Despite the last-minute changes and tough diplomacy, COP26 represents a historic achievementIt has witnessed the completion of the Paris Rulebook, which is the first agreement of COP to accelerate the phase-out of coal and allow the dream of 1.5C to continue, despite the need to sustain life.
When the delegates leave Glasgow With the departure of world leaders, the difficult transplant to translate climate rhetoric into clean energy reality must be strengthened. The UK will retain the COP chairmanship for the next 12 months-it should use it to persuade major emitters such as China and India to raise their ambitions.
Of course, leadership abroad requires action at home. The mitigation and adaptation of climate change must be rooted in the core of the government, not an afterthought.
In fact, the apparent decline in climate commitments in the proposed Anglo-Australia trade agreement is a worrying sign that carbon reduction is not a core part of government policy, as it is sometimes claimed to be.
In addition, climate policy cannot be the authority of a department. That’s because working in silos simply cannot adequately solve all-encompassing challenges like the transition to net zero.
Take electric cars as an example-Londoners buy them in record numbers, but more people postpone their purchases due to lack of charging points. Difficult issues like this require a minister with trans-Whitehall power — full of the prime minister’s public support — to unite and resolve outstanding bottlenecks.
Finally, the weeks and months following the COP represent an opportunity to transform growing public awareness into consumer action. We are all responsible for reducing carbon emissions, from reducing flying and reducing meat consumption to improving our household energy efficiency. We cannot let this moment pass. COP26 It may be over, but the next phase begins now.
