COP26: UPDATE ON PROCEEDINGS AND WHAT HAPPENS DURING
COP26 refers to the 26th United Nations (UN) climate change conference which is scheduled to be held in Glasgow from 1–12 November 2021 under the presidency of the UK, with Italy acting as a co-host. Cop26 plans to go ahead as scheduled after several changes had to be made to how the conference will be conducted. COP26 is the largest international summit the UK has ever held and the presidency of COP will last for the full year until the next COP will be held. The summit had to be postponed due to the pandemic but is still the pivotal turning point to reduce climate change and get the signatories of the Paris Agreement to commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The Paris Agreement defined two potential pathways, but COP26 needs to deliver a concrete commitment to a 1.5.C target as the global temperature continues to rise. We have already experienced the backlash of the increase in the global average temperature in the form of floods, wildfires, droughts and rising sea levels. If we continue on the current path we will enter the point of no return where we will never recover from. There is good news however, it has been estimated that roughly 60% of global carbon emissions have been covered by net-zero commitments. In addition to this, the two largest contributors to the global greenhouse gas emissions have now set out clear roadmaps and strategies to reduce their carbon emissions.
The COP26 Schedule has been filled to capacity with negotiations and presentations from the 1st to the 12th of November 2021. The COP26 Green Zone will be open to the public at the Glasgow Science Centre. With over 100 exhibitors, 200 events and 11 sponsors taking over the space, there will be amazing opportunities to listen, learn and celebrate climate action. As the majority of the summit has moved to online platforms there will be a selection of regional events held by a variety of businesses around the two weeks in November that will focus on how each of the businesses involved are playing a role in combating the climate crisis. Depending on the agreed outcomes of COP26, there will be a collective uptake to switch to net-zero emissions globally.
If you are unable to attend in person you can join virtually by subscribing to the COP26 YouTube channel.
Schedule for COP26
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Monday 1st |
Tuesday 2nd |
Wednesday 3rd |
Thursday 4th |
Friday 5th |
Saturday 6th |
Sunday 7th |
Monday 8th |
Tuesday 9th |
Wednesday 10th |
Thursday 11th |
Friday 12th |
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World leader summit |
Finance |
Energy |
Youth and public empowerment |
Nature |
Break in negotiations |
Adaptation, loss and damage |
Gender, science and innovation |
Transport |
Cities, regions and the built environment |
Event closes
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(Inviting high level action and ambition plans to be submitted) |
Mobilising public and private financial flows to improve global adaptation and resiliency against the climate crisis |
Discussions on accelerating the global transition away from fossil fuels |
A day that gives young people a voice to highlight how the public can be educated and empowered to act |
Outlining the role of nature in combatting the climate crisis and reversing ecological breakdown while driving a green recovery |
Exploring solutions that enable adaptation and mitigation against climate risks across the globe. |
A focus on promoting gender equality when targeting climate action while demonstrating the solutions that can emerge to deliver the aims of the Paris agreement |
Looking at how transport can be decarbonised in a just manner |
Advancing climate action across all areas of society |
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