Westminster holds panel discussion to reflect on the successes and failures of COP26

The COP26 conference, held in Glasgow last November, reached a new global agreement which aims to reduce the worst impacts of climate change. The United Nations came to an agreement on ways to reduce emissions and coal consumption, as well as how to significantly increase money to help developing countries cope with the effects of climate change, and make the switch to clean energy.

The nations also agreed to stop deforestation, reduce the amount of methane emissions, and direct finances towards ‘clean’ technology, such as renewable energy. Ahead of the 26th Annual Summit, two hundred countries were asked for their plans to cut emissions by 2030. The goal is to now keep cutting emissions until they reach net zero by mid-century.

The Sustainable Cities and the Urban Environment Research Community and the Architecture and Cities Climate Action Taskforce held a panel discussion named Good COP/Bad COP to reflect on the successes and failures of the COP26 meeting. Participants were able to reflect on their experiences in Glasgow, give their assessment of the outcomes of the meeting, and discuss potential avenues of urban and environmental research and action.

A panel of Westminster academics from different disciplines reflected on the successes and failures of this highly significant meeting, and discussed the role and value of COP gatherings more generally. The panel discussed personal experiences of attending COP26, views about the outcomes of the meeting, the value of annual meetings such as this in efforts to restrict climate change, and the ways that academics were adapting their research and teaching to address the challenges posed by the climate emergency.

Some of the key themes also addressed in the discussion were: the political obstacles preventing more substantial action, and the failure of COP26 to address the fundamental causes and global inequities that underpin the climate crisis. The panel also covered the problematic way COP reduced complex issues to numeric targets, and why some issues seemed to be addressed at COP26, such as coal production, whilst others, such as oil, were neglected. 

Talking about the panel event, Professor Lindsay Bremner, Convener of the Architecture and Cities Climate Action Taskforce (ArCCAT), said: “Good COP/Bad COP treated us to fascinating anecdotes from those who attended the COP summit in Glasgow and informed debate between legal, business, transport, architecture and global south scholars on the achievements and limitations of COP26 and the COP process more generally. It was a really stimulating event and raised important issues for further discussion."

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