COP26 ended and we all need to come to terms with it.
Was it a success? Was it a failure?

Personally, I think that what the world has achieved in Glasgow is only just bearable. Less than this would have been disastrous. And let’s be clear, it is still painfully inadeguate compared with the existential challenge we are facing.

However, we do have reasons to celebrate this moment. Fossil fuels and methane were included in the agreement, carbon trading rules have been clarified and stronger NDC will need to be submitted by next year.

But what amazed me the most is the global mobilisation on the environment that took place in the past 2 weeks. COP 26 catalysed the attention of millions of individuals around the world, bringing us a step closer to the global environmental consciousness that we desperately need to keep our politicians accountable and ensure a just transition. I hope that Glasgow will prove to be the moment where the tide, slowly, started to change.

Image: Bloomberg COP Scorecard
Article: Christiana Figueres, former head of the UNFCCC and author of The Future We Choose.