COVERING one of the biggest and most important global events to ever arrive in Scotland hasn’t been without its challenges.

For a political journalist, brushing shoulders with a string of world leaders and celebrity do-gooders sounds like our COP26 copy would write itself. But getting into the nitty gritty of complex and crucial climate negotiations while looking for that all-important Scottish impact for Herald readers has thrown up a flurry of barriers.

Our two-week stint on the Clyde got off to a tedious start when delegates, except those with VIP status, were forced to queue for several hours just to gain access to the SEC.

Navigating the vast set-up at COP26 has at times been even more of a challenge than deciphering the complex agreements thrashed out by world leaders. The series of pavilions, where most of the Scottish-specific events have taken place – often at short notice and massively over-subscribed – were set up like a maze with the WWF’s immaculately named Panda Pavilion a crucial reference point for lost journalists aimlessly wandering around the SEC.

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Covering COP26 has been the ultimate experience of being stuck in the political bubble – dwarfing the Holyrood lobby’s significance.

Protests around the SEC campus have mostly gone unnoticed and the only real time journalists have been aware of life outside the bubble has been when US President Joe Biden was on site – with a helicopter hovering above.

Sadly, there’s no guarantee the scenes, so integral to the culture of COPs, have cut through to politicians attempting to salvage efforts to rescue the planet from impending doom.

The COP26 media centre, likely the world’s biggest and most diverse newsroom – and with lightning quick wifi – has been contained within a huge temporary structure close to the Clydeside Distillery. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that hacks have needed to trudge further than anyone to get to their desks at COP26 – a shock to the system of many journalists still used to logging on in their bedroom.

The climate crisis attempted to halt large swathes of the Westminster lobby making it up to Glasgow after a typically British extreme weather event, torrential rain and flooding, stopped trains arriving in Scotland on the eve of the summit.

During the first week of COP26, Glasgow was often basked in sunshine – with journalists complaining of the unexpected heat inside their window-heavy temporary home. The irony of the greenhouse effect has seemingly passed reporters by as they pondered efforts to salvage the planet.

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