COP 26 in a glance by Naseem Sheikh
Everyone is talking about COP26 - but what actually is it, and why does it matter so much? The UN Climate Change Conference (the official name for climate Conferences of the Parties) has happened every year since 1995. The two-week summits are an important space for stakeholders to discuss the climate crisis on a global level. These annual conferences bring together those that have signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) , an international environmental treaty addressing climate change.Every UN member state is a signatory for the UNFCCC. Effectively every nation, country, or state in the world is involved, giving a total of 197 signatory parties. Each year representatives from every party come together to discuss action on climate change in what is known as a COP. The 26th COP was meant to take place in Glasgow, UK last November, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the disruption, COP26 has been keenly anticipated - with ma...