COP26 Climate Summit: A Scientists’ Guide to a Momentous Meeting

During COP26 – the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties – government officials and business leaders will present their latest commitments to cut greenhouse-gas emissions.  Scientists will also discuss efforts to track emissions, understand impacts, and advance potential climate solutions.  With its tradition of making decisions by consensus among nations rather than majority vote, many question whether the UN climate convention is capable of meeting the challenge.  Despite 30 years of climate diplomacy, urgent and aggressive action is needed to halt global warming.  In this article, what success looks like and what’s at risk are explained.