'Time to do the right thing,' negotiators told as COP26 climate talks open

President for COP26, Alok Sharma speaks on stage as he attends the opening ceremony of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) at SECC in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain October 31, 2021. Christopher Furlong/Pool via REUTERS

GLASGOW (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - With the UK hosts warning that "lights are flashing red on the climate change dashboard", the COP26 U.N. climate summit kicked off on Sunday in Glasgow, marked by pointed warnings of growing threats as emissions-cutting pledges still fail to add up.

"I do not underestimate the challenge" of reaching an effective deal to adequately slash emissions, Alok Sharma, Britain's COP26 president, told delegates at the talks' opening.