Just hours after the Queen made it clear she was unamused by the number of world leaders yet to confirm their attendance at the Glasgow climate talks, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced he would attend.

But the identities of around 120 other leaders that the UK organisers of COP26 say will attend are still mostly unknown.

US President Joe Biden has said he will be there, but it so far appears unlikely that his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will, as he has not left China since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Without the commitment of these two nations - respectively the largest historical greenhouse gas emitter and the current one - it is believed the talks cannot succeed in curbing warming.

It is also not yet known if the leaders of a handful of other high-emitting nations, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro will attend the conference, which typically attracts over 20,000 dignitaries, diplomats, negotiators, scientists and activists.

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In his final major speech before the talks begin, the incoming COP president, UK cabinet minister Alok Sharma, appealed directly to world leaders to attend.

“COP26 is not a photo op, nor a talking shop,” he said on Tuesday.

“It must be the forum where we put the world on track to deliver on climate and that is down to leaders. It is the leaders who made a promise to the world in Paris six years ago, and it is leaders who must honour it.”