Messages emphasize the need for real commitments to tackle climate change, focusing on renewable energy and sustainability

As the Cop26 climate summit convenes in Glasgow, hundreds of Guardian readers and supporters have voiced urgent appeals to world leaders, urging them to prioritize actions over promises in the battle against climate change. The messages, submitted ahead of the two-week summit, emphasized the need for a rapid shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, a greater focus on regenerative agriculture, and a move away from GDP as the sole measure of societal progress.

With the summit set to conclude on 12 November, participants are discussing key measures to curb carbon emissions, including policies aligned with the 2015 Paris Agreement. The agreement pledged to limit global temperature rises to “well below” 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and many advocates are calling for bolder commitments to meet this target.

The overwhelming sentiment from readers is that the time for action is now, as they describe Cop26 as a critical turning point for humanity’s future.