Hope and Absurdity at COP26 Glasgow Published: 25 November 2021 Opinion COP26 in Glasgow, postponed by one year to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, represented the first major test of the Paris Agreement. Given the significance of COP26, it was essential that it be inclusive so that the views and experiences of civil society, youth, indigenous peoples, trade unions, especially those from the Global South who are already experiencing climate impacts, be heard and considered in the negotiations and decision-making. By Julian Theseira
COP 21 and the Paris Agreement: A Force Awakened Published: 15 December 2015 Globally, political leaders are lauding the acceptance of the global and legally binding Paris Agreement on Climate Change at COP 21 as a historical moment. It achieves a goal long believed unattainable. However, judged against the enormity of the challenge and the needs and pressure from people on the ground demanding a global deal anchored in climate justice (“system change, not climate change!”), the Paris Agreement can only be called a collective failure and disappointment. Read a critical assessment by hbs colleagues from around the world. By Lili Fuhr