‘We’ve been caught half-dressed’: ambivalent Glasgow awaits Cop26

Ambivalence, industrial disputes and other issues are complicating city's build-up to the climate conference

Diwali candles in pretty terracotta pots are stacked around the counter at Suresh & Sons grocer in Finnieston, the Glasgow district that borders the UN-managed blue zone" of the Scottish Event Campus. Next weekend more than 30,000 delegates from 196 countries will converge on the area for the crucial two-week Cop26 climate conference.

Four days into the event is the Hindu festival of lights, Leena Kumar explains. The council advised her to talk to suppliers about getting stock delivered before the road closures begin this weekend, but it is not that easy, she says. We are well-informed, but we still don't know what's going to happen," she laughs.