Nordic COP26 hubs attract full houses

The public flocked to both pavilions on Friday and Saturday. The pavilion in Glasgow was full to capacity, while almost 300 people joined the event in Helsinki. Via social media, the programme reached around 100,000 people. 

Those who are unable to get to Helsinki or Glasgow can watch streams from all our events via our media partner We Don’t Have Time.

One of the headlines from the first week on the Nordic stage was the launch of a new Nordic pension fund to the tune of USD 130 billion. This new climate initiative was presented by the six Nordic prime ministers and the President of Finland. The news that Greenland has signed up to the Paris Agreement was also announced in the Nordic pavilion.

On Saturday, a three-hour Climate Action talk show took place, with guests in both Glasgow and Helsinki. The show featured discussions on topics such as Nordic climate objectives, changes in food systems, young people’s opportunities to have an influence, and culture as a tool in climate efforts.

“The pavilion has brought people together from across the world and served as a fantastic showcase for Nordic know-how and Nordic projects. We’re incredibly proud that we’ve been able to bring about such successful dialogue between stakeholders representing every corner of society: politicians, public authorities, and civil society, young and old alike,” says Michael Funch, project manager for the Nordic presence at COP26.

This week, the focus was on topics such as energy issues, Nordic-African climate co-operation, and the role and responsibility of governments and parliamentarians for giving the climate and biodiversity more importance on the political agenda and assigning them more resources at both the national and Nordic levels. The Nordic countries’ chief negotiators report back on progress at lunchtime every day in a live broadcast.

During the two weeks, a total of 100 events will take place in Glasgow and Helsinki, 20 of which will connect the two pavilions.