A coalition of over 1,500 environmental and rights groups around the world is calling for the U.N. to postpone its annual climate talks, COP26, scheduled for November in Scotland, because of entrenched vaccine inequality. Climate Action Network says the countries most affected by the climate crisis are likely to be shut out of talks because of lack of access to vaccines, as well as prohibitive travel and quarantine costs. The coalition said in a statement, “There has always been an inherent power imbalance within the U.N. climate talks and this is now compounded by the health crisis. … It is difficult to imagine there can be fair participation from the Global South under safe conditions.”

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization blasted wealthy countries on Tuesday for refusing to share excess vaccines and other COVID treatments.

Maria Van Kerkhove: “It is the hoarding of these materials. We saw it in the beginning of the pandemic with PPE. But this is not just unfair. It’s not just immoral. It’s prolonging the pandemic, and it is resulting in people dying.”