COP26
ELLIOTT SCHOOL FACULTY REFLECTIONS
In 2018, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Climate change is moving faster than we are.” The 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) taking place now— October 31 thru November 12— in Glasgow, Scotland, confirms Guterres’s statement. The earth is not on track to limit global warming to the 1.5º C agreed to in Paris at COP21. The reality is that the number and severity of extreme weather events are overtaking efforts to reduce global warming. The countries participating in COP26 were asked to lay out their 2030 emissions reductions targets (NDCs) that align with reaching the net zero greenhouse gas emissions goal by 2050, as well as a commitment from developed countries to raise $100 billion dollars in climate finance to offset the damage to the world’s ecosystems and build infrastructure resiliency.
Elliott School faculty from a variety of disciplines weighed in on COP26 topics from the unintended consequences of carbon offsets, to whether nuclear energy has a role to play in slowing carbon based emissions, to a call to reframe the current cynicism around the efficacy of large climate conferences like this one, and the need for financial support for affected nations experiencing the deadly effects of climate change.
Marcus DuBois King
The COP 26 meeting in Glasgow is the first opportunity since the signing of the Paris Accord in 2015 for signatories to revisit voluntary greenhouse gas emissions targets. As they enter into the second week of negotiations, these countries are not on track to meet the...
Stephen C. Smith
Environmental deterioration is probably the most important global development challenge. Climate change is harming many of the world’s poorest people; and far worse impact is already unavoidable; achieving effective resilience and adaptation is growing in urgency....
Moses Kansanga
Over the past decade, the world has made bold climate change mitigation and adaptation commitments, with the Paris Agreement seen as a landmark development in this collective struggle. COP26 is yet another celebrated gathering of stakeholders aimed at providing...
Sharon Squassoni
Activists and governments alike approached the 2021 Glasgow climate change conference – known as COP26 – knowing that bold action would be needed to avoid the worst effects of a warming world. Is nuclear energy the answer? Nuclear energy is a low-carbon...
Nina Kelsey
Climate politics invite cynicism. The longer I follow them, the more I notice how certain narratives recur: UN officials and environmental advocacy groups declare that this meeting is the final chance to avert catastrophe. Big nations make lofty statements, followed...