'Last Best Hope'
After a yearlong delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, world leaders and negotiators are meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, for the most important climate conference in years: the 26th session of the conference of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, an international treaty formed back in 1992 to curb global warming. U.S. climate envoy John Kerry has called COP26 the world’s “last best hope for the world to get its act together.” Here’s what you need to know about what’s going down in Glasgow.
In This Series
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![Smoke and steam rising from piles of coal waste with smokestacks in the background]()
![Smoke and steam rising from piles of coal waste with smokestacks in the background]()
Blast from the past: Coal sends global emissions to pre-pandemic highs
CO2 emissions dropped 5 percent in 2020. Now they're roaring back.
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Report: Poor countries need 5 to 10 times more funding to adapt to climate risks they did not create
Without it, there will be even worse "loss and damage" costs down the line.
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![Defund climate chaos]()
![Defund climate chaos]()
Banks with $130 trillion in assets pledge to fund climate action. Activists aren’t impressed.
Some activists believe financial institutions’ most recent climate promises are just more greenwashing.
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![A view of recently cleared land for palm oil plantations]()
![A view of recently cleared land for palm oil plantations]()
More than 100 countries agree: It’s time to end deforestation
Together they represent more than 85 percent of the world's forests
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![A climate protester holds a sign with orange flames at COP26.]()
![A climate protester holds a sign with orange flames at COP26.]()
Goodbye 1.5 degrees? Here’s how hot scientists believe the world will get
As COP26 ramps up, most expect the world to blow past climate goals.
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![Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces India's net-zero plans at COP26]()
![Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces India's net-zero plans at COP26]()
India commits to net-zero by 2070. That’s more important than it sounds.
The surprising move has major implications for the global energy market.
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![silhouettes of people walk past a neon sign that says hurry up please it's time]()
![silhouettes of people walk past a neon sign that says hurry up please it's time]()
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![A room full of people at the G20 Rome Summit]()
![A room full of people at the G20 Rome Summit]()
Ahead of COP26, the call for an international coal phase-out hits a snag
Major economies pledge to stop financing coal abroad, but not at home.
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COP26: Goals, who’s going, and why it matters
What’s a COP? Who’ll be there? Can I stream it? Read on to find out.
