COP26: Asking the Wrong Questions?
This gas by Peter Sims asks whether COP26 will succeed and argues that it needs to stop asking the wrong questions in order to take the opportunity to change direction
Will COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021 succeed? Will it be the breakthrough moment, when a historic deal is agreed that turns a corner in the trajectory of global greenhouse gas emissions and sets the world on track to limit global temperature increases to 1.5℃? Is that even a realistic outcome to hope COP26 can achieve if the best possible circumstances, discussions and agenda items prevail?
But COP26 is still asking the wrong questions. It’s shying away from questions like “What would a fair allocation of the remaining carbon budget for 1.5℃ look like?” and “How can our economies be reshaped to remove the stimulus for continued fossil fuel extraction and use globally?”.
