The conference is now moving into the critical, behind doors phase of the negotiations.

As one participant explained it, the first week of COP26 was all sugar rush, the second will be about sobering up and getting down to business.

So how much progress has really been made in the opening days of COP26 and what are the main challenges that lie ahead?

"None of the countries that has a net-zero target has implemented sufficient short term policies to put itself on a trajectory towards net-zero," says Dr Niklas Höhne, from the New Climate Institute, which monitors and assesses national carbon-cutting plans.

"Right now, it's more a vision or imagination. And it's not matched by action."

The failure of the richer nations to fulfil their promise of $100bn by 2020 has undoubtedly damaged trust, there is work underway to put in place a new, more substantial payment from 2025.

While the new figure is unlikely to be agreed here, the prospect of a very significant increase could go some way towards ensuring that finance doesn't derail these talks completely.