What is COP26?

COP26 stands for the 26th Conference of the Parties. In short, it’s a conference in Glasgow where world leaders will gather to discuss the climate crisis. More than 190 world leaders will travel to Scotland for what has been described as ‘the world’s last best chance to get runaway climate change under control’ by the organisers.

‘The world’s last best chance to get runaway climate change under control.’

COP21, which took place in Paris in 2015, was home to a momentous event. It was the first time every country came together to make a joint commitment to limit climate change. They set the limit at a global limit of +2°C but pledged to aim for +1.5​​°C. They also pledged to implement climate adaptation strategies to prepare for the increasing instability caused by the emissions which have already been produced. This agreement has come to be known as the Paris Agreement.

It’s important to note that the commitments laid out to limit carbon emissions in the Paris Agreement did not come close to ensuring a global warming limit of 1.5°C, and yet many countries have not even met their own insufficient and self-set targets. As of August 2021, only Bhutan, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Kenya, The Philippines and India, are on track for a +2°C compatible temperature increase. Only Morocco and The Gambia have gone further to implement 1.5°C policies. This means that every other country’s current climate strategy is leading us to a world warmer than +2°C, with many countries leading to a +4°C world or even higher. It is difficult to understate the results of this kind of warming.

According to the alarming IPCC report released earlier this year, +2°C may already be slipping out of our grasp. While it may not sound like a lot, increasing the world’s temperature by that much could make global wheat production plummet by 16%, make heat waves longer, and put 98% of coral reefs at risk, to name just a few consequences. Even right here in Glasgow the MetOffice has warned that up to 100,000 homes and 18,700 businesses in the Glasgow region will be put at risk of flooding by 2080 due to climate change. For these reasons and more it’s vital that we keep the pressures on world leaders to make change work. 

It’s vital that we keep the pressures
on world leaders to make change work.

Thankfully, COP26 is growing to be more than a series of political discussions. Across the UK organisations have been putting together events and resources to support grassroots activism around the COP.