Global Futures: Futurecast | Vol. 1, Fall 2021

Another COP is in the books.

So now what?

As the global high point of COVID-19 infections seemed to ease this past spring, the world began to exhale a sigh of relief and turn its gaze toward a resolute and impactful 26th Conference of the Parties climate negotiations in the coming winter. With no negotiations held in 2020 due to the pandemic and extreme climate events occurring more regularly and in more places, the sense of urgency to make something happen now at a COP could not have been higher.

And then, as if by force majeure, global COVID-19 infection rates began to rise again in late summer. Grand plans for an all-out event in Glasgow began to give way to more tepid expectations. Before you could say “carbon tax,” the goals for COP26 focused on holding nations to their financial commitments that were agreed upon in 2015.

Yet, two weeks of presentations, discussions, debates and negotiations went down in a bone chilling Scotland winter, even pushing beyond the scheduled close to finalize language around fossil fuels. The ultimate outcome? Not very much at all.