity in a slow and painful death. You may as well bomb our islands instead of making us suffer, witnessing our slow and fateful demise.”

Costa Rican President Carlos Alvardo Quesada told the remaining world leaders at Cop26 that if the politicians in attendance were business leaders, they would all be sacked. 

He said: “It is heartbreaking listening to how island states have to plead for their existence. We need the developed world to pull their act together and the large polluting economies to pull their acts together. 

“It is a matter of life and death. Leaders should be here, leaders should listen, leaders should deliver. That is the only way we will manage to survive on this Earth.”

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan said that her country had not been spared the effects of climate change, with glaciers melting on Mount Kilimanjaro and temperature rises in Zanzibar.

This is all happening despite her country’s efforts to protect the planet, she said, warning that Tanzania’s economy is fast becoming unsustainable. 

Ms Hassan said: “If we developing countries have shown such leadership, why are large emitting countries lagging behind? 

“What we all ought to remember is, when the drastic climate changes hit, it reaches no location, mighty or weak, poor or rich countries.”

The calls were backed by Guyana’s President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, who told the world’s foremost polluters that they have the greatest duty to increase emissions cuts.

Meanwhile, Stop Climate Chaos Scotland held an event during the summit calling for an action plan to ensure that voices from the global South are heard on the climate issue. 

Scottish Minister for Environment and Land Reform Mairi McAllan said the responsibility for tackling climate change must fall on those who have caused the damage, adding: “Scotland is absolutely determined to ask ourselves whose voices are not being heard and to elevate those voices.”

Throughout Cop26, the Tory government has reiterated its commitment to inclusivity and ensuring access to the summit for people from all corners of the world. 

Oxfam UK chief executive Danny Sriskandarajah said that while some attention is being paid to the most marginalised, the voices of the people who matter the most are being heard “nowhere near enough.”

This complaint was echoed by War on Want director Asad Rehman, who said that people in the global South are already paying the price for climate breakdown, vaccine apartheid and the rigged economic system with their lives, lands and livelihoods. 

He said: “The Cop26 climate summit is being dominated by wealthier countries and corporations, which plan to continue to pollute and exploit the planet’s resources — gambling our future on risky and unproven technologies.

“Instead, global North countries must commit to a global green new deal which delivers real climate justice, by reordering our economies and ensuring a just transition that protects both people and the planet.”