Neil McIntosh Editor of The Scotsman

Dear reader,

It's been quite a week for Glasgow, Scotland and - we must hope - the world.

The first week of the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow is drawing to a close with varying levels of optimism and doom, hope and despair. Are we any closer to a commitment which will keep the goal of a maximum of 1.5 degrees global warming within reach?

There were encouraging announcements to kick us off as the world came to town, with commitments on everything from cutting methane to phasing out coal and reforestation. 

Headline-grabbing perhaps. Enough? Nowhere near. 

Protests, independence, and the Loch Ness monster

The Scotsman has been inside and outside the COP conference every day bringing you the very latest as it happens with a live daily blog, daily bulletin from the site, video updates throughout the day, explainers, analysis, comment and, of course, exclusive lines. 

Our politics correspondent Conor Matchett broke the line this week that an independent Scotland would continue to drill for oil and gas. How much strain that places on the SNP/Green coalition is a story that we think will play out for a while yet.  

Investigations correspondent Martyn McLaughlin meanwhile examined the possible impacts of climate change on the country's defence capability, speaking to the Nato Secretary General about the threat to the nuclear submarine base at Faslane, on the Clyde. 

Live reporter Hannah Brown has been producing daily videos around the conference site, as has Westminster editor Alexander Brown who has decamped to Glasgow. 

Environment reporter Ilona Amos meanwhile has been both inside the high-powered discussions and out on the streets, as protests have mounted around the conference.

As well as the very serious matters being discussed there have been lighter moments of course, like when President Joe Biden's motorcade pulled into an Edinburgh petrol station, or when the question of how many police it takes to arrest an inflatable Nessie was answered.

In tomorrow's paper

We'll continue to offer plenty about COP this weekend, but we can also turn our thoughts to other vital matters - in print tomorrow there's a jam-packed Scotsman Magazine which features the ultimate guide to wild swimming in Scotland and, in sport, a full preview of Scotland v Australia in the Autumn Nations. 

There won't be much time for a breather before another vital week next week, and we'll bring you every key moment. We always appreciate your interest and support, and delighted to have you along for the ride. 

Join us today. Thank you for your continued interest in The Scotsman. There's huge value in a subscription with us, through which you can secure unlimited access to our journalism, all produced for you here by our team across Scotland.

For a limited time, use the code COP26 to save £26 on an annual subscription - which works out at just £1.23 a week.

Have a great weekend. 

Neil McIntosh

Editor, The Scotsman