Climate discussions before and beyond COP26s
The 76th General Assembly and Security Council meetings show that persistence pays off
Every year, the UN General Assembly commands worldwide attention, and heads of state and government, UN staff, activists, the private sector, and experts use this to draw attention to topics they deem important for global attention. Climate change - its impact and mitigation - was, next to COVID, a main issue for many participants. The Irish, who held the Security Council (SC) presidency during UNGA, used all three points - the global attention, climate as a main topic during the UNGA and their presidency of the SC - to hold a Security Council meeting on “Climate, Peace and Security”, a controversial topic in the SC, to pressure Russia and China.