The Archbishop of Canterbury has said the outcome of the Cop26 climate summit will be “life or death for millions of people” living in countries most effected by extreme weather.

The former oil executive, who in 1987 resigned from the fossil fuel industry after 11 years to train for Anglican priesthood, added that leaders must deliver for “the whole human family”.

He said: “The Cop26 climate talks are emergency surgery for our world and its people.

“The outcome will be life or death for millions of people. That’s how seriously we must take this moment.”

He added: “If these talks do not deliver, we face a dark, disturbing future – but there is still time, just, to save our world from the worst of the catastrophe.

“This is a chance to start living in a way that is healthier, kinder, and better for everyone.”

Lord Deben has said that the present moment “is the one chance we have to save the world” ahead of the first day of the Cop26 UN climate conference.

The comments, made to Sky News this morning, were followed by a discussion surrounding the urgent need for more electric vehicle charging points in the UK.

According to the Climate Change Committee, there need to be around 150,000 public charge points operating in our country by 2025.

At present, just 22,790 public charging points are available around the country.

Lord Deben said: “On the charging front, there is a great deal more that needs to be done. We need to get that right.

“We want more now, we want more next month, and more the month after that.”

Commenting as Glasgow prepares to host dignitaries from around the globe, the First Minister said: “Scotland is welcoming the world to what may be the most important international conference of this century.

“Hosting an international gathering of this scale – during a global pandemic – is an enormous logistical challenge, and I am hugely grateful to all those who have been preparing to keep Glasgow moving and deliver a safe conference for delegates.”

She continued: “Once world leaders are all in the same room, they must seize the moment and agree the necessary steps to prevent catastrophic temperature rises – and when they leave Glasgow, they must return home carrying a message of hope for humanity’s future.

“Scotland may not be at the top table of these negotiations, but I and the Scottish Government will be doing absolutely everything we can to help make this conference a success.”

The UK’s net-zero tech sector has nearly doubled in value over the last 12 months despite major stalling in investment growth, according to data.

The firms, which develop technology to offset carbon emissions, saw valuations rise from 24.4 billion dollars (£17.8 billion) in 2020 to 47.6 billion (£34.8 billion) in 2021, the Net Zero 2021 Report from start-up network Tech Nation shows.

It comes after eight UK net-zero tech firms passed the billion-dollar (£730 million) valuation “unicorn” status.

Dr George Windsor, head of insights at Tech Nation, told the PA news agency: “If these net-zero companies are to fulfil their potential to save our planet, they need more help, support and funding from investors, UK pension funds and policymakers worldwide.”

The UN climate conference will be the “world’s moment of truth”, Boris Johnson said as he urged leaders to deliver on the target of preventing global temperatures from rising by more than 1.5C degrees above pre-industrial levels.

Mr Johnson, who is due to fly from the G20 in Rome to Glasgow on Sunday evening, said: “Cop26 will be the world’s moment of truth.

“The question everyone is asking is whether we seize this moment or let it slip away.

“I hope world leaders will hear them and come to Glasgow ready to answer them with decisive action.

“Together, we can mark the beginning of the end of climate change – and end the uncertainty once and for all.”

The Cop26 president was speaking at the closing ceremony of the COY16 youth conference on Saturday evening when a group of delegates stood up and branded him a “hypocrite” for the UK Government’s support of the Cambo oil field.

The activists began chanting from the crowd before walking out of the auditorium at Strathclyde University.

“Alok Sharma and the UK government are hypocrites,” said one delegate, while others held up a green “Fridays for Future” flag.

“They are opening the new Cambo oil field, they subsidise billions into fossil fuels yet won’t look after the workers who need a just transition.

“Where is the support for countries in crisis as a result of our colonial history?”

Environmental campaigners have called for plans to begin extraction at the Cambo oil field, to the west of the Shetland Islands, to be scrapped.