At the time of writing this column, there are rumours that COP 26 might be postponed to early next year due to concerns around COVID-19 and the vaccination status of delegates. The annual event – which was cancelled last year due to the pandemic – is aimed at building a global plan to combat climate change. This latest iteration of COP, whenever it ends up happening, is widely seen as one of the most important international political gatherings ever to take place – with the impact of climate change already making itself felt, as wildfires, flooding, droughts, rising water levels, and extreme weather dominate headlines around the world.
Climate change is already with us, and it’s unlikely that we will be able to reverse its impact, even if we halted the emission of climate-warming greenhouse gases immediately. Instead, it seems likely that we will be living permanently with at least a 1.5 degree Celsius increase in global temperatures. 1.5 degrees may not seem like much, but think about the impact that such a seemingly small change in temperature has on your own body. We’re currently sitting at about a one-degree increase over the last century, and the impact of that single degree is already enough to destabilise global weather patterns.