As we mark the one-year anniversary of COP26, and with COP27 coming to an end in Egypt, questions have been raised on what progress has been made since the commitments made in Glasgow in 2021.

With the climate crisis ever worsening, there are more expectations than ever on governments and large corporations to take action – with many seeing this as the last chance for humankind to save the planet.

So, what action have we seen since COP26? And which targets are we still waiting to see fulfilled?

Coal vs renewables

One of the biggest pledges to come out of COP26 was the Glasgow Climate Pact, which was signed by 200 countries and aimed at reducing coal usage. However, a year on, we still haven’t seen any major steps forward, despite the initial intention being changed to phase the use of coal down, rather than phase it out completely.

The ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine caused interruptions on global energy supplies, as well as the cost-of-living crisis. As a result, not only did the majority of countries fail to achieve what was pledged at COP26, but some of them had to roll back their optimistic carbon emission plans and add a significant portion of coal back to their energy consumption menu.

When the basic needs of their population were at stake, many countries were unable to prioritise sustainable, more costly renewables, so goals on reducing coal usage remained unmet.

Net-zero emissions dream

COP26 saw the UK pioneer the creation of the world’s first net-zero financial centre, requiring financial institutions to publicly disclose their decarbonisation plans. However, the initiative stumbled over rapidly rising energy costs and developing economic instability. 

Since then, the UK government has established a public body named Future System Operator (FSO) which aims to ensure continued energy resilience and security of supply. The government has also released the British Energy Security Strategy which points British society to increasing renewable energy. However, although this represents progress since COP26, these are still more advice than real steps towards improvement.

The Earth’s growing population and the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement are two opposing forces. Although, despite efforts to achieve a healthy balance often seeming as efficient as a dog chasing its tail, there is still hope. Some believe that even with a lack of governmental support, businesses are still capable of taking initiatives and leading the fight against climate change on their own. For example, increasing investments in lab-meat production alone can serve as proof that those hopes are reasonable.  

Deforestation

Experts believe forestry has huge potential in achieving global emissions targets and could contribute approximately 10% – 15% towards these. But, despite Glasgow agreements, many large corporations continue their way to all-time high deforestation rates.

Surprisingly, the war in Ukraine has potentially played a part in additional deforestation throughout 2021. Ukraine is the most cultivated state in Europe and the second most ploughed state in the world, normally producing one-third of the world’s sunflower oil and accounting for nearly half of global exports. Agricultural capacity of the country was seriously influenced by the hostilities and the lack of sunflower oil might be a reason for additional deforestation, as producers turned to palm oil as an alternative.

Shall we?

In 2021, scientists were unanimous in their call to decision makers, saying that now was the last chance to take the right course. Considering we have seen very little positive impact of intentions proclaimed at COP26, we may compare COP27 with an attempt to repair the roof of a house which is almost entirely on fire.

Despite the efforts of the last year, the main call of COP27 remains the same as that of COP26 – limit global warming. And this time, we must see the movement from pledges to implementation happen – for the sake of people and planet.