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| COP26 (Glasgow) | |
|---|---|
| Name | COP26 (Glasgow) |
| Date | 31 October – 13 November 2021 |
| Location | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Venue | Scottish Event Campus |
| Participants | Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change |
| Previous | COP25 (Madrid) |
| Next | COP27 (Sharm el-Sheikh) |
COP26 (Glasgow) was the 26th meeting of the Conference of the Parties under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The summit convened national leaders, multilateral institutions, European Union, and non-state actors to negotiate limits on greenhouse gas emissions after the Paris Agreement (2015). Outcomes were framed against scientific assessments from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, economic analyses from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, and advocacy from networks including Greenpeace, 350.org, and the World Wildlife Fund.
COP26 was scheduled following the postponement of COP25 and occurred amid recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, concurrent with diplomatic activity at G7 and G20 summits. The presidency, held by the United Kingdom in partnership with Italy, emphasized milestones from the Paris Agreement (2015), including enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions consistent with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report and the long-term goal of limiting warming to 1.5 °C. Key preparatory processes involved the UNFCCC secretariat, technical inputs from the IPCC, financing dialogues with the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility, and sectoral engagement featuring the International Energy Agency, UNEP, and the World Bank.
Negotiators addressed the Paris Rulebook implementation, carbon markets under Article 6, and transparency frameworks drawing on modalities from the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement. Key outcomes included updates to Nationally Determined Contributions procedures, a reaffirmation of the 1.5 °C goal cited in the Glasgow Climate Pact, and agreements on phasedown language for coal and fossil fuel subsidies, influenced by interventions from delegations led by the United States, China, India, European Union, and the Brazilian delegation. Dispute and compromise emerged around Article 6 market mechanisms, with technical inputs from the International Civil Aviation Organization and International Maritime Organization on emissions accounting. Negotiation dynamics reflected coalitions such as the High Ambition Coalition, the Like-Minded Developing Countries, and the Alliance of Small Island States.
At Glasgow, countries announced enhanced targets and sectoral pledges, including commitments on coal phase-out and reductions in methane emissions under initiatives led by the United States and the European Union alongside support from Canada, Norway, and Qatar. Major emitters updated Nationally Determined Contributions with conditional and unconditional targets; announcements involved the United Kingdom, China, India, United States, and Russia as focal actors in global emissions trajectories. Sectoral coalitions produced pledges such as the Global Methane Pledge, the Powering Past Coal Alliance, and nature-based packages involving the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora stakeholders. Corporate and finance actors including the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, BlackRock, HSBC, and multilateral development banks signaled net-zero timelines and transition finance commitments.
Finance discussions foregrounded the unmet $100 billion annual climate finance goal pledged in Copenhagen Accord and operationalised through mechanisms like the Green Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund. Glasgow outcomes included new pledges for adaptation finance from the United Kingdom, European Union, United States, and coalitions of donor states, alongside debates on scaling private finance via institutions such as the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank. Loss and damage was contentious, involving proposals for a dedicated funding facility championed by the Vulnerable Twenty Group and Small Island Developing States, opposed in varied form by major donor states. Risk-transfer instruments and resilience initiatives drew in actors including the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Global Commission on Adaptation, and the InsuResilience Global Partnership.
Scientific input derived from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report and briefings by the Royal Society and the Met Office, informing urgency narratives echoed by NGOs such as Friends of the Earth, Sierra Club, and indigenous groups organized through the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change. Civil society mobilization included large-scale demonstrations coordinated with unions like the International Trade Union Confederation and youth movements including Fridays for Future and Youth Climate Strike. Protests and direct actions occurred alongside institutional side events hosted by entities such as the World Economic Forum, academic institutions including University of Oxford and University of Glasgow, and philanthropic actors like the Rockefeller Foundation.
Post-Glasgow follow-up involved the UNFCCC facilitative dialogues, the timetable for updated Nationally Determined Contributions ahead of COP27, and monitoring via transparency frameworks under the Paris Agreement. Independent assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, think tanks such as the International Institute for Environment and Development and the Grantham Research Institute, and multilateral reviews by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund continue to evaluate Glasgow commitments. Implementation depends on national legislatures including the UK Parliament, the US Congress, and subnational actors like the California Air Resources Board and city networks such as C40 Cities. Civil society watchdogs including Climate Action Network and investigative journalism from outlets like the Guardian and the New York Times track progress toward the Glasgow outcomes and the 1.5 °C target.
Category:United Nations climate change conferences