Exeter scientists cycling to Glasgow for COP26

Professors Angela Gallego-Sala and Stephen Sitch set off from Bristol on Tuesday and aim to arrive in Glasgow the following week on Tuesday morning (2 November).

The conference, which begins on Monday, will be attended by many world leaders and is seen as a key moment in tackling the climate crisis.

Professor Gallego-Sala, whose expertise includes the importance of peatlands in storing carbon, said: “A climate emergency and a global pandemic are asking us to re-think the way we live, and highlighting the need to choose slower ways of being – and travelling.

“Cycling across the UK to reach Glasgow to join the 26th Conference of the Parties seems to somehow marry the local and the global scales at which we need to operate in order to find solutions to the challenges ahead of us.”

Professor Sitch, Exeter’s Chair in Climate Change, said: “It seems highly appropriate to take a low-carbon approach and cycle to a climate change conference.

“Also, for the UK to reach net zero there are ambitious goals that will transform our land cover, including tree-planting and peatland restoration.

“The cycle will be a personal challenge and it will give me time to reflect upon these changes whilst experiencing our diverse UK landscapes.”