The COP26 Plenary Chamber

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the supreme decision-making body of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Parties. After a one-year forced break due to the Covid 19 pandemic, the international climate conference marked its 26th anniversary this year. Between 31 October and 12 November 2021, approximately 40,000 country representatives, UN envoys, and observers, including NGOs, lobbyists, activists, and media representatives from 200 countries convened in Glasgow, Scotland, to debate the Paris Climate Agreement's continued implementation (UNFCCC, 2021). The conference was organised by the UK government in cooperation with the Italian government.

One week after the G20 Summit in Rome, expectations were high due to the recent expiration of the deadline for submitting new, more ambitious climate plans established in the Paris Climate Agreement's "Nationally Determined Contributions." By 12 October 2021, about 70% of signatories would have presented new or updated national plans for implementing the Paris Agreement. This equates to approximately 57% of all global emissions that must be decreased in order to meet the agreement's 1.5 degree objective (WRI, 2021).